Kate Kompas, [email protected]
Saturday, May 28, 2016
People packed Granite City Baptist Church on Friday night to listen to a controversial preacher who calls Islam a dangerous cult. Meanwhile, a group of 100 or so protesters gathered in the rain to denounce his views.
Usama Dakdok has been visiting Central Minnesota cities in the past week. He is the founder of the Florida-based Straight Way of Grace Ministry, and he is a Christian who grew up in Egypt.
Dakdok talked into the night about how, even though he's portrayed as hateful by liberals and a complicit media, he doesn't hate Muslims. It's Islam, he said, that's the true hateful force.
About 100 spoke out against Usama Dakdok.
"I want to get rid of Islam, not the Muslims," he said. "Jesus died on the cross for Muhammad as much as he died for Paul and John and you and I."
Dakdok said Islam is a religion that engages in war with people unless they believe in Allah. He also spent a considerable amount of time talking about how Christians worldwide are being killed by Muslims, and that the religion is bent on world domination.
"And the American people, you, for example in the state of Minnesota, are doing everything you can to bring as many Muslims as you can bring" here, he said.
Dakdok slammed the media that he says incorrectly presents him as Islamophobic, calling journalists useful idiots.
"Muslims are using them to destroy you, and you the American people still buy the newspaper. Shame on you," he said.
Almost every seat at the church was filled, and overflow seating was brought in to accommodate the crowd for Dakdok.
A profane message vandalizing the church was discovered Friday morning. The profanity has been mostly scrubbed away by Friday night's event.