A Muslim professor in Norway, Bassam Hussein, has described the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 as “the most beautiful thing that has happened in our century”: “Norwegian university professor: October 7 attacks ‘most beautiful thing to happen in our century,” by Mathilda Heller, Jerusalem Post, May 3, 2026:
He also stated his belief that Israel’s ambitions are greater than being a regional power and that the Jewish state wishes to “take over the Western empire.”
Preposterous. Israel has no ambitions to “take over the Western empire,” whatever that is. The Jews of Israel want only to be free of constant terror attacks by those who want to end forever the existence of the Jewish state. Israel has no territorial ambitions beyond the Jordan River. Time and again it has surrendered territory it won in wars of self-defense for the sake of a “peace” that proved to be illusory. Israel gave up the Sinai twice, once in 1957, after the Suez campaign, and again gave up the entire Sinai, that had been won in the Six-Day War, to Egypt in three tranches, between 1979 and 1981, along with the airfields Israel had built in the Sinai, the oil it discovered in the Gulf of Suez, and the tourist city Israel built at Sharm el-Sheikh. Yet Hussein tells us Israel wants to take over the whole “Western empire.”
“Remember that the State of Israel is really a continuation of European colonialism, just like the United States, just like Canada, and just like Australia. It is the same mentality. And therefore, I fear that this is Israel’s plan: to take over as a regional – no, as a global power.”…
This “plan to take over as a global power” is merely a variant on the belief that Arab propagandists promote, that Israelis want to establish a “Greater Israel” that would extend “from the Nile to the Euphrates.” To repeat: if that were Israel’s intention, why did Israel return the entire Sinai to Egypt? And why, in the Six-Day War, didn’t it push across the Jordan River to seize what is eastern Palestine, territory that was originally promised by the League of Nations to be part of the territory to be included in the Mandate for Palestine and then in a future Jewish state?
As for Hussein’s description of Israel as a “continuation of European colonialism,” does he not know that half the Jewish population of Israel consists of mizrahim, Jews not from Europe, but from Middle Eastern and North African Arab countries?
In 2016, Hussein was named one of Norway’s top 10 outstanding lecturers. He was also named an Excellent Teaching Practitioner at NTNU in 2023.
Hussein may be a talented pedagogue — though the judgement of students as to what constitutes an “outstanding lecturer” is not always reliable. But in any case, such a talent does not excuse or justify his enthusiasm for mass murder.
In 2025, the Board of the Student Society in Trondheim (Studentersamfundet i Trondheim) awarded Hussein their honorary membership in recognition of “his outspoken efforts to raise awareness and mobilize against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
Yes, that’s exactly right — Hussein was determined to convince people of a falsehood — that Israel was committing “genocide” in Gaza. Those students who swallowed his characterization of the IDF’s behavior are being miseducated.
According to a GoFundMe he opened in 2024, Hussein was born in Jabalya, Gaza. His family allegedly still resides there.
What did he do with the money he presumably raised with his GoFundMe operation to “help the people of Gaza”? How much went to the care and feeding of someone originally from Gaza named Bassam Hussein?
Vikas Thakur, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at NTNU, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that NTNU has no responsibility for the event being referred to, as it was arranged at a venue outside the university campus….
When asked whether NTNU considers Hussein’s statements to be glorification of terror, Thakur said “We understand that the statement may be perceived that way” but that “he spoke as an individual citizen with a background from Gaza, not on behalf of the university.”…
The rot in academic life is not limited to the United States. Vikas Thakur’s mealy-mouthed response that Hussein’s clear endorsement of mass rape, torture, and murder as “the most beautiful thing in this century “may be perceived that way, ” that is, as a glorification of terrorism, is outrageous. Not it “may be perceived,” but it “can only be perceived” as a glorification of terrorism. And what does Vikas Thakur, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), where Bassam Hussein works, intend to do about Hussein’s horrific praise of Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Wellington says
As bad and distorted as the Western media has become, examples being the BBC, the CBC and all three major networks in America, even more ominous has been the takeover of the educational system by the Left and going as far back as the 1960s.
Given the choice between a responsible media and a responsible educational system, though both clearly are desirable, if I had to choose I would choose the latter. As the Jesuit order put it forth for centuries, give me the child and I care not what you do with the man (N.B., this was of course before the Jesuit order went Lefto-crazy, as exampled by what has happened to a once very fine Jesuit university, Georgetown by name).
Ralph says
Wellington: As a Jesuit university (Fordham) university graduate, I have watched with equal measures of fascination and disgust what has happened to Georgetown. I contribute no donations to my Alma Mater, or to UCLA from which I am retired. I put my money “where my mouth is” (if that is possible) and donate and have directed my estate to consistently conservative and incorruptible Hillsdale College in Michigan, which has been totally old school American for 182 years. I hope that other conservatives will donate to our most Constitutionally-guided schools at all levels to allow them to function as teachers of truth and the validity of the American form of government and life. These schools have an uphill struggle and we have a challenge and an opportunity to help them soldier on.
somehistory says
OT from NYP
“A hateful mob of keffiyeh-clad anti-Israel protesters flooded the streets near a historic Manhattan synagogue Tuesday night — clashing with cops as they repeatedly shouted “Israel should not exist.”
About 100 agitators waving Palestinian flags and banging drums swarmed about a half-block from Park East Synagogue, chanting “Palestine will never die” and “Stop the sale of stolen land” during an event promoting real estate in Israel and the West Bank, according to shocking footage.
While the East 67th Street synagogue was sealed off by police barricades, footage captured the rowdy protesters clashing with cops who were trying to force their way past the barriers into the street.
Police yelled “step back” as they shoved the unruly crowd onto the sidewalk, video shows, while counter-protesters rallied nearby.
One officer suffered a leg injury in the chaos and was hospitalized, the NYPD said.”
JM says
Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Walter Sieruk says
Those terrorists of Hamas with much most evil malice -filled jihadist hate that on October 7th 2023 invaded Israel October 7th 2023 and committed many horrendous atrocities are vile , heinous murderous Muslim monsters.
Hamas and its Musim terrorists are an abomination.
Walter Sieruk says
The Muslim terrorists of with their malicious jihad terrorism ,never ever create made or construct anything of worth or value .. Instead they destroy, that they destroy not only building but go further and with much malice they destroy human lives.
The bloodthirsty savages of Hamas, viciously inflect misery suffering death and destruction , they are totally evil.
Furthermore, those Hamas terrorists are not even original ,such wicked characters , as them go back in history as faras to ancient times. As described in that ancient book , the Bible , it reads “Their feet are swift to shed blood;; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known,” Romans 3: 15-17. [N.K.J.V.]
Walter Sieruk says
That statement by that Muslim Bassam Hussein was outrageously wicked and wrong, to put it mildly. For on October 7th 2023 those young people at that music festival who had been murdered in that Hamas jihad attacks in no way deserved what happened to them.
In contrast, what really was a good thing was killing of that brutal cruel death inflecting tyrant Ayatollah Khamenei , that fiendish villain deserve death. Now Khamenei is trapped with no hope of escape and severely suffering in the fires of hell
For truthful amusement, there is an entertaining video that may be found on YouTube.com it’s entitled “Ali Khamenei Arrives in Hell – Brutal Interview with Demon Admission Officer”
Beans🫘 says
This is why republicans under 50 support Palestine and dislike Israel. Because the volume of pro Islamic pro Hamas propaganda is so much higher.
I am hearing even Megyn Kelly now praising Islam. Did you guys hear? She really changed her tune now. Most people are sheep, this is why I am hearing the same regurgitation from people I know. They say they’ve realized Islam was our friend all along. They’ll point to Qatar and say you see? Christians can go there, so Islam is good , and sharia is not what they told us, and 9/11 was actually done by Israel.
I don’t believe what’s coming out of people’s mouths. Some “Christian Islamic alliance”, this is news to me. They tell me, Israel attacked all the Arab states in all these historic wars.
If Megyn Kelly is praising Islam, then the food gate has opened upon us conservatives but most of you don’t see it.
bill says
It is scarcely credible that people who are at the top of the education profession are so often afflicted by tunnel vision. Of course coming from Gaza to start with is an indication that he cannot put his ancestry behind him.Iit is never mentioned that the reason for the so called blockade of Gaza. (A concentrarion camp is often mentioned in this context) Is the constant murdering by suicide attacks on innocent Israelis by the so called palestinians. This has gone on almost constantly since 1948 culminating in the regular firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas. I have no idea now many Israelis have been killed or maimed by such attacks, but any country in the world would never have tolerated such aggressions for so long without retaliation. I suppose he would also consider the massacre of Jews and many other groups the most beautiful thing to happen in the last century!
Edmund Carey says
This Hussein character is a university professor? He doesn’t appear to have the knowledge of the average high school student. And his share of common human decency is also critically minute.
He is of course far from alone in his rancid enthusiasm for mass murder, torture, and rape. The Cornell “historian” Russell Rickford declared publicly that he was “exhilarated” by October 7th – and then lied that he was sorry. Cornell, of course, did nothing.
As for the weasel-wording Vikas Thakur, he is a despicable, unprincipled, coward.
LibertyORdeath says
The “rot” in American universities came DIRECTLY from EUROPEAN communists in the Frankfurt school.
We were just the country ignorant enough to give them “amnesty” and allow them to infect our universities and politics.
Unbeliever1 says
In that case, I would prefer living under Jews any day than under Muslims
gravenimage says
The Rot in Academic Life Is Not Limited to the United States
……………………………………….
It’s probably even worse in many places than here.