US tour of Quran reciter Mishary Alafasy divides Muslim Americans

The invitation of world-renowned Kuwaiti Quran reciter, Sheikh Mishary Alafasy, has left Muslims in the US divided, with one mosque pulling out of a scheduled event and another event on the verge of selling out.

“Take a minute to let this organisation, Eid committee of New Jersey, know that the dictator and tyrant-loving Mishary is not welcome in the United States,” Imran Muneer, a Muslim podcast host, wrote on Facebook. 

Alafasy, the default reciter on Quran.com with 22 million followers on Facebook, is on a tour in the US in four different cities including Teaneck, New Jersey; Queens, New York; and Houston and Dallas, Texas. 

Middle East Eye reached out to Alafasy multiple times but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

He is expected to lead the Eid prayer in New Jersey on Friday, 21 April. While the prayers in New Jersey and New York are free, multiple categories of tickets for events in Texas - such as the early bird platinum categories which include front-row seats and a meet and greet for $200 - have already sold out. 

In January, Alafasy went on a tour in Canada and the “Evening of Inspiration” event sold out.

“It’s almost like a propaganda tour for normalising Israel, normalising with oppressors and dictators,” Sayel Kayed, the vice president of American Muslims for Palestine, New Jersey chapter, told Middle East Eye.

The event was hosted by Penny Appeal Canada, which did not respond to MEE’s request for comment. 

The Eid committee of New Jersey is hosting Alafasy at the Teaneck Armory for Eid prayer. Darul Islah, a mosque in Teaneck, was a participant in the event, before pulling out.

In an email sent to the Teaneck community, Mazher Usmani, the president of Darul Islah, said they had agreed to participate in joint congregation with the Eid committee before becoming aware of “controversy surrounding the guest of honour”.

'I can understand people’s willingness to overlook some of his problematic positions'

- Imran Muneer, podcast host

“As we listened and learned more about the background and concerns from our community members and respected leaders, the Shura has decided unanimously to decline participation in Eid ul Fitr Salah at Teaneck Armory,” the email said.

Usmani then thanked the community for “educating” the council members of Darul Islah about their concerns. He wrote that the management of Darul Islah will only partner and collaborate with organisations on events “as long as they uphold the principles laid out in our constitution and respect the sentiments of the entire community”.

Normalising relations with ‘tyrants’

Alafasy sparked controversy in 2015 for his statements during a telephone interview with the Egyptian satellite channel CBC, when he seemed to be supportive of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his 2013 military coup. 

He told the host: "Such a situation is in need of a powerful leader, one that the people listen to and obey, as religious scholars have decreed. And if you don't listen or obey, force will be used against you." 

In 2018, Alafasy also faced scrutiny for an anthem dedicated to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The video, featuring Alafasy’s voice singing over images of King Salman and flags of Saudi Arabia, says: “Salman! The dearest of the Arabs and Muslims. Salman! The face of happiness amongst all trials. Salman! The face of anger towards aggressors…”

Also in the same year, he was accused of being a "Saudi pawn" after he made comments alluding to reconciliation with Israel.

In 2022, a video of Alafasy singing a nasheed (Islamic song) at an official state function in Cairo marking Eid al- Fitr, where he thanked Sisi for inviting him to the gathering, went viral.

The world-renowned Quran reciter, Shaykh Mishary Al Afasy, sang a nasheed at an official state function in Cairo marking Eid al-Fitr, where he thanked the Egyptian dictator Abdul Fatah El-Sisi for inviting him to such a gathering. pic.twitter.com/FNAFOe5y18

— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) May 5, 2022

According to Main Alqudah, the president of Guidance College, a religious institution in Texas, bringing Alafasy into US mosques and event spaces will "cause a big fitnah (trial)".  He called on all organisers to cancel the invitation.

"Rest assured that your community will not leave him and you alone. You will create unnecessary tension and embarrass yourselves and your guest as well," he said. "My sincere advice to you all is to reconsider your decision and cancel this invitation."

Muneer is the founder and host of The Mad Mamluks podcast, in which he holds discussions with Muslims from all over the world. He is one of several people who has been vocal about Mishary's invitation to the US.

“Mishary is an incredible reciter. His voice is amazing. I can understand people’s willingness to overlook some of his problematic positions,” he told Middle East Eye.

“But at the same time, there are many people who are in prison and suffering dearly because they didn’t want to kowtow to tyrants and dictators all over the world.”

He, like many others, believes that Alafasy should be uninvited from leading the Eid prayer in New Jersey, but he isn’t critiquing the organisers. 

He explained that many people are well-intentioned and they just don’t know about Alafasy’s views. The solution, in his opinion, is educating people on what is happening in the Middle East.

'This is not political'

While there are many who are critical of his invitation, Alafasy has an even greater number of supporters. Though the organisers at the Eid committee of New Jersey declined to comment to MEE, they have been posting comments on public Facebook groups, defending their decision to invite him. 

One organiser wrote: “I know members of some community have issues with him and that’s fine, but I look at these as more of a political issue with him, especially from one particular region.”

'He has a beautiful voice and I want my children to hear it live on Friday'

- Fatima, New Jersey Muslim

He added that Alafasy was invited because he’s “one of the greatest Qaris (reciters) of our time and only for that reason”.

“Our youth listen to him, our families listen to him. For them this is an opportunity to listen to him live,” he said. “He’s not giving any speeches or anything like that.” 

Alafasy is expected to lead the Isha (night) prayer at the Bosniak Islamic Center in New York, on 22 April. One of the mosque's leaders told MEE: “He’s in the US. He’s just going to read the Quran. He’s not giving a lecture or speech or any kind of advertisement.” 

Fatima, a Pakistani woman in Teaneck who declined to give her last name, told MEE that she will be attending the Eid prayer with her husband and kids. She said it’s not a political event of any sort. She also said she wasn’t aware of the controversy surrounding Alafasy until she saw the Facebook posts.

“I have always listened to his recitation. He has a beautiful voice and I want my children to hear it live on Friday,” she said. “People are just making this into a political event when it is not. Not everything has to be political.”

Middle East Eye reached out to the organiser of the Texas events, the Isra Foundation, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.