Asad Zaman, an Islamic imam who once promoted a pro-Hitler documentary and praised Hamas following its 2023 terrorist attacks, leads an organization that held a private inauguration event for Minneapolis mayoral hopeful Omar Fateh, according to newly unearthed reports.

In 2020, Fateh and six other recently elected Democratic state senators reportedly attended an in-person inauguration hosted by the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, where Zaman has served as executive director for over a decade, in their honor. Zaman has a history of radical social media usage, sharing a Hamas press release mourning a mass murderer in 2016, posting a link to a documentary praising Adolf Hitler in 2015, and praising the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks hours after they unfolded. Federal prosecutors once said that the Muslim American Society was “founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States,” according to court records.

Recommended Stories

• Antifa tracker: The far-left activists who face federal charges under Trump's DOJ
• Congressional hopeful relied on dead boss's cash to win primary election 
• Designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization

In addition to reportedly attending Zaman’s inauguration event, Fateh also signed a Quran belonging to the controversial cleric shortly after being elected to office. Zaman has stated that he sees the Quran, which has been signed by over a dozen Muslim politicians such as state Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), as a way to help organize a united front to advocate Islamic interests. 

Pro-Israel voices have criticized Fateh, suggesting that he is insufficiently critical of Hamas while being overly harsh toward Israel. Fateh has frequently been compared to New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Zaman made headlines during the 2024 election when the Washington Examiner unearthed his ties to Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was then the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee. Walz distanced himself from Zaman following the reports. 

The Hamas press release Zaman posted in 2016 mourned the death of Motiur Rahman Nizami, a Bangladeshi leader who was convicted of rape, murder, torture, and leading an armed group that committed extrajudicial killings during the country’s independence war, according to the New York Times. Zaman himself is an immigrant from Bangladesh.

The year before, Zaman posted a link to a documentary called “The Greatest Story Never Told,” where Hitler is portrayed as a misunderstood hero who has been unfairly maligned by historians, according to a peer-reviewed academic paper. The video is especially popular among Neo-Nazis and conspiracy theorists. 

LEADERS OF TERROR-LINKED CHARITY BANKROLL DEMOCRATS

“Given his hurtful remarks post-Oct. 7, and absent any recognition of the pain he has caused the Jewish community, we urge all public officials and leaders to avoid meeting with him in the future,” an Anti-Defamation League spokesperson previously told the Washington Examiner. “Those who have met with Imam Zaman should clarify that they don’t agree with his toxic views about Jews and the Jewish state.”

Just hours after news broke that Hamas militants had crossed the border into Israel and began their slaughter of roughly 1,200 people, Zaman stated that he “stands in solidarity with Palestinians against Israeli attacks.” Zaman later posted a picture of a Palestinian flag and declared that “Palestine has the right to defend itself,” going on to denounce Democratic politicians who had expressed sadness over the attacks.

Fateh did not respond to a request for comment.