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Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
ZOA is gratified and deeply appreciates that the Trump inauguration committee canceled its plans for pro-terrorist Hezbollah Dearborn, Michigan Shia Imam, Husham al-Husainy to give a benediction at President Trump’s inauguration, following a quick campaign by ZOA; Newsmax, who published ZOA’s op-ed on this extremist terror-supporting Imam; and others to remove al-Husainy from the inauguration program. Al-Husainy had held aloft a photo of then-Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah on stage at a 2006 pro-Hezbollah rally in Dearborn; had answered “No” when he was repeatedly asked if Hezbollah is a terror organization on Hannity & Colmes, after first attempting to deflect the question by saying that Hezbollah is a Lebanese organization and means “party of G-d”; and had wished death upon Saudi Arabia and denounced Saudis as “agents of the Jews” whose “Zionist” planes “rain down” death upon the people of Yemen, at a rally organized by al-Husainy’s Karbalaa Center.
As ZOA pointed out, it would have sent a terrible message and placed a black mark marring President Trump’s new term to give a Jew-hater, Israel-hater and apologist for U.S.-designated foreign terror organization Hezbollah a prominent platform at the Trump inauguration. See “ZOA Urges Trump Inauguration Committee: Don’t Allow Antisemitic, Extremist Pro-Terrorist Hezbollah Imam to Give Inauguration Benediction,” Jan. 15, 2025; and Newsmax article and tweet quoting ZOA Pres. Morton Klein.
Americans – including unprecedented numbers of American Jews – voted for President Trump in part believing that he will fight against the mainstreaming of antisemitism and Israel-bashing in America and work to make it unacceptable again. We are pleased that Trump’s inauguration committee heard and responded to our and others’ concerns.
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