Mohammed Hijab, a radical Islamic preacher, is gaining traction amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In less than a week, Hijab has been given a platform to spread disinformation and question the authenticity of reports of Hamas’ atrocities against Israeli people during the terrorist attack on 7th October.
On 17th October, Hijab was a guest on Piers Morgan Uncensored. On 21st October, he spoke on the topic “Reviving Roots’Roots’ at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, and on 23rd October, he was provided a platform to speak at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.
Mohammed Hijab questioned the authenticity of reports of atrocities during the Hamas’Hamas terrorist attack.
During his time with Piers Morgan on his show, Hijab kept questioning the authenticity of the reports about the atrocities of Hamas against the people of Israel on 7th October. When Morgan questioned him on his views about the reports of the elderly being kidnapped and toddlers being killed by the Hamas terrorists, the only thing Hijab said was, “Where is the proof?”.
Morgan informed him that several mainstream media reports, including from the United Kingdom, verified and published the reports of the atrocities, but the Hijab called them “second source”. He said as he is a “scholar”, he needs “academic” proof of the atrocities. Morgan said there were reports citing experts in the media, but he categorically denied accepting.
Speaking about the killing of babies in their cribs and the photograph of the charred dead body of a toddler, Hijab claimed that the photograph was AI-generated. When Morgan said it was some “rouge person” who said it was an AI-generated image and several experts debunked it, Hijab kept saying he needed “an authentic source”. Interestingly, he did not explain what he meant by an “authentic source”.
Hijab also tried to justify the horrific actions of Hamas terrorists on 7th October by claiming that Israeli forces have been killing Palestinians for decades and that what Hamas did was “resistance”. He also objected to the comparison of Hamas to ISIS, again for the same reason that Hamas was only showing a form of “resistance”. He failed to provide a base for his theory that resistance would include the killing of civilians.
Hijab claimed that what followed the 7th October attack was a war crime and accused Israel of using prohibited weapons like White Phosphorus. There are no authentic sources to support the claim. Furthermore, he failed to acknowledge that Israel has warned and urged the people of Gaza to evacuate as Israel aimed at finishing Hamas once and for all.
Throughout the discussion with Morgan, not once did Hijab condemn Hamas for the terrorist attack on Israeli soil, killing 1,300 people in a few hours. For him, what Hamas did was alright, and he kept calling Israel an occupier.
Hijab continued to lie about the Hospital bombing
On 17 October, a rocket fell on Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza. Palestinian Authority claimed around 500 people died and accused Israel of the bombing. Israel countered with footage from Al Jazeera showing a missile originating from Gaza to attack Israel, falling short and hitting the hospital. Further reports showed the rocket fell in the parking lot, and there were apprehensions about the death toll claims.
Despite the reports of Israel being behind the attack, which were debunked repeatedly by several media houses and governments, including the US, Hijab continued to paddle the lie. His post after the incident is still on X, and when Morgan questioned him about the source, he did not provide one. Rather, he tried to sway away from the requirement of authenticating the source by saying he was talking about a “primary source” and not a verified source.
Leicester violence: Mohammed Hijab incited Muslims to attack Hindus
In September 2022, Mohammed Hijab was found inciting violence against Hindus in Leicester, UK. In his speeches, he mocked Hinduism and provoked Muslims to attack Hindus. Videos of his speeches were shared widely on social media. He claimed that Hindus were fearful of Muslims. He further suggested that the fear was due to Muslims holding the “truth”.
Furthermore, he made derogatory remarks against Hindus and warned them not to protest. He threatened that he and his supporters would attend the Hindus’ protest sites. He was also seen leading a group of masked Islamists in Leicester.
Mohammed Hijab also worked alongside hate preacher and fugitive, Zakir Naik, during the fundraising for the construction of a grand mosque and Dawah (proselytism) centre in Oslo, Norway.