NYU Professor Suspended after Being Recorded Denying Hamas Atrocities, Denouncing Israel By David Zimmermann
New York University recently suspended an adjunct professor, who’s been outspoken about his antisemitic views for years, after a video released online showed him denying that Hamas terrorists raped Israeli women and committed other atrocities on October 7.
In the video, Amin Husain is seen defending Hamas’s actions and denouncing Israel at a teach-in organized by the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at The New School, a private research university located in New York City. The informal lecture took place on December 5, the Free Press reported Thursday.
“Don’t take what the media says,” Husain said in the video, which the Free Press obtained from S.A.F.E. Campus, an organization that combats antisemitism on college campuses in the U.S. “It’s really important. . . . Because these kind of questions try to put you on the defensive. They try to say . . . ‘Oh my God, you’re supporting rapists and people that behead babies,’ both of which, you know, whatever, we know it’s not true.”
“We live in a Zionist city,” Husain added, referring to New York. “No, let’s be real about this, let’s be f***ing real.”
On the same day that the Free Press published the story, NYU announced that Husain had been suspended.
“To be clear, Mr. Husain has been suspended and is not currently teaching any classes at NYU,” university spokesman John Beckman said later Thursday. “All members of our community must adhere to the University’s discrimination and anti-harassment policies; we investigate all complaints we receive and take appropriate action, which may include taking measures such as suspension.”
When asked whether Husain would be permitted to return to his role, Beckman said NYU won’t comment any further on the matter.
Antisemitism watchdog Canary Mission, which documents people and groups that promote hatred of the U.S., Israel, and Jews, has an extensive profile of Husain on its website. According to his bio, Husain “has organized multiple violent New York City disruptions, promoted hatred of America and the police and incited hatred against pro-Israel supporters with Within Our Lifetime (WOL), an anti-Israel activist group in New York.”
“Husain has claimed to have participated in the first intifada and personally visited a leader of the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),” it adds. “He has also expressed support for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group and glorified its leaders, promoted other terrorists and spread hatred of Israel.”
In the video, Husain acknowledged the credibility of his Canary Mission profile, which he called “one of the best biographies I have.” He also bragged about his antisemitic reputation, pointing to an active petition calling for his dismissal for promoting hate speech. “I have a petition going around, right, because I’m antisemitic. I won the honors of antisemitic multiple times,” he said.
Canary Mission started documenting Husain in 2017, according to a spokeswoman, who described his rhetoric as “alarmingly explicit.” For example, he advocated for “waging . . . war” on the “nerve centers of the city” by damaging the New York City subway system. In 2020, his organization, Decolonize This Place, carried out such actions during its three-part F*** The Police campaign, which caused $100,000 in damages to the subway.
Considering Husain’s “radical ideological positions and incendiary language,” the Canary Mission representative said, “We therefore welcome his recent suspension as a matter of public safety.”
However, she noted suspension isn’t enough. Rather, his employment at NYU needs to be terminated.
“NYU’s recent decision to suspend Amin Husain appears less an acknowledgment of the many warning signs and more a concession to the mounting pressure of the current atmosphere,” the spokeswoman said. “While we welcome the decision at this time, it also serves as a stark reminder of NYU’s longstanding complacency in the face of antisemitism.”
“As it stands, a suspension is insufficient. To truly demonstrate their commitment to protecting students against the spread of hateful and dangerous ideologies, NYU must terminate Husain’s employment permanently,” she concluded.
Husain works as an adjunct professor at The New School of Public Engagement and Pratt Institute, according to his current LinkedIn profile. However, he hasn’t been affiliated with The New School since 2019 despite being invited to campus, a university spokeswoman said. Similarly, a Pratt spokeswoman said the adjunct professor hasn’t taught classes at the private Brooklyn university since 2019.
Husain did not respond to National Review’s request for comment.
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