Amin Husain, an adjunct professor at New York University denied reports of Hamas's atrocities on October 7th.
The remarks were made during a "teach-in" organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, on December 5th at The New School in the city.
In a video obtained by The Free Press, Husain says "They’re trying to say … ‘Oh my God, you support rapists and people that behead babies,’ both of which, whatever, we know it’s not true.”
The professor remarked: "We live in a Zionist city,” Husain proclaims. “Let’s be **** real … these people can come up and say because of keffiyeh, you should go back to your country.”
According to Husain, groups such as Hamas “are fighting for the liberation of their people and their land. That’s a right. You do it.”
At another point in the discussion, he joked about his reputation for being antisemitic, citing a petition launched by an NYU alumnus calling for his dismissal: “I have a petition going around, right, because I’m antisemitic. I won the honors of antisemitic multiple times.”
The professor mentioned his profile on the site Canary Mission, which says he organized multiple violent disruptions and incited hatred of the US, police, and pro-Israel supporters. The profile also states that he claimed to have participated in the first intifada, personally visited a leader of the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and has also expressed support for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
“Everything they cite. . . is true,” Husain said regarding the profile.
US Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY 15), commented on the professor's remarks: "October 7th denial, a close cousin of Holocaust denial, is the latest mutation in the DNA of antisemitism.
"The latest embarrassment is Amin Husain, a professor who not only downplays but also outright denies the atrocities of Hamas, telling his students that October 7th is 'not true,'" he added.
The congressman concluded: "The higher education industrial complex has been exposed as a cesspool of antisemitism."
A spokesperson for The New School told The Free Press in an email that Husain has not been affiliated with the university since 2019 but acknowledged Husain had been invited to speak by the campus’s SJP multiple times.
“The New School chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is entitled to use university space, as are all New School student organizations, for educational activities, and has the right to invite speakers representing various points of view to the university,” the spokesperson wrote. “Individuals from The New School who choose to organize or attend these events are in no way speaking for, or representing, the university.”
In an email to The Free Press, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said the university does not “discuss the details of an employee’s work records. 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 interim measures such as suspension.” When pressed on whether or not Husain is still employed by NYU, Beckman wrote, “He’s not currently in the classroom.”