After causing a stir and facing calls for his dismissal from concerned parents, a teacher from New York City has returned to the public eye, unapologetic and ready to defend his stance on Hamas and Israel. His views, which are critical of Israel and supportive of Hamas, have garnered a lot of attention on social media.
On Saturday, Mohammad Jehad Ahmad, a teacher at Gotham Tech High School, posted on X that he stands by everything he said and will continue to support oppressed individuals whenever he encounters them.
The call for the liberation of Palestine from the oppression and genocide being carried out by Israel is gaining momentum.
In response to his controversial remarks that were initially reported by Post, Ahmad stated in an interview with the World Socialist Web Site on Tuesday that he believes he was targeted as a scapegoat by the education system, stating that “they needed to paint the boogeyman, and so they picked me.”
He expressed, “It’s also intended to silence me.”
Ahmad created a stir last week when he criticized Israel as a terrorist state and labelled schools Chancellor David Banks a “white supremacist, imperialist scumbag” for denouncing the horrendous terror attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7.
When The Post reached out to him, he reaffirmed his views and even went on to tell Fox News that the terrorist attack was a “successful military campaign.”
According to Ahmad, the principal at Gotham Tech has provided him with ample support and he is not worried about losing his job. However, he did mention feeling like a target in what is being referred to as a right-wing witch-hunt against him as a Palestinian educator by the socialist site. Ahmad expressed that he has become the subject of constant criticism and scrutiny.
Despite the harassment of my workplace to terminate my employment and the harassment and death threats by hateful white people (every single one of the many hate messages and death threats I got was from a white person), I’m protected by the UFT and my rights as an American to /1
— Mohammad Jehad Ahmad محمد جهاد (@MoMisteries) October 21, 2023
Ahmad took to X on Saturday to reveal that he had been receiving death threats from individuals he referred to as “hateful white people”. However, he also confidently declared that he is protected by the UFT and his rights as an American citizen to speak out against any form of injustice.
Expressing gratitude towards those who have supported him, he thanked his family, friends, peers, students, colleagues, and union representatives (excluding the UFT at large).
On his Facebook page, there was once a tribute to the Hamas militants who had carried out a horrendous attack on an Israeli music festival, resulting in the deaths of over 260 people. However, the tribute has now been altered to a more neutral statement, stating “I stand with Palestine.”
School leaders have received complaints from parents who are expressing their concern about the negative attention brought upon the Long Island City school due to an issue. Some parents are making an appeal for their children to be transferred out of the class in question.
During a PTA meeting on Thursday, Karla Rodriguez, a parent from Gotham Tech, expressed her concerns about the negative impact of someone’s actions on children. She stated that “his poison” is already affecting kids and that he supports terrorism and violence.
According to Rodriguez, many parents feel disregarded and overlooked by the school’s lack of response to the issue. During the Zoom meeting, numerous inquiries were presented in the chat, but Principal Cherylann Gill and PTA President Karla Jacome chose to disregard them until the very end.
According to Linda Quarles, a member of the Citywide Council on High Schools, the advisory group has been inundated with more than a dozen inquiries from concerned citizens, current and prospective parents of Gotham Tech. These individuals have expressed their outrage, offense and are demanding the immediate termination of Ahmad.
As the meeting progressed, Jacome, who had no prior knowledge of the CCHS, raised doubts about Quarles’ authenticity and involvement in the school affairs, citing her non-parental status. Furthermore, she silenced Quarles during the discussion and abruptly terminated the Zoom call upon realizing that the New York Post journalists were eavesdropping.
According to Chancellor’s Regulations and New York State law, PTA meetings must be advertised in advance and made accessible to the public.
Jacome stated that the school declined to comment on Ahmad due to an ongoing investigation. She mentioned that a town hall meeting will be organized as soon as further details are accessible.
Gotham Tech’s website does not include Ahmad in their list of staff members.
The status of Ahmad remains undisclosed, as a City Hall representative declined to comment, citing it as an “internal personnel matter.” However, the representative did mention that they are extending support and guidance to the concerned school and district, emphasizing that hateful or violent language has no place in the educational system of New York City.
