This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/8220
Imtiaz Mohammad Proclaims ‘Islamic Values Align With American & Republican Values'
October 16, 2026
Islamist Republican Candidate Champions Anti-Israel Activist Who Defended October 7
Imtiaz Mohammad takes up the cause of Noura Erakat while campaigning under GOP banner.
October 13, 2026 by Joe Kaufman 5 Comments
Florida Republican State House candidate Imtiaz Ahmad Mohammad has publicly come to the defense of anti-Israel activist Noura Erakat, following her arrest at a Palm Beach County Commission meeting. What Mohammad did not tell voters is that the woman his campaign chose to champion has a documented history of defending Palestinian violence, including statementsmade on October 7 as Hamas terrorists were slaughtering Israelis and taking hostages.
On September 16, Mohammad posted a campaign graphic featuring Erakatbeneath the declaration, "I CONDEMN THE REPORTED ARREST OF NOURA ERAKAT." He demanded, "RELEASE HER IMMEDIATELY IF SHE REMAINS IN CUSTODY."
Mohammad, who was there for the Palm Beach County meeting and was himself escorted out of the chamber, praised those who attended, accused county officials of treating them "disrespectfully," and connected the confrontation to his candidacy, writing that it demonstrated "why stronger representation matters."
But who is Noura Erakat?
Erakat, a self-described "Palestinian-American human rights attorney," Rutgers professor and longtime critic of Israel, was arrested during a September 15 Palm Beach County budget hearing attended by opponents of the county's more than $1 billion investment in Israel bonds. Erakat refused to leave after officials acted to remove protesters and was charged with misdemeanor trespass.
Whatever one thinks about the county's handling of the meeting, Mohammad did more than raise a general free-speech concern. His campaign prominently featured Erakat's image (draped in a keffiyeh) and demanded her release.
This, despite Erakat's record of justifying Palestinian violence.
On October 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists were brutally attacking Israeli communities – burning families, raping women and taking hostages – Erakat argued that condemnation of Hamas violence was meaningless without condemnation of Israel.
Any condemnation of [Hamas] violence is vapid if it does not begin & end with a condemnation of Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, and occupation," she wrote.
Erakat also addressed Hamas's taking of Israelis captive: "Civilians r taken hostage, soldiers r captured. This is a military tactic." She then referenced Hamas's demand for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
In another post that day, Erakat argued that shock at the Hamas attack reflected an expectation that Palestinians should "die quietly."
Those statements had been public for nearly three years when Mohammad's campaign chose to portray Erakat as a victim and advocate for her release.
Nor was October 7 the first time Erakat defended someone Israeli authorities identified as having committed an act of terrorism.
In June 2020, her cousin Ahmad Erekat drove his vehicle into an Israeli checkpoint near Abu Dis, striking a female Border Police officer. Israeli police determined that the ramming was intentional and released surveillance footageshowing the vehicle turning toward the checkpoint, accelerating and striking the officer. Israeli security forces shot and neutralized the perpetrator on the scene.
Erakat rejected that account, referring to Ahmad, who she calls "Ahmed," as her "beautiful young man" and "baby cousin." She dismissed the allegation that he attempted to ram an officer as "trash, coward, lies," and posted on social media a statement from her family labeling his death an "extrajudicial killing."
Mohammad's decision to publicly defend Erakat also fits into a broader record of extremist associations of his own.
This past June, Mohammad announced that he had partnered with WhyIslam, the religious outreach project of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a group with ties to the South Asian terror-linked movement Jamaat-e-Islami. His relationship with ICNA goes back years. In 2017, he served as a contact for an ICNA benefit dinner featuring Monzer Taleb, a devout Hamas supporter who posted on his social media for Israeli Jews to relocate to Germany. Mohammad has described ICNA as a "humanitarian champion."
In July, Mohammad posted photographs of himself campaigning at the Darul Uloom Institute (DUI) in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Individuals associated with Darul Uloom over the years have included convicted terrorist "Dirty Bomber" Jose Padilla, senior al-Qaeda operative Adnan el-Shukrijumah, and Imran Mandhai who was convicted in a plot to attack South Florida targets, including electrical power stations, Jewish-owned businesses, and a National Guard armory.
Darul Uloom is also where, in 2018, Mohammad declared, "America [is] run on hate" and called Americans "the most uneducated nation in the world."
For years, Mohammad was associated with the Democratic Party. He founded the American Muslim Progressive Caucus (AMPC) and has used the organization to make political endorsements, including to himself.
Today, he is the Republican candidate for Florida House District 103. His campaign website repeatedly calls him the "Republican Nominee" and claims to promote "Conservative Leadership."
Mohammad's political transition is not itself controversial. What is notable is how aggressively he now incorporates Republican institutions and personalities into his public presentation.
Mohammad attended the Republican Party of Florida's Victory Rally in Tampa and posted photographs and video of encounters with prominent Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, U.S. Senator Ashley Moody, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and RPOF Chairman Evan Power.
He previously posted a campaign graphic placing himself beside an AI-generated likeness of Republican Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart. He removed the graphic, after this author brought it to the congressman's attention.
Mohammad also uses the Republican Party of Florida's elephant logo as his Instagram profile image.
Photographs with politicians do not establish endorsements. Nor does an RPOF graphic mean party officials authorize every statement Mohammad makes. But political imagery conveys affiliation. Photographs with prominent Republicans convey access. Party graphics convey institutional legitimacy.
The RPOF itself has included Mohammad in a graphic congratulating Republican State House candidates.
That is why Mohammad's defense of Erakat cannot be viewed entirely apart from the Republican identity he is now cultivating.
Florida Republicans have publicly emphasized support for Israel and opposition to terrorism as important party principles. Against that backdrop, Mohammad's campaign chose to champion an activist whose October 7 statements included calling Hamas hostage-taking a "military tactic" and describing condemnation of Hamas violence as "vapid."
Imtiaz Mohammad has every right to change political parties. He has every right to defend Erakat and campaign at radical Muslim institutions.
Republican voters have the same right to examine the political record behind the Republican branding now attached to his campaign.
The question for Republican officials is not whether Mohammad has the right to make those choices. It is whether they are prepared to stand behind a candidate whose record of extremism stands in stark conflict with the GOP's core principles and official policy platform.
Beila Rabinowitz, Director of Militant Islam Monitor, contributed to this report.
https://www.frontpagemag.com/islamist-republican-candidate-champions-anti-israel-activist-who-defended-october-7/
MIM: On December 9, 2025 Imtiaz Mohammad issued an official looking press release exploiting his position as a 'Republican Candidate For Florida Statehouse (HD 103) condemning and undermining Governor DeSantis legal efforts to stop the Council On American Islamic Relations (CAIR) front group for HAMAS from operating in Florida due to their material support for the Muslim Brotherhood & globally designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and individuals.
Mohammad who is supported by CAIR & the terror tied South Florida Muslim Federation (SoFlo) cynically claimed that DeSantis' actions were "an unnecessary on the Florida Muslim Community that undermines constitutional freedoms" and called the governors' efforts to combat jihadist threats to national security as a "symbolic political fight".
Imtiaz Mohammad condemns governor's order targeting CAIR and Muslim Americans
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Imtiaz Mohammad – Republican Candidate for Florida State House (HD 103)
IMTIAZ MOHAMMAD CONDEMNS GOVERNOR'S ORDER TARGETING CAIR AND MUSLIM AMERICANS
Pembroke Pines, FL — Today, Republican candidate Imtiaz Mohammad issued a firm and principled statement condemning the Governor's recent order against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), calling the action "an unnecessary attack on Florida's Muslim community that undermines constitutional freedoms."
"As a Muslim American Republican, I believe in law and order, strong national security, and the protection of every Floridian's rights under the U.S. Constitution," Mohammad said. "But government cannot — and must not — target an entire faith community based on politics or suspicion. The Governor's order is an overreach that sends the wrong message to millions of peaceful Muslim Americans who love this country."
Mohammad emphasized that Islamic values of peace, family, and service align with American values and the Republican principles of freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government.
"Republicans believe in individual freedom and constitutional rights — including freedom of religion," he said. "We cannot claim to defend liberty while singling out and marginalizing an entire community. Extremism must be confronted, but not by painting every mosque, every organization, and every Muslim family with the same brush."
Mohammad, who has a long track record of community leadership, job creation, and public service in South Florida, urged leaders to avoid actions that divide Floridians.
"At a time when our state faces serious challenges — insurance costs, skyrocketing taxes, housing instability, public safety issues, and an affordability crisis — we must focus on real solutions, not symbolic political fights," he stressed.
He called for unity, dialogue, and fairness, noting that Muslim Americans are an essential part of Florida's social and economic fabric.
"Muslims in Florida are teachers, doctors, business owners, veterans, taxpayers, and proud Americans. They deserve respect, not targeted government action," Mohammad concluded. "My commitment is to serve every Floridian, protect constitutional rights, and restore trust and balance in Tallahassee."
⸻
Media Contact:
Office of Imtiaz Mohammad
Republican Candidate for Florida State House – District 103
Phone: 786-486-9665
https://www.facebook.com/asiantimesmediagroup/posts/press-releasefor-immediate-releaseimtiaz-mohammad-republican-candidate-for-flori/4245859235661159/
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/8220