Imam Tom Facchine At Staten Island Islamic Center: The nation of Israel must be abolished – we cannot settle for anything less; Allah will topple the Zionist regime within a decade.
During a May 21, 2025 panel discussion titled The Nakba Never Ended at the Muslim American Society (MAS) Staten Island Center, Imam Tom Facchine of Utica, New York stated that the pro-Palestine movement must unify around the message that Israel must be abolished.
He said that advocating for a “generic freedom” is not enough—the “nation of Israel must be abolished,” and declared: “We cannot settle for anything less.”
Facchine claimed that Zionists will not stop until they “change the Quran,” and added: “It’s everything or nothing.”
He asserted that a maximalist Zionist world is one without Muslims or Palestinians.
According to Facchine, Allah has promised Muslims victory if they simply try, and he expressed absolute confidence that within a decade Allah will topple “the Zionist regime.”
Born in Camden County, New Jersey, Facchine was raised in a Christian household, primarily within the Presbyterian church. During his teenage years, he distanced himself from Christianity and identified as an atheist.
His academic journey led him to Vassar College, where he earned a BA in Political Science in 2011. A study abroad experience in Istanbul, Turkey, played a pivotal role in his introduction to Islam. In 2010, he converted to Islam. He later pursued Islamic studies at the Islamic University of Madinah from 2015 to 2020, obtaining a BA from the Faculty of Shariah.
Imam Facchine has publicly expressed strong support for Palestinian resistance, stating his backing "100 percent—no ifs, ands or buts" shortly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. He has also been featured in discussions advocating for the abolition of the nation of Israel, aligning with certain perspectives within the Muslim American Society.
Source: Online Platforms - "MAS Staten Island Center on YouTube"