Radical Islamic Kent State prof calls Oct. 7 ‘miracle,’ says it planted ‘seed of freedom’
‘And yet, in Al Aqsa Flood [Hamas’s name for the Oct. 7 massacre], we have seen miracle, after miracle, after miracle,’ he said.
‘References to the October 2023 massacre are abhorrent and stand in stark contrast to our institutional commitment to peaceful dialogue, as well as our core values of kindness and respect,’ Kent State said.
An Islamic imam who also serves as a professor at Kent State University in Ohio previously gave sermons praising the Oct. 7 massacre and calling it a “miracle.”
Professor and Imam Nader Taha made the remarks in sermons that he delivered in November, 2023 and December, 2024, shared by the watchdog group MEMRI TV on X on Friday.
#ICYMI: Kent State Professor Imam Nader Taha in Ohio Friday Sermon: On October 7 We Saw Miracle After Miracle – the Children of Israel Were Humiliated and Defeated; Al-Aqsa Mosque Was Calling Out to Be Purified and Our Brothers and Sisters in Gaza Responded pic.twitter.com/m445z336FF
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) January 3, 2025
In the November 2023 video, Taha claims that Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites of Islam, is allegedly being “disgraced day and night” by Israel. “So your brothers and sisters in Gaza responded,” he stated.
“The faces of the children of Israel will be so humiliated–Allah says that,” he continued. “What do you want more than the humiliation of faces than what you have seen nowadays?”
On Dec. 13, 2024, Taha said: “To be honest with you, Gaza, they planted the seed of freedom, in the heart of not just only the Muslim world, but the whole world. From their steadfastness, from the way they sacrificed, and they defeated that myth. Before that, it was said by all: ‘Oh, Israel, the fourth strongest army in the world, it is undefeated, they were able to defeat five [Arab] armies in less than six hours [referencing the Six Day War].’”
“And yet, in Al Aqsa Flood [Hamas’s name for the Oct. 7 massacre], we have seen miracle, after miracle, after miracle.”
Kent State condemned Taha’s comments on Thursday, calling them “antisemitic.”
“References to the October 2023 massacre are abhorrent and stand in stark contrast to our institutional commitment to peaceful dialogue, as well as our core values of kindness and respect. Now more than ever, and especially in light of the tragic attack in New Orleans, we call for understanding and dialogue as the path to avoiding violence, and destruction. The remarks were not made on a Kent State campus, nor as part of any official event or program,” the statement concluded.
Other professors besides just Taha have caused similar controversies through their anti-Israel comments.
Professor Joseph Massad of Columbia, who is slated to teach a course on Zionism, has also praised the Oct. 7 massacre and said genocide is a “Western value,” among many other controversial statements.
Campus Reform has reached out to Kent State University and Professor Taha for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
