NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – North Miami dentist Dr. Fadi Kablawi is facing state scrutiny for his other role: as an imam at a South Florida mosque.
State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, said he heard Kablawi make comments saying, “Oh Allah, annihilate the tyrannical Jews” during mosque livestreams on Facebook.
As chair of the state House Health and Human Services Committee, Fine is asking Florida’s dentistry board to suspend Kablawi’s license immediately, following up Tuesday with a letter from a dozen state lawmakers of the House Jewish Caucus demanding the same; they fear for his Jewish patients.
“It is a privilege to practice dentistry in the state of Florida,” Fine said. “He’s saying ‘I pray for Allah to kill all the Jews.’ Well, it’s not a long stretch from ‘Well, I’m going to help Allah out with it.’”
The Middle East Media Research Institute streamed the clips lawmakers saw with captioned translations.
“That’s bogus,” Kablawi told Local 10 News. “I never said that.”
“You never said the word ‘annihilate?’” Local 10 News reporter Glenna Milberg asked.
“I pray to God to take care and annihilate the oppressors,” he replied.
In the hallway between patients, Kablawi said his speeches are political statements about the war in Gaza and that his prayers are not threats.
“My prayer, it was a prayer, ‘Oh god - annihilate and deal with the oppressing, tyrannical Jews,’” he said.
Kablawi also said, “Oh Allah, annihilate the brothers of apes and pigs.”
Milberg asked him to explain what that means.
“That’s it, don’t worry about that,” Kablawi replied.
“I’m not worried at all. I’m just reporting a story,” Milberg said.
“Well, it’s evolution, right?” Kablawi said.
Milberg asked Kablawi if he could see how the remarks sound threatening.
“No doubt,” he said. “No doubt about it. But it is taken out of context.”
Kablawi said he would consider legal action if he were suspended.