A Muslim cleric who earlier refused to condemn Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah didn't appear at the inauguration ceremony of US President Donald Trump on Monday (Jan 20). Earlier, it was reported that the cleric had been given an invitation for the mega event by the Trump team, which drew condemnation from several Trump loyalists.

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Husham Al-Husainy, the imam of the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in Dearborn, Michigan, had reportedly been invited to deliver a benediction at the Jan 20 event.

US conservatives criticised this move by the Trump transition team as they believed the invitation to the Imam went against the values that President Trump stood for.

Al-Husainy's absence from the inauguration event indicated his invitation may have been scrapped by the Trump team altogether. A report by the New York Post suggested he was disinvited. 

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However, it is also possible that the Imam may have decided against attending the inauguration given the level of criticism he had faced at the hands of Trump supporters.

Why is Husham Al-Husainy controversial?

A report by Middle East Forum described Al-Husainy as “a radical anti-Semitic, pro-Hezbollah Shia imam” with “a significant history of extremism.”

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In 2015, during a rally at the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center, Al-Husainy reportedly wished death upon Saudi Arabia and dubbed the Saudis as “agents of the Jews.”

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As per reports, Al-Husainy had attended a pro-Hezbollah rally in Dearborn in 2006 and also waved a photo of then-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah from the stage. It is to be noted that Nasrallah was killed in Israeli strikes last year.

In 2007, the cleric delivered an address at the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting and allegedly suggested that US forces were “oppressors and occupiers.” Later, he clarified that he was not referring to US forces when he asked almighty God to “help us to stop the war and violence, and oppression and occupation”.

Later, during a TV show, Al-Husainy refused to admit that Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation, as designated by the US in 1997. “Hezbollah is a Lebanese organisation. And I’ve got nothing to do with that,” the cleric said in response.

The cleric threw his support behind the Trump campaign ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.

“I am supporting Donald Trump because he opposes gay marriage and he is the most Christian person in the election,” the Imam said. “He will return us to conservative values, and I am a Muslim, and I will stand with whoever opposes gay marriage,” he argued, despite Trump not having made such a promise during his election campaign.

US conservatives had called on the Trump team to withdraw the invitation to the Imam as soon as possible.

“What the hell is going on at the Trump Campaign? Is this how they will thank voters? By putting a typical pro-Hezbollah Imam on stage?” said one user.

(With inputs from agencies)