Deen Center

The Deen Center and “The Deen Show” have been accused of hosting guests who have made antisemitic, anti-Israel, and pro-terrorist statements. ³ The Deen Center was previously endorsed by Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Siraj Wahhaj, and Yasir Qadhi. ¹

Background

The Deen Center has five central components to it: a masjid, or mosque; a Dawha center for distribution and discussion of Islamic religious materials; a fitness center; a studio for Deen Center founder Eddie Redzovic’s “The Deen Show”; and an Islamic school. The center seeks to become the first “mega Dawah center in USA.” Dawha, meaning “invitation” or “call,” refers to Muslims spreading Islam with others. ¹ The Deen Center’s masjid, called the Jesus Islamic Center: House of Monotheism, opened in March 2024. ¹

Connections to Radical Clerics

In April 2024, cleric Ibrahim Dremali appeared in a promotional video for the Deen Center. Dremali has previously made antisemitic remarks. In a 2021 interview on Rumble, Dremali claimed that “the Jews … control the whole world by the money,” while also stating, “ask Allah to give victory to them and destroy those people, not only the Zionists … but [all] who support those people.” ^{4  5  3}

The Deen Center’s website lists endorsements from 16 Islamic scholars, including Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, a radical Muslim cleric who has defended suicide bombers and been banned by multiple countries for supporting terrorism. ^{1  6} Abdur Raheem Green has also appeared on the Deen Center website. Green is a British cleric who has advocated violent jihad and claims Islam “teaches its followers to seek death on the battlefield.” During a sermon in London, Green singled out a Jewish audience member, saying “take the [Jew] over there, far away, so his stench does not disturb us.” ^{7  3}

Other radical clerics who have endorsed the Deen Center include Yasir Qadhi, the chairman of the executive committee Fiqh Council of North America for the Fiqh Council of North America. ⁸ Qadhi is a former Holocaust denier and several of his students became involved in terrorism after studying under him. ^{9  10} Siraj Wahhaj also endorsed the Deen Center. Wahhaj is head imam of the Masjid At-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, New York and was previously involved with the Nation of Islam. He has connections to Omar Abdel-Rahman, the man who planned the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and supports Islamist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ^{11  12  13  14  15}

“The Deen Show”

“The Deen Show” is a YouTube show and a project of Deen Center founder Eddie Redzovic. Redzovic uses the show to interview Muslim clerics, activists, and academics on issues of religion, politics, and culture. ^{16  2}

Redzovic, the host of “The Deen Show,” has hosted several Muslim clerics, activists, and scholars who have been accused of spreading antisemitism and antisemitic tropes. In November 2023, Redzovic interviewed preacher Rick Wiles on the show, who during the interview claimed that “the Jews have been doing Freemason secret rituals beneath the Temple Mount for quite some time”  ¹⁷ while claiming “Jews will spit on the ground when you say [Jesus’s] name.”   ¹⁷ In December 2023, Redzovic held another interview with Wiles while titling the episode “Christian Pastor Responds to the Judeo-Christian Claim for Support of I$RAEL.”  ^{3  17  18}

In December 2020, Redzovic interviewed Kevin Barrett, a man accused of spreading conspiracy theories about 9/11. Barrett claimed the al Qaeda terrorist attack was a “false flag” that was “designed” by the United States government and other entities “to create” a culture of fear and hatred toward Muslims. Barrett further shared antisemitic conspiracy theories that Jews received advance notice of the attacks on the morning of September 11, 2001 “to stay away from downtown Manhattan.” ^{19  3}

In November 2021, Redzovic interviewed Assim al Hakeem, a radical Saudi cleric who prayed to protect Muslims “from the oppressors and from our enemies, the Jews.” Al Hakeem has made other anti-Semitic comments, including “look how devilish the Jews are” and has even referred to “the Jews” as the people “whom we all hate.” ^{20  3}

Leadership

Eddie Redzovic (also Eddie Deen) is the founder and head of the Deen Center as well as the host of “The Deen Show.” On the show’s webpage, there is a disclaimer denouncing terrorism and anyone who participates in or supports acts of violence committed in the name of Islam. ^{1  16  21}

Finances

The Deen Center became a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2022. According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, the center does not report its finances on a public tax return as is common for religious institutions. ²²

In the federal government’s 2024 fiscal year ending in September of that year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded the Deen Center three separate grants that totaled $442,700. The grants were part of DHS’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, a program overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) intended to help religious institutions protect against terrorist attacks and violent crime. ^{23  3}