US rabbi exposed for misrepresenting the Qur’an to justify Israel’s occupation

Prominent US Zionist Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has come under fire for falsely claiming that the Qur’an explicitly endorses Jewish entitlement to the “land of Israel”, distorting a Qur’anic verse in an attempt to frame Israel’s occupation of Palestine as having justification within Islam. His comments, condemned widely as a blatant attempt to manipulate Islamic scripture to serve Zionist expansionist goals, were dismantled swiftly by leading Muslim scholars.

Fadel Soliman, for example, was quick to call out the rabbi’s hypocrisy, questioning whether he now recognises the Qur’an as an authentic scripture or if he is merely twisting its words to serve his Zionist agenda. “Does that mean you now believe in the authenticity of the Qur’an? Or are you just explaining to us our religion?” asked Soliman on social media.

Does that mean that you @RabbiShmuley believe now in the authenticity of the Qura’n? or are you just explaining to us our religion?
Let me put this to rest:
Firstly, In Islam, God doesn’t deal with people according to their race rather according to their belief system. Therefore… https://t.co/gEZlXGHk9e

— Fadel Soliman (@FadelSoliman) March 11, 2025

Soliman then dismantled Boteach’s argument, stressing that in Islam, God does not deal with people based on race, but rather on faith and righteousness. Any divine promise made in the Qur’an was conditional upon belief, not ethnicity. The Qur’an does not grant any land as an eternal racial entitlement. He further pointed out that Prophet Muhammad — peace be upon him — was not the founder of Islam but its final messenger, following in the line of previous prophets, including Moses and Jesus. As such, their true followers were all considered Muslims in their time.

“Brace yourself,” Soliman continued, “ALL THEIR FOLLOWERS WERE MUSLIMS, including the followers of Moses. So any promise made by God was for the Muslims of that time.” He referenced Qur’an 10:84, where Moses himself calls his people “Muslims”: “And Moses said, ‘O my people, if you have attained faith in Allah, then in Him place your trust, if you are truly Muslims’.”

Shmuley Boteach was also called out for fabricating the phrase “Promised Land” into his mistranslation of the Qur’anic verse he cited. Soliman highlighted how no translation of the Qur’an includes this wording, which the rabbi inserted conveniently to fit a Zionist narrative.

Rabbi, stay in your lane.

Not a single exegete ever understood this verse to imply perpetual rights of the Holy Land to the Children of Israel. Rather, Muslims actually and genuinely believe that God did grant the real Children of Israel who followed Moses to enter the Hold Land… https://t.co/FsFripH67K

— Dr. Yasir Qadhi (@YasirQadhi) March 11, 2025

Dr Yasir Qadhi, a leading Islamic scholar, echoed this critique and bluntly told Boteach, “Rabbi, stay in your lane.” Qadhi dismantled the claim that the Qur’an provides perpetual rights of ownership to Jews over the Holy Land, explaining that while God did allow the true followers of Moses to settle there, the promise was entirely conditional on their adherence to divine commandments. When they repeatedly broke that covenant, as documented in the Torah, the Bible and the Qur’an, God revoked their privilege and stripped them of their status as the chosen people.

Qadhi further cited Qur’an 7:128, in which Moses himself declares: “Seek God’s help and be patient. Indeed, the land belongs to God alone, and He grants it to whoever He chooses of His servants. And the ultimate outcome belongs to the righteous.”

This verse, Qadhi argued, refutes any notion of an ethnic entitlement to the land and makes it clear that it is righteousness, not lineage, that determines who has God’s favour. He stressed further that those who engage in oppression, apartheid and genocide cannot possibly be considered among the righteous.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s misrepresentation of the Qur’an is not an isolated incident, but part of a larger Zionist effort to frame Israel’s occupation of Palestine as being endorsed by Islam. This strategy aims to gain legitimacy for Israeli colonial expansion, especially among Muslim audiences. However, unlike Christian Zionism, which has been instrumental in the global success and cultivation of Zionism, this approach has failed to gain traction in the Muslim world.

Christian Zionism has thrived largely due to the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible, a heavily annotated edition of the Bible first published in 1909. According to commentators, the Scofield Bible played a major role in shaping Christian Zionist theology by inserting Zionist interpretations directly into the biblical text. It reframed biblical prophecies to suggest that modern-day Israel was the fulfilment of God’s promises, and that Christians had a duty to support the Jewish return to Palestine. This theological shift led to the widespread belief among evangelicals that the establishment of Israel was not just a political event, but also a religious necessity.

By contrast, no equivalent doctrine exists in Islam. The overwhelming consensus among Muslim scholars, regardless of sect, is that Zionism is a colonial ideology that has no legitimate claim in Islam. As seen in this latest controversy, efforts to fabricate Islamic justifications for Israel’s occupation have been thoroughly debunked, reaffirming that Islamic teachings remain firmly opposed to Zionist expansionism.

READ: Christian Zionism: The New Heresy that Undermines Middle East Peace