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On August 2, 2025, the Islamic Center of South Florida (ICOSF) once again made a public and shocking endorsement of extremism, when it livestreamed a funeral officiated by radical imam Fadi Kablawi. For most houses of worship, a funeral is a sacred, solemn moment of unity and respect. But for ICOSF, it became yet another platform to elevate a hate preacher known for spewing vile rhetoric against Jews, Christians, women, and even fellow Muslims.

This wasn’t an isolated mistake. It was part of a pattern of behavior – one that stretches back years – showing a disturbing willingness by ICOSF to not only tolerate Kablawi but to integrate him into their most sacred religious functions. In doing so, the mosque continues to publicly align itself with a figure who has called for violent jihad and the extermination of Jews.

ICOSF, Kablawi, and the Targeting of Jews and Christians

Kablawi is the senior imam of Masjid As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah in North Miami, a hardline mosque where he regularly delivers sermons (khutbahs) laced with bigotry, conspiracy theories, and incitement. Kablawi’s reach, though, has extended to the more mainstream ICOSF. Between April and October 2022, ICOSF brought Kablawi in – at least five times – to deliver its own Friday sermons.

Kablawi has called Jews “the lowest of the lowest,” mocked them as “cheap” due to “a punishment from Allah,” claimed that most Jews are Russian imposters, and in April 2024, prayed for their outright annihilation.

Kablawi, as well, has targeted Christians. In January 2019, he stated that “Christianity can compete for first place in stupidity.” In September 2021, he said that, when he approaches a Christian to proselytize to him, “I’m not going [up] to a Christian to tell him ‘I hate you’… but that does not deny the fact I do.” Kablawi said he doesn’t hate Christians for their race or nationality – he said he hates them for their very existence.

Misogyny and Calls for Jihad

Kablawi’s contempt extends to women and LGBT. In August 2021, he blamed female rape victims for the assaults made against them and told gays they should be thankful they are still alive. He even went so far as to joke about sacrificing house pets. In July 2022, he told his congregants, “Bring out your children, your wives, your families… your parrots and the cats. Maybe we sacrifice some cats.”

Even more disturbing is Kablawi’s open admiration for violent jihad. In July 2020, he stated, “[J]ihad is when you put your life on the line… Real jihad is not climbing walls. Real jihad is climbing over people’s necks and heads and skulls.” In February 2022, he called on his followers to embrace full Shariah law, including hudud punishments (amputations, stonings and crucifixions). He urged them to “fly to Gaza,” “kill this and that,” and apply Islamic death penalties.

These weren’t just idle words. One of his congregants, 23-year-old Salman Rashid (Rasheed), was arrested, in November 2019, for soliciting someone to contact ISIS in an alleged plot to murder the deans of local South Florida colleges. In February 2019, Rashid posted on Facebook, “Americans will pay Inch by Inch For everything they have done to us…” Kablawi described Rashid as a “good brother.” Rashid’s mother accused Kablawi of brainwashing her son into committing terrorist acts.

Kablawi himself has admitted to being investigated by the FBI for ties to ISIS.

Kablawi’s “Kuffar” Funeral Speech

At the August 2nd funeral service, in a moment that should have been reserved for somber reflection, Kablawi instead used the occasion to deliver a tirade laced with hostility toward non-Muslims, referring to the dead around him as “kuffar” – a derogatory term for disbelievers. “Look at all these people… Those died kuffar. Most of them are kuffar,” he said, followed by the chilling words, “If you pass by a grave of a kafir, give him the news of the hellfire.”

In his speech, Kablawi also invoked the current unrest in the Middle East, lumping Jews, Zionists and others together as enemies. He stated, “A lot of us here [are] Palestinians… We are the ones who are living through suffering, all these years from the day we open our eyes with what’s happening with these Jews and Zionists and all the kuffar…”

Why Does ICOSF Keep Platforming Him?

ICOSF’s repeated association with Fadi Kablawi cannot be brushed off as accidental or coincidental. This is a mosque that has made a conscious decision to platform and elevate extremists. Why?

One possible answer is that ICOSF is owned by the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), a Muslim Brotherhood entity that was named by the U.S. government an “unindicted co-conspirator” for two federal trials dealing with fundraising for Hamas. A declassified FBI memo re NAIT – obtained by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) – states, “Their support of JIHAD (a holy war) in the U.S. has been evidenced by the financial and organizational support provided through NAIT from Middle East countries to Muslims residing in the U.S. and Canada.”

ICOSF’s head imam, Hasan Sabri, has a history of radical rhetoric himself – once referring to America as an “enemy” and condemning Muslims who seek help from the United States.

In 2022 alone, ICOSF hosted Texas imam Monzer Taleb at least three separate times. Taleb, a self-professed Hamas member, in June 2019, made a post on social media suggesting Jews in Israel be “relocated to Germany.” In August 2014, he praised masked Hamas militants, referring to them as “SUPERHEROES.”

When ICOSF repeatedly turns to Fadi Kablawi for spiritual leadership – even broadcasting his role at a funeral – it is no oversight. They are making a statement that this kind of ideology, this kind of hate, is not just tolerated – it is welcomed.

Time for Action

The Islamic Center of South Florida must be investigated for its ongoing relationship with radical imams like Fadi Kablawi and Monzer Taleb. These pro-terror clerics embody the violent anti-Western hostility that inspires, attracts, and may ultimately spur their congregants to commit acts of violence.

How many more young men like Salman Rashid will be radicalized before authorities step in and shut the radical mosques and these preachers of hate down?

Beila Rabinowitz, Director of Militant Islam Monitor, contributed to this report.