After Friday khutbah (sermon) on November 23, 2023, Sheikh Kamal Abu Mariam, an imam at Roseland Mosque in Australia, prayed: “O Allah, vanquish these Zionist Jewish usurpers. O Allah, count them one by one and kill them all, leaving not a single one alive.”
This was not an isolated moment, nor the words of a lone Islamic scholar. In Australia, similar rhetoric has been echoed by other imams and Islamic preachers. Over time, these prayers, sermons, and messages of hate accumulated, normalizing the language of violence and transforming incitement into something regular.
Investigations by MEMRI TV show several Australian-based imams and Islamic scholars openly glorifying jihad. On October 27, 2023, Ismail, an imam from Al Madina Dawah Center in Bankstown, declared: “Whether the Australian government likes it or not, jihad is the solution for the Ummah [collective Muslim nation].” He further claimed that the black flag associated with ISIS and al-Qaeda “is the flag of the Muslims.”
That atmosphere did not remain merely rhetorical, however. It ultimately culminated in bloodshed at Bondi Beach, where a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram, opened fire on a group of people who were there to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah. The terrorist attack killed 12 people, including a 10-year-old girl. This incident was not a spontaneous act of violence. Rather, it reflects a broader trend that has been developing since October 7, 2023.
Neither is this rhetoric limited to Australian Imams.
Antisemitic jihadist rhetoric around the world
ON APRIL 1, 2025, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), based in Doha, Qatar, issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to engage in jihad against the Zionist entity. “It is obligatory for all Muslims and Muslim nations to engage in jihad against the Zionist entity.” On segment eight of this fatwa, it asks all Islamic scholars to “speak up” and “call for jihad against the occupying enemy by all available means.” The IUMS has long been influenced by prominent figures associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, raising serious concerns about the institutionalization of extremist ideology.
Similar patterns of hate and violence against Jews are emerging in Canada. The security forces recently arrested three individuals who had an affiliation with ISIS: Waleed Khan, Osman Azizov, and Fahad Sadaat, who were plotting an attack against the Jewish community in Toronto. This case underscores that the threat is not confined to lone actors but increasingly involves coordinated networks.
Previously, Canadian intelligence assessments reinforced this concern. A July 10, 2024, memo by the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre (ITAC) warned that a lone-actor attack inspired by ideological or religious extremism, including ISIS, targeting Jewish communities in Canada. “A lone actor [lone wolf] attack – inspired by a range of ideological or religious extremism such as neo-Nazism or Daesh [ISIS] targeting Jewish interest in Canada is a realistic possibility,” the statement mentioned. On the same day as the Sydney attack, ITAC issued another assessment stating that there is a “realistic threat” of an extremist attack against Jewish communities in Canada.
Since October 7, 2023, Canadian authorities have detained two alleged ISIS-affiliated men in Richmond Hill, Ontario, following intelligence provided by French services. In September 2024, the RCMP in Quebec, working jointly with the FBI, arrested a Pakistani national on a student visa, accused of plotting an attack on a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York.
THESE DEVELOPMENTS point to a broader ideological shift. Following the Islamic State attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall in March 2024, ISIS spokesperson Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari released a 41-minute statement calling on Muslims worldwide to attack Jews and Christians. This message marked a strategic recalibration by ISIS, explicitly framing Jewish communities as priority targets for its global campaign.
Subsequent attacks appear to reflect this shift. In Manchester, UK, an assault on a synagogue during Yom Kippur resulted in the deaths of two Jewish worshippers, with the perpetrator pledging allegiance to ISIS. Similarly, in Zurich, a 15-year-old attacker who had also pledged allegiance to ISIS stabbed a Jewish man, stating that the act was carried out in solidarity with the group.
Since that statement, attacks, plots, and threats against Jewish communities have increased noticeably. The surge in antisemitic demonstrations, jihadist chants in Western cities, and religious decrees legitimizing violence all contribute to an environment where terrorism is framed as both permissible and obligatory.
Taken together, the fatwas, extremist preaching, ISIS directives, and rising street-level incitement demonstrate the emergence of a new wave of jihadism that explicitly targets Jews worldwide. This convergence of ideology and mobilization provides extremists with both justification and direction, significantly increasing the risk of further attacks across the West.
The writer is a research fellow at the Turan Research Center and a Middle East affairs analyst with expertise on ISIS and al-Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan.