Tim Walz, while running for Minnesota governor, heaped praise on a Muslim cleric known for promoting a pro-Adolf Hitler film, calling him a “master teacher” who had imparted valuable lessons during their time together. The disturbing footage from a 2018 event was recently unearthed by the Washington Examiner, highlighting Walz’s alarming ties to Asad Zaman, the controversial imam of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota.

This news emerges after a spokesperson for Kamala Harris’s campaign, in a Friday statement, claimed that Walz “does not have a personal relationship” with Zaman. This denial came in response to reports detailing how Walz, now the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, had repeatedly hosted the imam at various events during his tenure as governor. At several of these events, Zaman was given the platform to speak alongside Walz.

At the February 16, 2018 event hosted by the Muslim American Society at the South Metro Islamic Center in Rosemount, Minnesota, Walz expressed his admiration for Zaman. “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 things in life through the eyes of a master teacher, to try and get the understanding,” Walz stated. He then discussed a prior attack at the Dar al Farooq Islamic Center, quoting Zaman’s words, “In those times is where we find who we are, in those times is where we really see.”

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Walz continued, “That brings me to the second lesson that imam taught me,” describing how Congress “feeds on fear more than hope” and “division.” He praised Zaman’s advice to “go speak to people,” framing himself as a staunch opponent of what he labeled the “demonization of Islam” and “immigrants.” In Walz’s view, Zaman was correct in highlighting the presence of Islamophobia and hatred.

However, Zaman’s troubling history cannot be overlooked. On October 7, 2023, he expressed his “solidarity with Palestinians against Israeli attacks,” even as Hamas terrorists had just murdered 1,200 Israelis. His organization, which has a history of controversy—including a 2019 incident where children at one of its events called for the murder of Jews—issued a statement reaffirming its “unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.”

Zaman’s social media activities further reveal his extremist inclinations. In 2015, he shared a link to an article promoting a pro-Hitler film titled The Greatest Story Never Told. In 2016, he disseminated an official Hamas press release mourning the death of an Islamist leader convicted of war crimes.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has condemned Zaman, noting his “troubling history of playing into classic anti-Jewish themes and justifying violence against Israel.” The ADL urged public officials to distance themselves from him, stating, “Given his hurtful remarks post-Oct. 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.”

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Records reveal that under Walz’s administration, Minnesota awarded over $100,000 in funding to Zaman’s organization. Spokespeople for both Walz and Harris have remained silent, failing to respond to requests for comment.

This piece was written by LifeZette News Staff on August 14, 2024. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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