Ayatullah Muhammad Jawad Chirri is the founder and former Director of the Islamic Center of America (ICA). He was born in Lebanon and graduated from the Islamic Institute of Najaf in Iraq. A supporter of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, Chirri authored an anti-Jewish diatribe entitled, “The Shi’ites under Attack.”

Regarding the Iranian Revolution that brought Khomeini to power in 1979, Chirri says:

“To uncover the liars and hypocrites who claim dedication to Islam, the Almighty chose to create in Iran (the biggest Shi’ite country) a popular revolution, replacing the non-Islamic and Zionist agent government of the Shah by a real Islamic government. This new government has revived the rule of the Book of God, the Sunnah of the Prophet, and the instructions of the members of the House of the Prophet…. The Shah (who was imposed on the Iranian by the imperialistic forces) was a true servant of Israel.”

Chirri has expressed his contempt for Israel, and his distress over the Arab world’s failure to annihilate the Jewish State, as follows:

“[T]he Zionist dream was realized through the creation of Israel…. Israel was planted in the heart of the Islamic and Arab world. The East and West gave their support for this location. This unanimous support was not due to their love of the Jews but rather, it was motivated by their prejudice against Islam and Muslims. East and West were determined to destroy the future of Islam.

“The Arab Muslim governments stood up, thundering and expressing their anger. They threatened and declared that their aim was to throw the Israelites into the sea. These governments participated totally or partially in three wars against Israel. In each war, Israel came out bigger in size and stronger in force…. They [the Arabs] came to war without planning … The majority of the petroleum countries who were repeatedly humiliated by Israel continued to follow their foolish policy of putting their money in the countries most supportive of Israel…. These Arab countries purchase bonds worth billions of dollars every year from governments allied with Israel … to please the foreign masters whose aim is only to humiliate the Muslims and support the Zionists.”

Chirri has candidly voiced his support for suicide bombers (whom he calls “martyrs”) who give up their lives for the sake of killing Israelis:

“Israel faced in 1984-85 a new enemy [Hezbollah, in South Lebanon] that was small in number but big in courage, having no arms except faith in God and love of martyrdom in the way of God.

“Isaac Rabin, the Israeli Defense Minister, said that it never came to his imagination, nor did he find in the records of the Israeli information that a human being would be transformed into a living bomb that goes toward its target to explode the target and itself. However, what did not cross the mind of any Israeli has become a devastating reality to Israel and astonishing to the whole world.

“A few hundred Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim heroes alone were able to fulfill what Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States were unable to fulfill. The few hundred Lebanese heroes defeated Israel, forced its army to retreat and liberated an important portion of the occupied land of South Lebanon.

“These Shi’ite Lebanese have demonstrated heroism unparalleled in history. Unarmed men, women, and children sold their pure souls to their Lord to please Him and to defend His religion…. What these heroes achieved was physical evidence proving that it is possible for any Arab people to defeat the Zionists if they believe in God and the hereafter and love martyrdom.”