Video shows Tim Walz praising 'Hitler-promoting' Islamic cleric

(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A video from 2018 has surfaced showing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz referring to a Muslim cleric with controversial views as a “master teacher,” according to reporting by the Washington Examiner.

The footage, which emerged during Walz’s campaign for vice president, contradicts recent statements from his campaign team.

The video, recorded at a Feb. 16, 2018, event hosted by Minnesota’s Muslim American Society, captures Walz praising Asad Zaman, director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota.

“I am a teacher, so when I see a master teacher, I know it. Over the time we’ve spent together, one of the things I’ve had the privilege of is seeing the things in life through the eye of a master teacher, to try and get the understanding,” Walz said at the event.

This revelation comes after a spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign stated on Friday that Walz does not “have a personal relationship” with Zaman. The statement was in response to a previous Washington Examiner report detailing how Walz, as governor, had repeatedly hosted the imam at events where Zaman spoke.

During the 2018 event, held at the South Metro Islamic Center in Rosemount, Minn., Walz stood alongside Peggy Flanagan, now the lieutenant governor of Minnesota. He went on to describe lessons he had learned from Zaman, saying, “It was imam talking [saying that] ‘in those times is where we find who we are, in those times is where we really see.’”

Walz credited Zaman for encouraging him to engage with people and push back against the “demonization of Islam” and immigrants. “In this space, Imam Zaman is right on this, there is Islamophobia, there is a hatred that is being stirred,” the governor said.

The Washington Examiner reports that Zaman has a history of controversial statements and actions. On Oct. 7, 2023, following the Hamas-led terrorist attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis, Zaman expressed solidarity with Palestinians “against Israeli attacks.”

Walz’s administration also gave Zaman’s organizations $100,000 in state funding.

Zaman’s social media activity has included sharing content related to a pro-Hitler film and a Hamas press release, the Examiner reported. The Anti-Defamation League has criticized Zaman, stating on Friday that he “has a troubling history of playing into classic anti-Jewish themes and justifying violence against Israel.

“He also has justified violence against Israel, including from terror groups,” the ADL spokesperson said. “Given his hurtful remarks post-October 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. Those who have met with Imam Zaman should clarify that they don’t agree with his toxic views about Jews and the Jewish state.”

Originally published by Israel Hayom.