A past imam at Huntsville's Islamic Academy and, according to a university source, former part-time lecturer at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), is demanding Muslims "sacrifice their blood" to spread Islam throughout America.
Ragab Abdelmoneim, the academy's first full-time imam, began his religious career as a cleric at the Liverpool Islamic Academy in 2009. In 2013, after teaching and graduating from Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, Abdelmoneim relocated to the academy in Huntsville.
Approximately eight years later, in 2021, he joined UAH's communications department as a part-time lecturer specializing in public speaking courses. The same year, he was also hired as a part-time communications instructor for Jemison High School's College Academy program. He has not worked for UAH since 2024, according to a university source.
Abdelmoneim's educational background is extensive, with a clear lean towards Islam. He holds a Ph.D. in religious communication and information sciences from the University of Alabama, a master's in religious communication from UAH and a master's in Islamic education and psychology from Al-Azhar University.
In a now widely circulated video on social media, Abdelmoneim called for Muslims to expand Sharia law by any means necessary, including through bloodshed.
"We need to...have some people to love their religion and to sacrifice for their religion, sacrifice their money and their blood and their wealth for the sake of Allah," Abdelmoneim said in the message.
An imam in Alabama, Ragab Abdelmoneim of the Islamic Academy of Huntsville, openly told his audience that Muslims must be ready to sacrifice their lives through jihad in order to establish “the religion of Allah” in the United States.
— Yossi BenYakar (@YossiBenYakar) June 25, 2026
He claimed that victory over America is… pic.twitter.com/Jtb5NcaKBl
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A number of Abdelmoneim's khutbahs, or sermons, criticizing the United States and its residents, are available online through his YouTube channel.
In one video, the cleric attacked America's elected officials, accusing them of "stigmatizing" Muslims and minorities.
"Corrupt and wicked politicians, leaders, and officials, they propagate and perpetuate this kind of hatred in their discourse, in their rhetoric, in their communication in the media, just to demonize and to put people down and to stigmatize Muslims and minorities," argued Abdelmoneim.
Abdelmoneim has also accused white Americans of stealing land from indigenous peoples.
"You yourself and your ancestors and your grandfathers, they are minorities and immigrants," he contended. "They came and took over this land before. Especially in the United States, in the Western camp, they took over the land from the original people and native people."
The United States, according to Abdelmoneim, has "committed injustices" against Muslims throughout the world for decades.
"It's very rare to find any nation or any country, they are strong, powerful, and also just, and they have justice," he said in another khutbah. "Why? Because if they have power, they immediately will commit injustices. We see that in this country."
Abdelmoneim bashed Americans, arguing the group holds unfair hatred and animosity for Islam, specifically referencing the ongoing fight from Texans to block Sharia law-based communities in their state.
"The [American people] developed a lot of attitudes, including hatred, animosity, against the Muslim Ummah, against the community, and against Islam itself...You can see what happened to our brothers and sisters in Dallas. They have a project, and they have a lot of challenges, legal challenges, because it will be the Sharia area," added Abdelmoneim.
As part of a separate message, he pushed Muslims to follow their religious commandments and "stand against" non-believers in the United States.
"Allah told us about how to protect yourselves from their thinking, how to expose their plans and their plotting, how to be against them and stand against those people."
Abdelmoneim is now the Imam and "Resident Scholar" at the Islamic Center of Maryland, but retains connections to the Huntsville area through UAH.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect that Abdelmoneim has not been employed by UAH since 2024.
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