Houston Mosque Linked to New Orleans Attacker Sparks Outrage with Imam’s Anti-Jewish Sermon and Evasive Response

The Islamic Center of Greater Houston (ICHG) – Masjid Bilal, where New Orleans Islamic attacker Shamsud Din Jabbar reportedly worshipped, is at the center of controversy following inflammatory remarks made by its Imam, Eiad Soudan, and the mosque’s response to the jihad attack. The combination of Jewish hatred in a sermon and a response emphasizing the Muslim community’s safety over broader public accountability has sparked outrage nationwide.

Imam’s Sermon: Perpetuating Hate and Revising History

On November 17, 2023, during a youth committee program at Masjid Bilal, Imam Eiad Soudan delivered a lecture that has since been widely condemned for perpetuating antisemitic tropes and revisionist historical narratives. In a video uploaded to YouTube on November 25, Soudan discussed the history of Palestine, making inflammatory remarks about Jews, whom he referred to as “Israelites.”

Soudan claimed that Jews historically seek to “take control of the economy wherever they go,” attributing their persecution throughout history, including the Holocaust, to these alleged actions. He added that Hitler, whom he referred to as “the guy with the nice mustache,” hated Jews “because of the economy thing” and suggested that economic grievances were a key motivator for the Holocaust. In doing so, Soudan downplayed the unique suffering of Jewish victims during World War II, stating:

“Hitler did not only kill many of the Israelites… thousands of Muslims were killed as well.”

Soudan further invoked a Quranic verse to assert that Jews “spread corruption across the land” and implied that this was a divine warning against their behavior.

In another shocking claim, Soudan suggested that European support for Israel is not rooted in solidarity but in a desire to prevent Jews from returning to Europe:

“If they don’t stay in Palestine, they will go back to their countries… That is why the other countries don’t want them back. So when they support them, they are not supporting them because they love them. It’s like: ‘Please stay there, we’ll do whatever [it takes], stay there, don’t come back.’”

These remarks, laced with revisionist interpretations of history and religious scripture, have been widely criticized for promoting Islamic Jewish hatred and perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

Eiad Soudan, Imam of Houston Mosque Where New Orleans Attacker Worshiped: Jews Seek to Control the Economy Wherever They Go, That’s Why Hitler Killed Them; Europeans Support Israel Because They Don’t Want Jews Back in Their Countries (Archival) pic.twitter.com/AFXc7cIC82

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) January 2, 2025

Connection to New Orleans Attacker

The controversy surrounding Masjid Bilal—often referred to as military bases for their role in advancing Islamic agendas—escalated after it was reported that Shamsud Din Jabbar, the perpetrator of the recent New Orleans attack, was a regular attendee. Jabbar’s affiliation with the mosque has ignited outrage and serious concerns about the environment within Masjid Bilal and its potential role in fostering terror.

The Mosque’s Response: Prioritizing Self-Interest

Adding to the backlash, Masjid Bilal’s response to the New Orleans attack has been widely criticized. Instead of offering condolences to the victims’ families or pledging full cooperation with law enforcement, the mosque focused primarily on the safety of the Muslim community. In its guidance to members, the mosque advised against speaking to the media or cooperating with the FBI without first consulting the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization with a well-documented history of controversy, including ties to Hamas and other terror-tied groups and individuals.

The Houston-Area Mosque attended by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the ISIS-Affiliated Terrorist who carried out today’s Terrorist Attack in New Orleans, has instructed its Members to not respond to inquiries by the Media, and if approached by the FBI to refer them to the Council on… pic.twitter.com/By5bZJ6cDH

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 2, 2025

CAIR presents itself as a Muslim civil rights organization, but its history tells a different story. Established in the 1990s, CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial—the largest terrorism financing case in U.S. history. Evidence in the trial revealed CAIR’s connections to Hamas, and its role as part of a network funneling money to support terrorism under the guise of humanitarian aid.

Far from being a legitimate civil rights group, CAIR uses its platform to shield radical agendas and silence critics of Islam and its global influence, often employing the familiar cancel-culture tactics of accusing opponents of Islamophobia and racism. For years, CAIR has been working to infiltrate America’s top government agencies, especially law enforcement, which many believe serves to aid jihadists in their efforts to destroy America from within. Simultaneously, they are actively training political figures to run for office, advancing an agenda to Islamize the country and impose Islamic law on American society.

CAIR’s History of Discouraging Cooperation with Law Enforcement

Furthermore, CAIR has a long history of advising Muslims not to cooperate with law enforcement. In January 2011, CAIR’s San Francisco chapter featured on its website a poster that read, “Build A Wall of Resistance / Don’t Talk to the FBI.” In November 2014, CAIR-Florida’s “14th Annual Banquet Rooted in Faith” in Tampa distributed pamphlets entitled “What to do if the FBI comes for you,” featuring a graphic of a person holding a finger to their lips in a “shhh” signal.

Another CAIR pamphlet, entitled “Know Your Rights: Defending Rights, Defeating Intolerance,” similarly featured a graphic of the Statue of Liberty making the “shhh” signal. Cyrus McGoldrick, a former official of CAIR’s New York chapter, once tweeted, “Snitches get stitches,” while Zahra Billoo of CAIR-San Francisco frequently advised Muslims to refuse cooperation with the FBI and to contact CAIR instead.

Exec. Dr. of HAMAS-linked CAIR-Cincinnati offers Cincinnati & Dayton area families advice:

Don’t talk, call CAIR

FBI cut ties to CAIR after the Holy Land Foundation trial during which CAIR was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator along w/ its co-founder as supporters of HAMAS pic.twitter.com/m4kW8Kp427

— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) November 22, 2018

The mosque’s failure to explicitly condemn Jabbar’s actions or acknowledge the broader impact of the attack has only deepened suspicions about its priorities and commitment to public safety.

Urgent Questions

The revelations about Imam Eiad Soudan’s sermon, combined with the mosque’s controversial response to the New Orleans attack, have placed Masjid Bilal under intense scrutiny. The troubling guidance from CAIR, amplified by the mosque’s failure to engage transparently with authorities or the public, raises urgent questions about the role of religious institutions in combating Islamic jihad and fostering accountability.

A glaring issue is whether law enforcement has investigated Masjid Bilal and its teachings or if fear of being labeled “Islamophobic” has rendered them paralyzed. After years of whitewashing the realities of the Islamic threat and purging training programs of any meaningful discussion on the terror ideology, law enforcement is woefully unprepared to confront the threat. This calculated erosion of readiness has left the public vulnerable and emboldened Islamic terrorists.

The time has come to demand accountability—from Islamic institutions like Masjid Bilal and agencies tasked with protecting the nation. Without confronting these hard truths, the cycle of evasion, appeasement, and jihad attacks will continue to jeopardize the safety of all Americans.