A new opinion piece published by The Daily Wire has launched a sharp attack on left-wing commentator Mehdi Hasan, accusing him of “terrorist apologetics” and drawing direct parallels between his recent criticism of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the propaganda of Osama bin Laden. The article, written by Mediaite staff writer and Robert Novak Journalism Fellow Isaac Schorr, argues that Hasan’s dismissal of Kavanaugh’s understanding of jihadist motives mirrors the late al-Qaeda leader’s public messaging.
The dispute stems from a Sunday outburst in which Hasan criticized Kavanaugh for stating that jihadists attacked the United States because “they hate our constitution… they hate our values, they hate our freedom of religion, they hate our freedom of speech.” Hasan labeled the justice a “right-wing idiot” and charged him with “child-like ignorance,” then cited a 2004 bin Laden statement to rebut him. In that quote, bin Laden claimed, “If Bush says we hate freedom, let him tell us why we didn’t attack Sweden,” and asserted that the 9/11 attacks occurred only after “the oppression and tyranny of the American/Israeli coalition against our people in Palestine and Lebanon” became unbearable.
Schorr seizes on Hasan’s reliance on bin Laden’s words, writing that the commentator treats the mastermind of 9/11 as “Honest Osama”—a reliable source whose propaganda film settles the question of motive. The Daily Wire piece contends that bin Laden and his organization deliberately crafted two distinct messages: an outward-facing narrative blaming American foreign policy, and an internal discourse steeped in religious fanaticism and calls for perpetual enmity toward non-Muslims. To support this claim, Schorr cites Middle East scholar Raymond Ibrahim, who documented the strategy in the 2000s. Ibrahim observed that al-Qaeda’s internal documents “rarely made mention” of Zionism, the Iraq War, or other political grievances, and instead focused on Koranic verses, hadiths, and religious rulings. As Ibrahim put it, “the language of ‘reciprocity’ was exchanged for that of intolerant religious fanaticism.”
As a key example, Schorr points to bin Laden’s response to an open letter from Saudi intellectuals who asserted that “the heart of the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims is justice, kindness, and charity.” Bin Laden rejected that framing outright, quoting the Quran: “We renounce you. Enmity and hate shall forever reign between us—till you believe in Allah alone.” He added that “battle, animosity, and hatred—directed from the Muslim to the infidel—is the foundation of our religion,” and warned that if such hatred ever faded from the heart, it would constitute “great apostasy.” For Schorr, this internal messaging is the true face of al-Qaeda, while the politically palatable version is what Hasan and others amplify.
The Daily Wire article goes further, dredging up past statements Hasan made during what it describes as an apparent sermon in the 2000s. In those remarks, Hasan allegedly said of Yazid, a historical Islamic figure, “If Yazid was not a Kaffir—then at the very minimum he was a fasiq, a transgressor, a breaker of Islamic laws, a corrupt individual, a tyrant, a killer a drunkard, a dog lover, a music lover, a homosexual, a pedophile, a sexual deviant, someone who slept with his own mother.” He also described atheists as “cattle” according to the Koran. Hasan later apologized, explaining that he was in his twenties and speaking extemporaneously. Schorr dismisses the apology with sarcasm, noting that lumping gay people and pedophiles together is not a youthful indiscretion.
Schorr’s piece frames Hasan’s career as a pattern of holding “radical private and more moderate, convenient public positions,” drawing a parallel to bin Laden’s dual messaging. It also accuses Hasan of a “myopic hatred” of Israel and the United States, and an “irrepressible contempt for infidels.” The article concludes that bin Laden counted on “simpletons like Hasan” to weaken Western resolve, and that Hasan has become bin Laden’s “echo in deed as well as word.”
While the Daily Wire piece is explicitly opinionated, it reflects a broader conservative critique of Hasan, a former MSNBC host known for his combative style and criticisms of Israel. The source article does not provide any response from Hasan to these specific accusations, nor does it offer a rebuttal to the claim that bin Laden’s public statements were cynical propaganda. The White House, the Supreme Court, and Hasan’s representatives have not commented on the Daily Wire article.
The controversy highlights ongoing debates over the root causes of terrorism and the line between analyzing extremist motives and appearing to excuse them. Kavanaugh’s remarks, which he made during a public appearance, have been criticized by some on the left as simplistic, while conservatives have rallied to his defense, arguing that acknowledging the role of ideology is essential to combating it. The Daily Wire’s piece is a full-throated entry into that fight, using Hasan’s own words to cast him as an apologist for America’s enemies.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/mehdi-hasans-terrorist-apologetics-echo-osama-bin-laden