Appreciate the question—it’s an important one. Mehdi Hasan has certainly spoken out against Islamophobia in many contexts, but that does not exempt him from participating in Islamophobic framing, especially when it aligns with settler-colonial or liberal imperial narratives.
Islamophobia isn’t only defined by personal identity or intent—it’s also about how narratives are structured, especially when they:
• Dehumanize Muslim resistance movements, like Hamas, by portraying them as irrational or barbaric without acknowledging the political and historical context of occupation and siege;
• Uphold “good Muslim vs. bad Muslim” tropes, reinforcing the idea that Muslims must be respectable, nonviolent, and “moderate” to be worthy of protection or solidarity;
• Echo Israeli or state-aligned talking points, often during moments when Palestinians demand clarity, not balance.
Palestinian organizers and scholars have criticized Hasan for repeatedly using this framing—positioning himself as a “credible” voice by distancing from Palestinian resistance, even as genocide unfolds.
Yes, Mehdi Hasan is Muslim. But that does not prevent him from replicating Islamophobic or anti-Palestinian structures—especially when operating within Western media ecosystems that reward compliance with settler narratives.
Forgive me, I’m not informed in this but what Islamophobia has Mehdi Hasan engaged in?
I have seen lots of material of Hasan defending Islam and condemning Islamophobia, but I know that’s shaped by search algorithms and such
Appreciate the question—it’s an important one. Mehdi Hasan has certainly spoken out against Islamophobia in many contexts, but that does not exempt him from participating in Islamophobic framing, especially when it aligns with settler-colonial or liberal imperial narratives.
Islamophobia isn’t only defined by personal identity or intent—it’s also about how narratives are structured, especially when they:
• Dehumanize Muslim resistance movements, like Hamas, by portraying them as irrational or barbaric without acknowledging the political and historical context of occupation and siege;
• Uphold “good Muslim vs. bad Muslim” tropes, reinforcing the idea that Muslims must be respectable, nonviolent, and “moderate” to be worthy of protection or solidarity;
• Echo Israeli or state-aligned talking points, often during moments when Palestinians demand clarity, not balance.
Palestinian organizers and scholars have criticized Hasan for repeatedly using this framing—positioning himself as a “credible” voice by distancing from Palestinian resistance, even as genocide unfolds.
Yes, Mehdi Hasan is Muslim. But that does not prevent him from replicating Islamophobic or anti-Palestinian structures—especially when operating within Western media ecosystems that reward compliance with settler narratives.
Thanks for sharing, appreciate it and will use this as a prompt for more reading. Have a peaceful day 🙏🏾
Here’s an article I wrote on his complicity: https://open.substack.com/pub/marginaliasubversiva/p/mehdi-hasan-and-the-normalization?r=3lzdaf&utm_medium=ios