福克斯独家报道： 老牌民主党人和密歇根州大量民主党立法者对他们与一名激进伊玛目之间的联系表示关切置若罔闻。该伊玛目曾用”世上最卑劣的双手”来悼念伊朗最高领袖哈梅内伊的逝世，并且在一家以传播伊朗宣传而闻名的清真寺工作。
在密歇根州迪尔伯恩高地，伊玛目穆罕默德·阿里·埃拉希（Mohammad Ali Elahi）的社交媒体页面曾充斥着密歇根州民主党政治人物的身影，还包括多张他与老牌民主党人和其他州民主党官员的合影，这些内容随后被删除。在福克斯新闻数字频道联系埃拉希及其位于密歇根州的智慧伊斯兰之家（Islamic House of Wisdom，简称IHW）后，这些照片（许多来自各种政治和宗教相关活动）从伊玛目的社交媒体上被移除。
然而，福克斯新闻数字频道保留的截图以及伊玛目社交媒体上仍公开可见的其他照片显示，他曾与比尔·克林顿（Bill Clinton）前总统、卡玛拉·哈里斯（Kamala Harris）前副总统和约翰·克里（John Kerry）前国务卿等老牌民主党人合影。
[图片43：占位符]
埃拉希在其社交媒体页面上还与其他民主党人合影，包括密歇根州现任候选人以及该州最高级别领导人，如密歇根州州长格雷琴·惠特默（Gretchen Whitmer，其2023年就职典礼上，埃拉希曾进行穆斯林祈祷致敬）、密歇根州副州长加林·吉尔克里斯特（Garlin Gilchrist）和参议员加里·彼得斯（Gary Peters，民主党，密歇根州）。他的社交账号上有一则帖子展示了一张传单，宣传由IHW协助赞助的活动，主讲人是安东尼·福奇（Anthony Fauci）博士；还有其他照片显示埃拉希与来自其他州的民主党人互动，如佐治亚州参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克（Raphael Warnock，民主党）。
关键摇摆州候选人就国土安全部资金在疑似恐怖袭击后表明立场
[图片44：伊玛目穆罕默德·阿里·埃拉希]
2024年10月18日，密歇根州迪尔伯恩高地智慧伊斯兰之家，伊玛目穆罕默德·阿里·埃拉希主持祈祷仪式。（查利·特里巴拉欧/法新社/盖蒂图片社）
除了上述与多位民主党人的公开合影外，根据密歇根州竞选财务数据库，他还向其中一些议员捐赠了款项，包括今年密歇根州竞选职位的候选人。密歇根州现任美国参议员候选人阿卜杜勒·艾尔赛义德（Abdul El-Sayed）至少出现在埃拉希的一张照片中，2017年他从埃拉希处获得了超过800美元的捐款。吉尔克里斯特在其社交媒体页面上多次与埃拉希合影，也收到了超过1000美元的捐款。
与此同时，前底特律市长、如今以独立候选人身份竞选州长的迈克·达根（Mike Duggan）被拍到与埃拉希共进晚餐，据州记录显示，他收到了500美元捐款。多年来，埃拉希还通过Act Blue平台向多个民主党人和民主党机构进行小额捐款。
“在正常情况下，公职人员不愿与如此有争议的人划清界限，这已经足够令人不安，但在冲突时期，美国人的生命悬而未决，选民期望他们的领导人团结在国旗周围，这种不愿更令人担忧。”共和党策略师科林·里德（Colin Reed）表示。”近40年来，伊朗政权领导人一直宣扬’死亡到美国’，并在全球范围内输出恐怖主义。想要与如此同情其事业的人划清界限，本不应是一个艰难的选择。”
当被问及在埃拉希和IHW对哈梅内伊致敬之后，是否有民主党人物后悔参加与这位居住在密歇根州的伊朗出生的伊玛目共同出席的活动，或是否计划在未来重新考虑与他的互动时，那些在不同活动照片中与他同框的民主党人要么未回应，要么淡化了他们与伊玛目的联系。密歇根州州长候选人乔斯林·本森（Jocelyn Benson）的一名工作人员在福克斯新闻数字频道联系后最初取得了联系，但在被告知报道不仅涉及本森后，便无视了福克斯新闻数字频道的进一步询问。
上个月被以色列空袭炸死的哈梅内伊，曾在社交媒体上多次抨击美国和以色列，包括宣称”死亡到美国”。
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中东媒体研究所在2022年援引哈梅内伊的话说：”是的，这终将发生。死亡到美国终将发生。有人说：通过高呼’死亡到美国’，你会招致美国的敌意。我说这不是事实。当美国开始对伊朗怀有敌意时，没有人高呼’死亡到美国’。”
密歇根州参议员加里·彼得斯的发言人表示：”彼得斯参议员经常在密歇根州各地与其选民参加活动。彼得斯长期以来一直表示，伊朗及其领导人（如哈梅内伊）是不良行为者，他坚信必须确保伊朗永远不会拥有核武器。”
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“格鲁吉亚人对这场每天耗资10亿美元、推高油价的非法战争感到担忧，”沃诺克的发言人告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。”参议员认为哈梅内伊是一名残酷的独裁者，总统应该专注于国内问题，而不是让我们的国家和军人卷入另一场无休止的战争。”
[图片46：民主党参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克和加里·彼得斯]
民主党参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克（左，佐治亚州民主党）和加里·彼得斯（右，密歇根州民主党）在国会大厦内行走的照片。（盖蒂图片社）
克林顿的发言人表示：”这只是葬礼上60秒的社交礼节。握手并不代表联系或认可。他们彼此并不认识。”
共和党策略师马克·贝德纳（Mark Bednar）哀叹道：”新闻界常常迅速追问在职共和党人，为何与某人合影，以及何时与该人划清界限，但同样的审视程度在民主党人身上几乎看不到。为了国家的利益，民主党当选官员和候选人必须向其选民和媒体解释，他们对世界最大支持恐怖主义国家的啦啦队持何种立场。”
达根最初告诉密歇根州当地媒体《密歇根享乐者》（The Michigan Enjoyer），他”不记得”他们分享的他与伊玛目的照片，但在福克斯新闻数字频道询问他是否计划重新考虑未来与埃拉希互动时，这位州长候选人表示不认识埃拉希本人。福克斯新闻数字频道发现，在伊玛目的Facebook页面上有多张达根参加活动的照片，包括两人拥抱的场景。
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达根州长竞选团队发言人表示：”在他12年的任期内，杜根市长不断接触各种信仰的教会，每年走访40-50个教堂、清真寺和犹太教堂。在此期间，他参加了近1000场政治活动，每场活动都会与人们打招呼并合影。市长对埃拉希伊玛目并不比过去12年中遇到的政治光谱中的其他人更了解。”
[图片48：达根市长在民主党全国代表大会上发言]
前底特律市长迈克·达根在2024年民主党全国代表大会上发言。（PBS新闻小时YouTube频道）
就在今年9月，埃拉希还被拍到在纽约市联合国大会期间与伊朗总统马斯oud Pezeshkian（Masoud Pezeshkian）合影。
该集会还包括左翼活动组织CODEPINK的联合创始人（该组织被指与中国关系密切），以及前美国情报官员和联合国武器核查员斯科特·里特（Scott Ritter）——里特本人称其住宅因违反《外国代理人登记法》而被联邦调查局突击搜查。
伊玛目在2024年联合国大会上也与Pezeshkian会面，其Facebook和Instagram上的照片配文称赞该政权领导人并抨击以色列和媒体。埃拉希还有与反犹主义者路易斯·法拉堪（Louis Farrakhan）会面的照片，后者曾在一次布道中将犹太人比作白蚁。
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乔治·华盛顿大学极端主义项目的一份报告指出：”埃拉希定期在其社交网络上发布的与伊朗高级别政治和宗教领袖的大量照片，表明了他与伊斯兰共和国的联系。”该报告还指出，埃拉希在1982年曾担任伊朗海军”政治意识形态办公室”负责人，伊玛目在2023年的一次演讲中提及此事但未否认。
与此同时，美国国会议员在2023年致时任美国司法部长梅里克·加兰（Merrick Garland）的一封信中指责埃拉希的清真寺是”传播极端主义宣传的重要来源，与伊朗政权的观点一致”，并呼吁他调查美国境内多个伊朗政权支持的清真寺。就在2023年，埃拉希还前往伊朗，并在社交媒体上分享了其旅行的照片和视频。
FIRST ON FOX: Legacy Democrats and a slew of Michigan Democratic Party lawmakers dismissed concerns over their connections to a radical Imam who eulogized the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei by “the most wretched hands on Earth” and works at a mosque known for being a purveyor of Iranian propaganda.
Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi’s social media pages were a who’s who of Michigan Democratic Party politicos and also included a slew of photos of him with legacy Democrats and Democratic Party officials from other states, before they were deleted. The photos, many of which come from various political and religious-oriented events, were removed from the Imam’s social media after Fox News Digital reached out to him and his Michigan-based Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW).
However, screenshots retained by Fox News Digital and other photos that remain publicly available on the Imam’s social media sites show him posing alongside legacy Democrats like former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State John Kerry.
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Other Democrats the Imam was pictured with on his social media pages included current candidates for office in Michigan and some of the state’s highest-ranking leaders, such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose 2023 inauguration included a Muslim prayer tribute from Ali Elahi, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. One post on his socials included a flyer highlighting an event the IHW helped sponsor that was headlined by Dr. Anthony Fauci, while others included photos of the Imam interacting with out-of-state Democrats, such as Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
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[Image 44: Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi]
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi leads a prayer at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, on October 18, 2024.(CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to the public photos of Ali Elahi, with a slew of various Democrats, he has also donated to several of these same lawmakers as well, including candidates running for office this year in his state of Michigan, according to Michigan’s campaign finance database. Current Michigan U.S. Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, featured in at least one of the Imam’s photos, received over $800 from him in 2017. Gilchrest, pictured numerous times with the Imam on his social media pages, received over $1,000.
Meanwhile, Mike Duggan, the former Mayor of Detroit now running an Independent bid for governor who is seen eating dinner with the Imam, received $500, according to state records. Ali Elahi has also, for years, made many small-dollar donations through Act Blue to various Democrats and Democrat institutions.
“The unwillingness of public officials to distance themselves from someone so controversial would be troubling enough under normal circumstances, but doubly so during a time of conflict when Americans’ lives hang in the balance and voters expect their leaders to rally around the flag,” said GOP strategist Colin Reed. “For nearly 40 years, the leaders of the Iranian regime have pushed ‘death to America’ and exported terror around the world. It shouldn’t be a close call to want to put daylight between someone so sympathetic to their cause.”
When asked, following Ali Elahi and IHW’s Khamenei tribute, if any of the Democratic Party figures regretted attending events alongside the Iranian-born Imam living in Michigan, or whether they planned to reconsider interactions with him going forward, those Democrats seen with him in photos at various events either did not respond or downplayed their ties to the Imam. A staffer for Michigan gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson initially got in touch after Fox News Digital reached out, but then ignored Fox News Digital’s inquiries after they were told the story was not only about Benson.
Khamenei, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike last month, has repeatedly attacked the United States and Israel on social media, including saying, “Death to America.”
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“Yes, it will happen. Death to America will happen,” Khamenei declared in 2022, the Middle East Media Research Institute reported at the time. “Some people say: By chanting ‘Death to America,’ you bring America’s animosity upon yourself. I say that this is not true. When America began its hostility towards Iran, nobody had been chanting ‘Death to America.’”
“Senator Peters routinely attends events with his constituents [across Michigan. Peters has long said that Iran and its leaders, like Ayatollah Khamenei, are bad actors, and he strongly believes that we must ensure Iran never has nuclear weapons,” a spokesperson for the Michigan senator said.
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“Georgians are concerned about an illegal war that’s costing taxpayers $1 billion a day and spiking gas prices,” a Warnock spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The Senator believes Ayatollah Khamenei was a brutal dictator, and this President should be focused on problems at home instead of entangling our country and service members in another endless war.”
[Image 46: Democrat Senators Raphael Warnock and Gary Peters]
Democratic Party Senators Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., (left) and Gary Peters, D-Mich., (right) pictured walking inside the U.S. Capitol.(Getty Images)
“It was 60 seconds of social niceties at a funeral. Shaking someone’s hand isn’t a connection or an endorsement,” said a Clinton spokesperson. “They don’t know each other.”
“The press corps often sprints after Republicans in office to ask them about why someone took a picture with them and how quickly will they distance themselves from that individual, but that same level of scrutiny is not remotely applied to Democrats,” lamented Republican strategist Mark Bednar. “For the good of the country, elected Democrats and candidates must explain to their constituents and to the media where exactly do they stand regarding cheerleaders of the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
Duggan, who initially told local Michigan news outlet, The Michigan Enjoyer, that he “had no recollection” of photos they shared of him with the Imam, told Fox News Digital that the candidate for governor did not know Ali Elahi personally when asked if he planned to reconsider interacting with him in the future. Fox News Digital uncovered multiple photos of Duggan attending events alongside Ali Elahi that were on the Imam’s Facebook page, including one where the two are seen embracing each other.
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“In his 12-year tenure, Mayor Duggan constantly reached out to congregations of all faiths, visiting 40-50 churches, mosques, and synagogues each year,” a spokesperson for Duggan’s gubernatorial campaign said. “He attended close to 1,000 political events in that time and greeted and took photos with people at each of them. The Mayor does not know Imam Elahi any more than the many others across the political spectrum he encountered over the years.”
[Image 48: Mayor Duggan speaks at the DNC]
Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.(PBS Newshour YouTube channel)
As recently as September, Ali Elahi was seen pictured with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The gathering was also attended by the co-founder of the left-wing activist group CODEPINK, which has been accused of having close ties to China, and former U.S. intelligence official and U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter, whose house was raided by the FBI for what Ritter himself described as violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The Imam similarly met with Pezeshkian at the U.N. Assembly in 2024, a photo on the Imam’s Facebook and Instagram shows, which also includes a caption praising the regime leader and slamming Israel and the media. Ali Elahi has photos of himself meeting with antisemite Louis Farrakhan, who infamously compared Jews to termites in one of his sermons.
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“The numerous photographs of Elahi with high-level Iranian politicians and religious leaders that he regularly publishes on his social media networks speak to his ties to the Islamic Republic,” a report from George Washington University’s Program on Extremism states. The same report points out that Ali Elahi served as the head of the Iranian Navy’s “political ideological office” in 1982, an allegation the Imam addressed but did not deny in a 2023 speech.
Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers have accused Ali Elahi’s mosque of being “a significant purveyor of extremist propaganda, in line with the Iranian regime’s views,” in a 2023 letter to then-U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling on him to investigate various Iranian regime-backed mosques in the United States. As recently as 2023, Ali Elahi traveled to Iran, sharing photos and video of his trip in 2023 on social media.