The Muslim advocacy group MEND has invited a controversial American chaplain who has previously written that “Zionists are the new Nazis and Fascists” and described New York as “Jew York City” to give a lecture at an online event later this week.

Chaplain Gareth Bryant will give his talk at MEND’s virtual Zoom conference event this Thursday, which is described as “A Critique of  Anti-Blackness Via Muslim Religio-Scholarship.”

The organisation said that the event was part of their Black History Month activity and would offer those attending a “fantastic opportunity to educate yourselves and ask questions to increase your understanding of this topic”.

But the JC has discovered that Chaplin Bryant – who is based in New York – has a history of making controversial comments about Jews and homosexuals, and in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In July 2014, Mr Bryant wrote a blog titled “What’s happening in Palestine/Israel is very simple…here’s what I call it: #HolocaustRemix”. Written after he claimed to have viewed a photograph of “lifeless young Palestinian boy, on that hospital bed with literally 1/2 of his head missing” he concluded: “We are witnessing the resurrection of the Holocaust.”

The chaplain then added: “Only this time, the #Palestinians have been made to take the place of the Jews & other oppressed peoples of the era, while the #Zionists have taken the place of the Nazis & Fascists.

“Why are people so pathologically afraid to just admit that the Zionists are the new Nazis & Fascists, that Zionism is just the Jewish version of Christianized #Nazism & Fascism, that what’s going on in Palestine/Israel is a direct socio-political mirror-image of what #Hilter did in Europe, what Mussolini did in Africa, and what #Hirohito did in #Asia, during #WorldWarII?

“Let’s stop pussy-footing around this issue in the Middle-East & call it what it truly is: a Holocaust, an Apartheid, a Genocide.

“Being a Muslim is no justification to support Muslims who manifest Terrorism. Likewise, being a Jew is no justification to support Jews who manifest Zionism…Zionism is no different than Nazism or Fascism.”

Writing again in April this year, Mr Bryant attacked a newspaper report on his blog using the headline, “Islāmophobic-Journalism Courtesy of the New York Post.”

The subject of the blog, a newspaper report, had been headlined “Muslim Firefighter Gets Coronavirus After Hasidic Teen Sneezed In His Face” – but the chaplain claimed it attempted to tarnish the victim of the incident.

He wrote: “This was exclusively done to deflect from the Fact that those responsible for this Heinous-Act were Jewish & that Omar Sattar is a Muslim…. [sic]

“Basically, the NYPost articulated their Article this Way methodically, to erase the Humanity of the Victim because he’s a Muslim & to give the Criminals a Pass because they’re Non-Muslims (Jewish specifically). [sic]”

In the final sentence of his blog, Mr Bryant then concluded “that’s Jew York City for you”.

Further articles on Mr Bryant’s blog reveal he is opposed to homosexuality. In one piece about an article that sought to legitimise same-sex relationships, he wrote: “This Article is simply at-Tahrīf (Distortion/Deception), attempting to normalize al-Lawāt to Muslims, and sadly: Muslims who’re Religio-Ignorant, Ego/Desire-Driven, etc. fold under the Pro-Homo Pressure.

 “Clearly, this is Article is … Agenda-Driven, to pontificate, proliferate Sinning.”

He has also engaged in conspiracy theories about the current Covid-19 pandemic, claiming “global-elitists” are manipulating the virus.

The JC has approached MEND and Mr Bryant for comment.