# What does Mufti Abu Layth think of preachers linked to extremism? *Two preachers with extremist links, and a retracted earlier praise* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/s/27/ - Date: 2020-08-04 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth #176 *Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted!* 🤣 (2:19:29–2:23:18) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR4-gh0qEZ4&t=8369s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/ **Topics:** Extremism, crime and justice; Views on contemporary scholars **Question as asked:** What are your thoughts on two named preachers? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says extremist sympathisers are poison and that he retracted earlier praise of one preacher after learning of his past. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that his approach is that any extremist sympathisers are poison. **Evidence, his words at 2:22:51:** “That's that's my approach that any extremist sympathizers definitely the these people are poison.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR4-gh0qEZ4&t=8571s) ## Longer summary Asked about two named preachers, Mufti Abu Layth calls the first a clear extremist whose platform is suspect. Mufti says he once visited the second and praised him without knowing his past, later found from public sources that he had been convicted and later pardoned, and retracted all his earlier praise; Mufti adds that a WhatsApp group run by him had shown a hardline, extremist-sympathising approach. Mufti says any extremist sympathisers are poison, and distinguishes the preacher's brother, whom he describes as Sufi and mellow. ## Transcript (machine tier, 2:19:29–2:23:18) [2:19:28] Yeah, I mean uh you see the the problem with Anjam Chowri is very clear obviously he's clear extremist. um what he you know [clears throat and snorts] people like that having the platform they've had is just suspect and Hassan Katani I've spoken about him in the past that look uh I've actually visited him once many years ago but at that time I didn't know I mean I knew who he was like I'd heard of him but I did not know that he was involved in the Casablanca bombings and things like that I had no idea Um, I [2:20:06] just seen some social media stuff and I was like, "Oh, wow. He speaks English and you know, he's a young imam and he's like this and so I went and I was like very, you know, it's like if you're not familiar with he's in Morocco, I'm not familiar with like the Moroccan politics and things like this." And so if you go to a different country, you're not necessarily privy to that. So I did at one point praise him but I retracted all of that uh many years ago when I came across all these things about his past and I realized I was really kind of shocked and and then it made sense really that h because I used to think [2:20:46] the more I got to know him um uh because for a while I was on he he had this kind of WhatsApp group and he added me to it and so for a while I was on that group. So this is going I think the years 2016 or something and then I think in 2017 I left it or something. But for that year when I was on this group I realized he used to have a very hardline approach very kind of like uh an extremist sympathizing approach openly like he wouldn't care like in the group and I used to think as well h this is a bit weird but when I [2:21:25] read I came across um oh why why is he so sympathetic to his and all these kind of people who supported military coupetars and Islamic takeovers And and then I I read something and I came across some link and then I followed that link and I Googled and it's all there on Google. He he was given a like a very harsh sentence of 20 years I think for as a terrorist. [2:21:52] He is a convicted terrorist. So and and he spent I think seven years but then got a royal pardon but he he never got a you see he wasn't exonerated. He just got a pardon for the rest of his sentence. And um yeah, so I had once I came across I was very clear that look, I do not encourage or support uh or or praise him or commend him and anything I'd said in the past. [2:22:17] I said that that was just unknowing like I had no idea who he is. But yeah, so but I don't think he will. You see, I know he teaches on social media, but I don't think he will openly now maybe teach these things until he's maybe, you know, when he gets a bit comfortable with [laughter] then he'll be like a chacha. Let me put a bit more masala in there. [laughter] Yeah, these cafir should take over take over any [laughter] but you should be aware of these kind of things. [2:22:51] That's that's my approach that any extremist sympathizers definitely the these people are poison. But yeah, right. Uh that's and by the way that's not his other brother. He has a brother Hamza Katani uh who used to have a Maliki WhatsApp group and uh with international people on the he's very Sufi and very kind of mellow and very very different personality. [2:23:17] But yep, let's uh move on. But I didn't have much left. Uh these super chats have still not had a response. [laughter] Sh. Yeah. I mean [laughter] this is the you know the what do you want me to say? ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment TR4-gh0qEZ4/s/27. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/s/27/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.