In a recent social media uproar, a New York City public school teacher, Mohammad Jehad Ahmad, has found himself in the midst of controversy for expressing support for the Hamas terrorist organization and its actions during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
NYC public school teacher shares image depicting Hamas paraglider, calls attack 'successful military campaign' https://t.co/hYdJpMgJxh
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 15, 2023
Ahmad, who teaches at Gotham Tech High School, made headlines when he changed his Facebook cover photo to an image of a person paragliding with a Palestinian flag attached to the parachute and the words “I stand with Palestine” written beneath it.
The image depicted terrorists descending onto Israeli communities with parachutes and gliders, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people and the kidnapping of civilians.
This move caught the attention of many, including user Justin Spiro, who shared a screenshot of the image on social media platform X. The same image had been shared by the Chicago Black Lives Matter chapter after the surprise attack by Hamas.
Spiro, a New York social worker, expressed his shock and concern over Ahmad’s support for Hamas, particularly in light of the tragic events where Hamas terrorists targeted an Israeli music festival, resulting in the deaths of 260 teenagers and young adults. “How can Jews feel safe in Mohammad’s classroom?” he wondered.
In response to Spiro’s criticism, Ahmad doubled down on his position with anti-Israel rhetoric, referring to Israel as a “settler colony that was invented and only continues to exist through terrorism, dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and ongoing incremental genocide.”
These claims contradicted the fact that the Palestinian population has significantly increased since Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967.
The controversy surrounding Ahmad escalated when he criticized the New York Post for reporting on his public posts. The Post had covered the city’s Department of Education, sending teachers a list of websites with information about the Israel-Hamas conflict for classroom discussion.
While some critics accused the department of distributing biased resources, Ahmad, on the contrary, accused Schools Chancellor David Banks of sending “Zionist propaganda.”
Amid the ongoing debate, Ahmad took to social media to declare, “Free Palestine, from the river to the sea,” echoing a chant used by protesters in midtown Manhattan who called for the elimination of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state covering the entire region from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
Spiro challenged Ahmad by asking whether he supported or condemned the actions of Hamas, specifically mentioning the murders of teens and young adults at a music festival and the killing of babies and young children in neighboring towns.
When contacted by Fox News Digital, Ahmad maintained his position and referred to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas as “a successful military campaign.”
In response to the Oct. 7 attack, Chancellor Banks publicly condemned the acts of violence by Hamas, expressing deep sadness over the impact on innocent civilians, especially children. He pledged to reinforce regulations and policies to ensure the safety and support of all students, staff members and community stakeholders.
