Is the Orange Country Register Hiding From a Major Story?

Recently, we cross-posted a report and video clip from MEMRI TV exposing an Anaheim imam who had recently posted a “sermon” (in Arabic) on YouTube in which, according to the MEMRI translation, he recited the infamous “hadith of hate” that describes how Muslims will kill Jews on the Day of Judgment. In addition, Imam Moustafa Kamel made other hate-filled references to Jews. Kamel is head imam at the Al Ansar Mosque in Anaheim.

I am leaving out individual names, but below is an account of how I attempted, apparently, unsuccessfully, to get the Orange County Register, Orange County’s largest newspaper, to cover the story. 

On February 12, 2023, I sent an email to a reporter at the Orange County Register whom I had previously met with a link to the Moustafa Kamel video posted by MEMRI TV. 

That same date, I received an automated email back from this reporter who was on vacation until February 16. I then sent a copy of my original email with the video to another reporter at OCR who was listed as an alternate. On the same date, I received a second email from the first reporter stating that we should talk when the reporter returned from vacation. On February 17, I started calling the reporter but was unable to get through or leave a message because the “mailbox was full”. I have continued to call this number over the past few days, as recently as February 22, with the same result. Also on February 17, I sent a follow-up email to the reporter asking if the Register was going to follow up with the story. No response. On February 21, I left a message on the OCR News Room answering machine. No response.

To date, nobody from the Register has gotten back to me. In addition, I have been checking the online edition of the Register to see if the story has been reported. I have seen nothing. (If I have simply missed it, I would be happy to retract that last sentence.) The OCR online search box engine comes back negative for either Moustafa Kamel or the Al Ansar Mosque in Anaheim.

I hope I am wrong, but it appears that the Register has no interest in running this story for the benefit of its Orange County readership. There is no way one can argue that this story is not newsworthy. This appears to be yet another example of how our news media, aside from what they do print, can simply ignore news when it doesn’t fit their narrative.

This is not to single out and attack the Muslim community of Orange Country. I would hope that decent, peaceful Muslims, who bear no ill will toward Jews, would see this video and come to the conclusion that they might want to look for another mosque. They may not be aware of it since it is on YouTube. They could have been made aware of it had the Register chosen to cover the story.

Again, if any of the above is in error, and the Register is, in fact, working on this story, I would be happy to correct the record.