Who Is Omar Suleiman? ISIS Calls For Assassination Of Texas Imam

The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, reportedly issued death threats to a prominent American imam in two videos, appearing to be originating from the terrorist group. It allegedly called for his assassination over his moderate views.

“I can tell you with a completely straight face that I’m not intimidated at all. I don’t think we can be intimidated,” Omar Suleiman, the imam, told ABC-affiliated WFAA. “We can’t afford to be afraid of any hate groups whether they’re here or abroad.”

Read: Can The US Defeat The Islamic State Group Before Russia, Turkey?

The 29-year-old was featured in a video, now removed, whose title translates to “Kill The Apostate Imams,” referring to those who go against the militant group's point of view. It emerged soon after Suleiman’s interfaith work with Pastor Andrew Stoker of First United Methodist Church Dallas was released through a video titled, “An Imam, a Pastor and a Dream,” calling for religious unity.

“It makes me that much more determined when I see that hateful groups are increasing in their hatred toward us and trying to delegitimize us,” Suleiman told CBS. “That tells me that we’re doing something right.”

The imam also discussed the issues that American Muslims face in the country they call their own.

“You’ve got ISIS on one hand saying you can’t be a Muslim American because you cannot be loyal to your Muslim part,” Suleiman said. “And then you have Islamophobes saying you can’t be a Muslim American because you cannot be loyal to your American part and you’ve got a whole bunch of Muslim American’s in the middle saying, ‘Where do we fall?’ ”

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Suleiman is a Muslim religious leader based out of Irving, Texas. The young imam is the founder of the Yaqeen Institute, dedicated to combating extremists and increasing the understanding of religion. Suleiman is a resident scholar at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center, and also teaches a course in Islamic studies at Southern Methodist University.

The threat to his life, however, cannot be taken lightly and the FBI is involved in talks with Suleiman. According to Art Fontes, a former FBI agent, such threats need to be taken seriously because of the way ISIS functions, cashing in on misguided sympathizers. He told Dallas News, “Based on my experience on working terrorism overseas, the threat should be taken seriously.”