Dentist who was fired after tearing down hostage posters speaks out

Fired Miami dentist Ahmed ElKoussa defends tearing down posters of missing Israeli children saying it was ‘an act of peace’

  • Ahmed ElKoussa, 31, is demanding his job back and an apology after he was fired from CG Smile, a dental office in Miami, for ripping down posters of hostages 
  • Elkoussa and his attorney Hassan Shibly spoke out in defense of his actions on Thursday, claiming the video was ‘taken out of context’ 
  • Shibly is denying ill-intention behind his client’s actions that hurt many in his community, claiming he did it to ‘promote peace’  

The Miami dentist who was fired after he was spotted tearing down posters of missing Israeli children is defending his actions that he says were with the ‘best of intentions.’

‘It’s to promote peace, it’s to deescalate the situation that we’re going through and make sure that our communities are safe,’ Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa said on Thursday.

The dentist’s is now demanding his job back after he was fired from CG Smile when a video circulated showing him and ‘Instagram model’ Xave Ramoul ripping down posters of Israeli hostages in Brickell on Tuesday. 

The 31-year-old and his attorney, Hassan Shibly, both spoke in defense of the video, claiming it was ‘an act of peace.’ 

Elkoussa said the video, which shows the dentist laughing with his friend in the largely Jewish neighborhood of Brickell, was ‘taken out of context.’ 

‘Unfortunately my video of four seconds got taken way out of context as well as the way that my former employer had portrayed it, that it’s an act of supporting terrorism,’ ElKoussa said.

Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa (left) and  his attorney, Hassan Shibly (right), both spoke in defense of a video that showed the dentist tearing down a poster of missing Israeli children, claiming it was ‘an act of peace.’

Elkoussa claimed he did it to ‘promote peace’ and de-escalate the ‘situation we are going through.’ He feared the posters would incite further violence and he was only trying to ease tension in the community. 

In a statement Thursday, Shibly said ElKoussa’s actions were prompted by the death of a 6-year-old boy in Illinois by his landlord, which police have called a hate crime.

‘Dr. ElKoussa was simply motivated by fear of copycat acts given that Investigators said the landlord had been radicalized by emotionally triggering images from the terrorist attack on Israel. That was the sole intention in removing them, and claims otherwise have no basis,’ the statement read.

ElKoussa’s lawyer is the founder and lead attorney of ‘Muslim Legal,’ an all Muslim law firm representing clients whose children are stuck in Gaza as well as Americans who have ‘faced backlash from employers, the government and media for speaking out.’

‘We are speaking out for the children of Palestine. We are speaking out to stop the onslaught of Gaza and the safe return of American Children stuck there and for peace and safety for all children regardless of race and nationality,’ he wrote on X. 

Shibly told NBC6 that the dentist was afraid the posters would spark conflict and talked to police before taking them down.

‘He wanted to ensure that there’s no conflict here in Florida. And when he saw those posters, he was just concerned that they may lead to an escalation in conflict,’ the lawyer said. 

The dentist’s is now demanding his job back after he was fired from CG Smile when a video circulated showing him and ‘ Instagram model’ Xave Ramoul ripping down posters of Israeli hostages in Brickell on Tuesday 

Elkoussa said the video, which shows the dentist laughing with his friend in the largely Jewish neighborhood of Brickell, was ‘taken out of context.’

Ramoul and Elkoussa appeared to have deleted their social media profiles in the wake of the video

‘He removed them after speaking to law enforcement, saying, “Listen, there’s a lot of tension in the country right now. I don’t think there should be pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli posters hanging around, they may spark conflict. So what should I do?”  the lawyer claimed.

‘They said, “Listen, you can remove them if you feel unsafe.”’

After the video went viral, ElKoussa reportedly received hateful messages from those who found his actions incomprehensible. 

‘I want to be very, very clear as my heart does go out to the Jewish and Israeli community, to those innocent lives and civilians, as well as the Palestinians,’ ElKoussa said. 

‘The issue here again, it’s something that they’re posting the posters in Brickell, in the neighborhood where this is not occurring, in this neighborhood it’s causing tension. So if anybody can help these people in any way that they can, by donating, by resources, I urge you to help them, to pray for them.’

Shibly said his client did not mean to offend anyone and blamed the website that posted the video and incorrectly assumed ElKoussa’s intentions.

Stop Anti-Semitism, the site that shared the video of Elkoussa, is the leading non-partisan American-based organization fighting anti-Semitism – which has been seen across the US since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed 1,400 civilians.

‘The very act of removing fliers left on the side of the road is in and of itself neither illegal nor immoral,’ Shibly said. 

‘The motivation behind removing these particular fliers is where the question may be posed, and therein precisely lies the problem: the website that posted the video rushed irresponsibly, and without the slightest authority, to attribute intentions to him that he neither claims nor holds.’

Not only is Shibly denying ill-intention behind his client’s actions that hurt many in his community, he is now demanding an apology and for ElKoussa to be reinstated.

‘For his employer to rush to unquestioning judgment based merely on a random website’s uninformed and wildly speculative word on what is in Dr. ElKoussa’s heart over his is both outrageous and demeaning. It is indicative of the atmosphere of hysteria we are in,’ the statement read.

NYU Yazmeen Deyhimi student admitted to tearing down posters of Israeli hostages – blaming her exploits on ‘misplaced anger’ – as her accomplice is ID’ed as a Muslim Youth leader

‘We demand an apology and reinstatement as the only path to restore his livelihood and clear his good name.’

ElKoussa is among many who have spent their time and effort tearing down posters of innocent hostages around neighborhoods across the nation in recent days – and then ‘apologizing’ for their actions once faced with consequences. 

An NYU student admitted to tearing down posters of Israeli hostages this week – blaming her exploits on ‘misplaced anger’. 

Yazmeen Deyhimi, a junior at NYU who once worked for the Anti-Defamation League and a self-acclaimed ‘activist,’ confessed to tearing down the flyers of hostages that were plastered outside NYU’s Tisch Hall on Monday and tossing them into the trash. 

A now-viral video of their actions has sparked backlash, with many calling for the university to hold the three perpetrators accountable. 

In a since-deleted Instagram post, Deyhimi ‘apologized,’ offering a bizarre explanation for the disgraceful act – claiming she was having a rough time finding her place as a ‘biracial brown woman’ during these ‘highly volatile’ times. 

‘I have found it increasingly difficult to know my place as a biracial brown woman, especially during these highly volatile times,’ Deyhimi shared. ‘I have felt more and more frustrated about the time we currently find ourselves in, and that misplaced anger into actions that are not an accurate representation of who I am as a person.’

Source: Read Full Article