Intro
We are deeply troubled by the candidacy of Qasim Rashid for the Democratic nomination for Illinois’s 11th congressional district for 2024. Qasim Rashid claims to be a human rights lawyer and a champion of justice, but his record shows otherwise. Qasim Rashid is working directly for his Khalifa (Mirza Masroor Ahmad), these people believe that #palestinians are being divinely punished for rejecting MGA.
Qasim Rashid has a history of making inflammatory and divisive statements against the majority of Muslims who do not belong to his cult, the Ahmadiyya. He has characterized mainstream beliefs of non-Ahmadiyya Muslims as extrem[ism], attacked the late Imam WD Mohammad, labeled Hamza Yusuf as intolerant, and called Abul a’la Maududi as father of modern day terrorism. Until recently, he has discussed the Israel/Palestine conflict using false equivalencies and “both-siding” the oppressive policies of Israel against the Palestinians. He has previously justified the narrative that Palestinians must pay for electing Hamas by stating: “Having elected Hamas, Palestine must be accountable to Hamas’s war crimes’’. He has not publicly renounced or apologized for any of his past statements that were problematic and hurtful to the Muslim community.
In 2017, he was called about by Ali Rizvi about MGA’s takfiri comments (wherein MGA called his deniers as Kafirs), and the lies told by Qasim Rashid. In 2016, he attacked the famous Ex-Ahmadi, Nabeel Qureshi. In 2017, a group of Ex-Ahmadi’s made this video wherein they exposed the lies of Qasim Rashid. Also in 2017, Qasim Rashid stated that anyone who calls Ahmadi’s as non-Muslims are terrorists (see the scan in the below) he even attacked Professor Johnathan Brown. In 2022, Qasim Rashid claims that in sharia (islamic law), an abortion is allowed if a fetus is non viable, however, he gives no Quranic references. Also in 2022, he was ordered by his Khalifa to attack victims, Afzal Upal and Nida Al-Nasser. This proves that he is brainwashed follower of his Khalifa. In fact, Afzal Upal proved that the writings of Qasim Rashid contradict his Khalifa.
Qasim Rashid hasn’t had a job in years, he was so desperate for money in 2020, that he paid himself from campaign funds. In 2020, he ran for Virginia Senate and lost. He was getting lots of out of state funding, which is suspicious. His finances were so bad that he sued JOSEPH CECIL VANDEVERE in 2021 for 75,000. His dad is an official employee of the Ahmadiyya Movement Canada, in fact, he only immigrated to America since his father was transferred to work in the USA. His sister quietly left Ahmadiyya and married a Sunni man and thus became Muslim (she was allegedly pardoned in 2022). His brother, Tayyab Rashid masquerades as the Muslim Marine on twitter and claims to have some businesses. In 2018, he was confronted by Jesse Lee (a conservative Christian) about his many contradictions.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ Open Letter to Illinois Muslims and Allies Regarding Qasim Rashid’s Candidacy | by Muslim Accountability Caucus | Jan, 2024 | Medium
January 20, 2024
Dear Muslim Citizens of Illinois,
We are writing to you as concerned Muslim citizens of Illinois who care about the future of our community and our country. We are deeply troubled by the candidacy of Qasim Rashid for the Democratic nomination for Illinois’s 11th congressional district for 2024. Qasim claims to be a human rights lawyer and a champion of justice, but his record shows otherwise.
We are compelled to write this letter directly to you as we are disappointed with the same old guard of Muslim leadership throwing their support behind him (in many cases, privately), while refusing to learn from their mistakes of supporting Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is now a significant problem for the Muslim community in Illinois, United States, India and the world.
Qasim has a history of making inflammatory and divisive statements against the majority of Muslims who do not belong to his sect, the Ahmadiyya. He has characterized mainstream beliefs of non-Ahmadiyya Muslims as extrem[ism], attacked the late Imam WD Mohammad, labeled Hamza Yusuf as intolerant, and called Abul a’la Maududi as father of modern day terrorism. Until recently, he has discussed the Israel/Palestine conflict using false equivalencies and “both-siding” the oppressive policies of Israel against the Palestinians. He has previously justified the narrative that Palestinians must pay for electing Hamas by stating: “Having elected Hamas, Palestine must be accountable to Hamas’s war crimes’’. He has not publicly renounced or apologized for any of his past statements that were problematic and hurtful to the Muslim community.
To be clear, we have no problem with this sect or his faith practices, but we cannot allow him to undermine the mainstream Muslim community for his personal agenda. We hope the Ahmadi community can love and respect the American Muslim community for who we are. We accept Qasim for his Ahmadi beliefs and we accept him as an American and fellow Chicagoan. We support him and his community to practice their faith here and abroad freely in safety. We reject extremist actions but we support Muslims defining their own theology. Disagreeing with scholars, or even having theological beliefs that Sunni and Shia Muslims are going to hell is not a concern when it comes to political decisions. We support Qasim’s right to practice his religious views. What is not acceptable is to label those that you disagree with theologically as extremists or terrorists — terms that are Islamophobic, and make America unsafe for Muslims..
Qasim also lacks the public policy experience and the leadership skills to represent us in Congress. He has never held any elected office before, and his previous attempts to run for office in Virginia in 2020 were unsuccessful. He has no clear vision or agenda for the 11th district, which is one of the most diverse and dynamic in Illinois. Qasim Rashid is not a viable alternative to Bill Foster, and his candidacy only serves to divide the Muslim community and weaken us.
We ask you to reject Qasim Rashid and his harmful and misleading propaganda. We need a better candidate who can bring us together and advocate for our rights and interests in Congress. We need a candidate who honors the pluralism and dignity of the Muslim community and all communities in Illinois. We need a candidate who can take on and defeat Bill Foster, and we ask you to think about whether you can be that candidate.
We want to be clear — Bill Foster must be defeated as he does not represent his district’s overwhelming desire for a call for a ceasefire; he is sold out to AIPAC, among other problematic things about him. But our alternative cannot be someone that has called us extremists, and has refused to apologize publicly. By electing Qasim Rashid, we are creating additional challenges for our community similar to the ones we bought by funding Raja Krishnamoorthi’s campaign several years ago. We need a better alternative.
We are aware that some people will falsely attack us for being anti-Ahmadiyya or extremists to smear us. We are not intimidated by their lies and dishonest attacks. We have concerns that we want to share with our community and we will not back down from bringing visibility to them.
We hope you will join us in supporting a better candidate for Congress, and in working together to build a brighter and more sustainable future for ourselves and our children.
Sincerely,
Muslim Accountability Caucus
macaucus@proton.me
Qasim has made claims that Palestinian Ahmadis face worse discrimination from Palestinian Muslims than from Israelis.
Without any clear evidence, he has repeated these claims. He has made similar outlandish claims in many of his books and writings, seeking sympathy.
(See 1:33)
Qasim has only recently started supporting the Palestinian cause-from a policy position. Until now, his statements were consistent with a typical non-progressive democratic position — for e.g., see his 2020 policy position on Palestine
Qasim Rashid’s policy on Israel
Qasim Rashid’s most recent views and policy on Israel in 2024. In response to the question “Should the U.S. continue to…
Qasim has justified collective punishment for Gazans because of voting for Hamas.
- “Having elected Hamas, Palestine must be accountable to Hamas’s war crimes.”
Qasim has promoted Israeli claims of weapons stored in hospitals, schools and other sites.
- “Hamas cannot hoard illegal weapons in UN schools, especially near refugees, and pretend they are not putting innocent Palestinians in harm’s way. Such crimes do nothing to promote peace and only aggravate an already volatile situation. Hamas must immediately cease such acts.”
9 Facts About the Israel-Palestine Conflict On Which We Can All Agree
Simply open your mouth on Israel-Palestine, and you’ll be labeled either a heartless Zionist or a Hamas terrorist. Both…
He called Imam W Deen Muhammad, one of the greatest American Muslims of all time, someone who promoted “hate and violence.”
He also has attacked Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, one of the greatest daiees of all time who has led to the reversion of millions of people.
He has called Shaikh Hamza Yusuf, founder of Zaytuna College and one of the founders of one of the first Islamic universities in the US, as “intolerant.”
Will the Real Moderate Imams Please Stand Up? | Muslim Writers Guild of America
Originally published in OnFaith He turned away with a look of disgust. “You’re a kafir, an apostate,” he said. “I do…
muslimwriters.org
He has demonstrated antipathy toward the Sunni and Shia American Muslim community, hurting us by presenting us as extremists, while portraying his Ahmadi group as the righteous, nonviolent alternative. He has promoted sectarian talking points, stating that the Ahmadiyya Muslim community is the acceptable version of Islam.
- “… Ahmadiyya muslim community demonstrably practices that superior form of Islam that humanity needs”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ 2016
He spent less than a year as an attorney at Karamah, a human rights organization, from May 2016 to April 2017. Talk to Me was published on May 17, 2016. It is a nonfiction memoir from inspiring thought leaders on how the power of dialogue can overcome racism, xenophobia, intolerance, and violence.[22] It highlights the importance of meaningful and moral conversation between people of all faiths, ages, genders, etc., to facilitate understanding and tolerance and promote a more peaceful society.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
2017
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Gaza Ceasefire Becomes Issue in Illinois Democratic Primary (theintercept.com)
PRO-ISRAEL ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT CANCELS TWO DEBATES AGAINST CHALLENGER WHO BACKS GAZA CEASEFIRE
Rep. Bill Foster and Qasim Rashid are on opposite sides of the Gaza ceasefire push — with AIPAC expected to get into the action.
REP. BILL FOSTER, an Illinois Democrat, agreed to three debates in his primary election race against Qasim Rashid, an insurgent progressive. Foster then dropped out of two of the debates, citing conflicting events. The first and only time he appeared alongside Rashid, the decadelong incumbent left halfway through the candidate forum, claiming he had another obligation.
Rashid said Foster is reluctant to defend his own record. Among other issues, the incumbent had criticized Israel’s war against Palestinians in Gaza but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire. Protesters were at the forum to express their displeasure with Foster and Rep. Sean Casten, a Democrat from a neighboring district, who also attended, for refusing to call for a ceasefire.
“Fundamentally, they realize that he wants them to vote for a record that even he isn’t willing to defend.”
“Voters are upset,” Rashid told The Intercept, said of Foster’s refusal to debate. “Fundamentally, they realize that he wants them to vote for a record that even he isn’t willing to defend.”
The March 19 Democratic primary in the suburbs and rural towns northwest of Chicago could become another congressional race where Israel plays an outsized role. Rashid is running on a broader progressive platform — hitting Foster for being out of touch with Democrats in the district and his acceptance of money from corporate PACs, fossil fuel companies, and the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries — but the ceasefire debate looms large.
Observers anticipate that Israel issues will attract outside money from lobbying groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that are preparing to spend record amounts to defend Democrats that toe their line. And Foster had already amassed support from pro-Israel donors: One of his top contributors this cycle is the private equality group Apollo Global Management, whose CEO Marc Rowan helped orchestrate the ousting of the president and board chair at the University of Pennsylvania over Israel’s war on Gaza. (Foster’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)
MOST READ
Pro-Israel groups have worked to oust other Democrats in Illinois who opposed unconditional U.S. military support for Israel, including Rep. Delia Ramirez and former Rep. Marie Newman. AIPAC joined conservative Democrats to defeat Newman’s 2018 congressional campaign. Newman won election in 2020 but become a target of pro-Israel groups again last cycle and lost her reelection campaign.
Newman, who is supporting Rashid’s campaign, told The Intercept that the threat of spendingOpens in a new tab from groups like AIPAC and its ally, Democratic Majority for Israel, is scaring incumbents into submission and deepening schisms within the Democratic Party.
“In the last 3 months I’ve talked to several MOCs” — members of Congress — “who live in absolute fear of AIPAC and DMFI working against them or primarying them,” Newman said by text. “More than anything else I’m deeply concerned about how AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) and their 20 affiliate PACs are putting a huge wedge in the Democratic Party, particularly in the House.”
AIPAC Waiting in the Wings
For decades, AIPAC played an influential role in Middle Eastern policy by sending its legions to lobby members of Congress in their offices and only organizing campaign donations informally among members. In recent years, however, the group transformed its spending on congressional elections with the launch of a new super PAC in the last election cycle.
The direct influence on money in politics has exacerbated partisan riftsOpens in a new tab that have emergedOpens in a new tab around Israel and AIPAC. Democratic voters, for their part, are shifting away from AIPAC’s uncompromising positions on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict — especially as a majority of Americans came to supportOpens in a new tab the ceasefire that AIPAC opposes.
Amid the current flare-up of violence, even some more centrist Democrats have found themselves unable to stay in lockstep with AIPAC, which frowns on virtually all criticism of Israel. In Illinois’s 11th Congressional District, for instance, Rashid acknowledged that Foster has also been a vocal critic of Israel. With the death toll in Gaza mounting, Foster has expressed concernOpens in a new tab about Benjamin Netanyahu’s military strategy and said there was a “special place in hellOpens in a new tab” for the prime minister, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
Foster’s record, Rashid said, is more notable for the things he has not done. He voted for two measures expressing support for Israel, but neither of them mentioned Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. Foster is not a co-sponsor of the ceasefire resolution introduced in October nor a resolutionOpens in a new tab introduced by another Illinois Democrat, Ramirez, that honored a 6-year-old boy, Wadee Alfayoumi, who was killed in Plainfield in an alleged hate crime during the first week of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Foster Opens in a new tabcriticizesOpens in a new tab Israel’s actions, Rashid said, but won’t take the steps necessary to end the bloodshed in Gaza — namely supporting a ceasefire.
“The big difference between he and I is not on a question of whether international law is being violated. We both agree with that,” Rashid said. “The difference is that I have the integrity to say it and demand action.”
Foster has long had support from J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group that positions itself as a liberal alternative to AIPAC. Until this week, J Street had resisted pressure, both internal and external, to call for a ceasefire, even threatening to pull endorsements from members who did so. The group announced support for a “negotiated stop” to violence in Gaza on Monday.
J Street said in a statement to The Intercept that it’s proud to endorse Foster again this year. Foster has “been a champion for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy values on Capitol Hill since his election in 2008,” J Street spokesperson Tali DeGroot told The Intercept, pointing to his support for the now-defunct 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was supported by J Street but opposed by AIPAC, the Israeli government, and a clutch of hawkish Democrats.
“We’ve seen the polling. Eighty percent of Democrats want a ceasefire.”
Rashid’s campaign has been careful to tread lightly on the Israel question while pushing unequivocally for a ceasefire. His approach has been to focus on ending the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and tap into majority support for a ceasefire among Democratic voters. “We’ve seen the polling. Eighty percent of Democrats want a ceasefire,” Rashid said. “Even a majority of Republicans and Independents want a ceasefire. For us, this is basic integrity.”
Foster has been in office for a decade and faced few challengers in recent years. Foster’s last opponent in the 2020 Democratic primary, Rachel Ventura, received 41 percent of the vote.
Related
Facing AIPAC Onslaught, Rep. Summer Lee Announces Record Small-Donor Fundraising Haul
Rashid works at a Chicago law firm and grew up in the area, which he recently returned to. In 2020, he ran as the Democratic candidate in the general election for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District and lost to Republican Rep. Robert Wittman.
Rashid raised $305,000 in the third quarter of 2023 — $10,000 more than Foster — and had $114,000 cash on hand. Foster has $1.3 million cash on hand and $1 million in debts, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Rashid said his campaign had received more than 10,000 individual contributions. In the Democratic primary, a large cash intervention by AIPAC or one of its allies could play a major part.
Rashid, for his part, said he was ready for the challenges: “I have immense confidence in voters that they’re sick and tired of the mudslinging and the negativity and these outside lobbyist organizations meddling in our races.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Links and Related Essay’s
Illinois’ 11th Congressional District election, 2024 – Ballotpedia
Illinois’s 11th congressional district – Wikipedia
Mirza Masroor Ahmad admits to not knowing a lick of Arabic – ahmadiyyafactcheckblog
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Tags
#ahmadiyya #ahmadiyyafactcheckblog #messiahhascome #ahmadiyyat #trueislam #ahmadianswers #ahmadiyyamuslimcommunity #ahmadiyya_creatives #ahmadiyyatthetrueislam #ahmadiyyatzindabad #ahmadiyyatrueislam #ahmadiyyamuslim #mirzaghulamahmad #qadiani #qadianism
1 Pingback