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Israel trip reforms man once loyal to radical Islam
By LINDA M. LINONIS
HUBBARD
Kasim Hafeez’s story reflects the mesmerizing influence of indoctrination and the simple power of truth.
Hafeez, who embraced radical Islam as a teen and young adult, was immersed in anti-Western, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel ideas on a daily basis. After research, reflection and a trip to Israel, the British-born citizen of Pakistani heritage changed his attitude. He now is outreach coordinator of Christians United for Israel.
Hafeez spoke recently at Living Waters Community Church, 7382 Stewart-Sharon Road, and at the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation at the Jewish Community Center, 505 Gypsy Lane, Youngstown.
Hafeez said he was born in Great Britain and lived in Nottingham; his grandparents had immigrated from Pakistan in the 1960s. “My family was observant Muslims but not radical. They wanted to be British,” he said. “We lived in a community of other Pakistanis and Muslims.”
The first instance of radicalism came from his father, whom he hasn’t had contact with in a decade. “My father believed Hitler was a great man who didn’t kill enough Jews,” Hafeez said. “That’s all I heard as a kid.”
Hafeez, who now lives in Canada, said he faced an identity crisis. “In America and Canada, people identify themselves differently,” he said. No matter what country you came from, when you’re in America, you’re American, Hafeez said. “The British didn’t see me as British but as Pakistani. I didn’t know where I fit in British society.”
But he was a practicing Muslim. “I felt my only loyalty was to Islam,” he said. He said radical Islam capitalized on that. “It’s a powerful narrative ... the victim narrative as a Muslim. When you believe you’re a victim, it justifies things.”
Radical Islam ideas seeped into his life, Hafeez said. Outside his mosque, radicals showed photos of Muslim children killed because of their religion. “That evoked anger and emotion ... a dangerous combination,” he said, adding he later questioned the photos’ validity.
A visit to family in Pakistan reinforced those ideas when he got involved with a terrorist organization. “The constant message was how Jews ran everything and powerful America disrespected Islam,” he said. “Radical Islam creates non-existent problems then presents itself as the solution.”
Hafeez said he was attending a university a year after Sept. 11, 2001. “It was a horrifying tragedy, but I was able to justify it in my mind ... that Muslims were the bigger victims ... and I could justify the murder of more than 3,000 people.” He regularly attended anti-Semitic and anti-Israel programs.
One day, he saw Alan Dershowitz’s book, “The Case for Israel,” and read it. It changed his life. “Truths and facts were the rebuttal to emotional arguments with no facts and no evidence [from radical Islam],” he said. Research and reflection moved Hafeez to travel to Israel in 2007. Hafeez said he saw religious people of many faiths mingling in the old city of Jerusalem and at the Wailing Wall.
“I experienced no hatred of any kind,” he said. “I also realized that the Jews have a home in Israel and that resonated with me. It’s not about politics or religion, it’s about survival,” Hafeez said. “I saw that I had gotten it wrong, badly wrong. I felt motivated to tell the truth.”
“We are at war with radical Islam ... it’s a threat to society, which it seeks to destroy,” he said. “Israel is on the front line of defense and that’s one reason why we need to stand up for it.
“It doesn’t matter who is president [of America]. Radical Muslims are opposed to democracy,” he said.
Christians United for Israel has 3.3 million members, who sign the Israel pledge “to stand with brothers and sisters in Israel.” Hafeez said the “biggest ally [to radical Islam] are those who remain passive.”
He urged people to “educate themselves on issues and speak out against anti-Semitism.”
Another way to show support is to attend the annual CUFI Washington summit planned July 17 and 18 in Washington, D.C. Visit www.cufi.org.