
Hussam Ayloush, director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Los Angeles, said in his January 24, 2025 Friday sermon that Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children in Gaza in "the worst mass murder of children in one place and one time in recent history." He further stated that there were no military targets in Gaza after the second day of the October 7 attack, and this was "collective punishment for being dignified." Ayloush said "shame on any Muslim" who blames the victims and says that Palestinians should not have "picked a fight" with Israel on October 7.
In response to these claims, he quoted from verse 60 in Surah Al-Anfal of the Quran, which is often used by terrorist organizations such as Hamas and ISIS, "And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war, by which you may strike fear into the enemy of Allah and your enemy..." Ayloush accused the Israeli army of being "one of the most barbaric armies in recent history."
He concluded his sermon by soliciting membership in CAIR, directing worshippers to a booth set up outside the sanctuary where they can sign up for the organization and commit to paying a monthly fee. Ayloush said this act would combat President Trump's executive orders, which would impact the Muslim community.
In November 2023, Ayloush said that Palestinian have the right to "pick up arms" and Israel has no right to self-defense, in December of the same year, Ayloush said about the October 7 Hamas attack that Israel has no right to defend itself, like Nazi Germany did not have the right to self-defense against the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto. In April, Ayloush Delivered a Friday sermon at the UCLA student encampment. In November, Ayloush warned against bill H.R. 9495, which would revoke tax exemption status from non-profit organizations that support terrorism, claiming this would harm such organizations as CAIR, Muslim American Society (MAS), and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
On January 16, 2025, Nerdeen Kiswani of Within Our Lifetime, joined a CAIR New York lawsuit against the city for police brutality in an anti-Israel protests she had organized in the wake of October 7.
Hussam Ayloush: "This is the worst mass murder of children in one place and one time in recent history.
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"The Israeli government was engaged in complete collective punishment. That's what it was. Israel... There were no military targets [in Gaza] probably after the second day of the [October 7] attack.
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"The targeting [of Gaza] now is about punishing the people of Gaza, punishing the Palestinian people for being dignified.
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"Sometimes even some Muslims [are] blaming the victims for what happened to them. By Allah, shame on any Muslim who does that. Shame on anyone who says: 'Well, the Palestinians should have given up, should not... Why would they even pick a fight with their occupiers?'
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"Allah says [in the Quran]: 'And prepare against them whatever you are able of power...' Allah says: 'And prepare for your occupiers, your enemies, your oppressors, whatever means you have,' so you can push them away from their oppression.
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"We stand by them. We commend them for their ability to withstand one of the most barbaric armies in recent history, an army that targets children, and I say, these are not random attacks.
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"Our goal is to build political power for our community, so we are not sitting and crying over miseries and injustices, so we have the political power that can prevent things before becoming a genocide, like in Gaza. So that requires each one of us to be part of this effort. Sign up with CAIR [Council on American-Islamic Relations].
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"We have a new president in the White House, pushing all sorts of executive orders that will target many people from our community and other communities. How do we prepare? We don't sit and cry over it. For that, I ask, inshallah, on your way out, you are going to see a booth outside, sign up with CAIR, get on the email list, and become a member.
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"A member [of CAIR], meaning you give a small amount every month."