The claims of terrorist sympathies against Sami Hamdi are baseless — here’s why
The British political analyst and commentator was arrested by ICE Sunday
“If the government can cancel a valid visa because it does not like what a person says, then anyone legally visiting, studying, or working in our country is in danger of politically motivated abduction,” said a group of lawyers with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., in a statement Tuesday. “This must end with Sami Hamdi.”
Sami Hamdi, a British political analyst and commentator, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport. He had recently spoken at a CAIR California chapter gala in Sacramento and was boarding a flight to Tampa, Florida, to speak at another event that night.
Hamdi, a Muslim, was touring the U.S. on a valid visa, speaking at mosques and Islamic centers. His talks often criticized Israel’s war on Gaza and Zionism, themes that have defined his commentary for the past two years. He rose to prominence for his sharp criticism of U.S. and Israeli policy on several podcasts and media outlets.
Hamdi is also well-versed in international affairs. He is the founder of The International Interest, a geopolitical advisory firm that, according to its website, “advises on geopolitical environments and risks across the globe.”
Despite entering the U.S. multiple times without issue, the Trump administration’s explanation for Hamdi’s detention was brief.
“This individual’s visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal,” wrote Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, on X. “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.”
The U.S. State Department reposted her message, adding, “We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans. We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in such activity.”
Was Hamdi detained for supporting terrorism—or for his criticism of Israel?
A growing body of reporting indicates that his detention was influenced by far-right politicians and activists who are among the most vocal pro-Israel figures in the U.S.
Among them is Laura Loomer, who has called herself a “proud Islamophobe.”
Following Hamdi’s detention, Loomer wrote on X that he was a “Muslim Brotherhood official” and “jihadi foreign national,” without evidence, and praised his arrest. She has also repeatedly smeared New York mayoral candidate and American citizen Zohran Mamdani, another Muslim, calling him a jihadist and communist and demanding his deportation.
Amy Mak, another far-right activist, wrote on X on Oct. 22, days before Hamdi’s detention, that he was touring the U.S. “training U.S. Muslims in digital agitation, electoral sabotage, and political warfare in alignment with Muslim Brotherhood doctrine.”
The only “evidence” the Department of Homeland Security cited to justify the jihadist claims was a video clip of Hamdi speaking at a London mosque, where he allegedly called Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack a “victory.”
Hamdi, however, clarified his remarks in 2024 during an event in Canada, where he denounced Hamas.
“No one is saying October 7 was right,” he said. “People are saying October 7 was a natural consequence of the oppression that is being put on the Palestinians.”
Many intellectuals—Muslim and non-Muslim—have expressed similar views, none of whom have ties to jihadist movements. Some are even Jewish.
Jewish-American political scientist Norman Finkelstein in a March 2024 Sheerpost interview called Gaza a “concentration camp” and provided context to the deplorable situation in the enclave while also condemning the killing of civilians.
“Most of the young men who burst the gates of Gaza on October 7th, they had been born into a concentration camp, Finkelstein said. “And as of October 6th, the very high probability was that they were going to die in that concentration camp. I found it very hard to fastly condemn them. I said, condemn them [Hamas] because I don’t have any difficulty in condemning atrocities, the targeting of civilians.”
Masha Gessen, a Jewish Russian-American journalist, wrote in The New Yorker in December 2023 that “The Gaza Strip is a place where some two million people live in an open-air prison, cut off from the world by an Israeli blockade, and subject to regular military assaults. The attack was a desperate act of resistance against this suffocating occupation.”
In the same piece, Gessen denounced Hamas, calling them “a tyrannical power that attacked Israel and committed atrocities that we cannot yet fully comprehend.”
Moreover, the claim that Hamdi is a member of Muslim Brotherhood (a global Islamist organization designated a terror organization by many western and Muslim countries), is unfounded.
Hamdi’s family and legal team have firmly rejected the claim that he has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“I affirm unequivocally that he has no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political or religious group,” Hamdi’s father, Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi, wrote on X Sunday. “His stance on Palestine is not aligned with any faction there, but rather with the people’s right to security, peace, freedom and dignity.”
Hamdi’s past speeches and interviews show consistent support for democratic engagement—not violence. He has never promoted jihadist action but has instead encouraged Muslims to pursue change through elections and civic participation.
One of his most seemingly controversial statements came when he urged Muslims to “punish Zionism through elections,” specifically by voting against then–Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Muslims in America are in a situation where the stars are aligning,” he said at a California mosque in September 2024. “You have the power to punish the Democrats in the elections. If Kamala Harris loses because she supported Zionism, this will lead to the collapse of the Israel lobby.”
His message mirrors earlier comments on podcasts where he criticized politicians who prioritize Israeli interests over American ones.
After Tucker Carlson interviewed Sen. Ted Cruz in June, Hamdi said on The Thinking Muslim Podcast, “If Ted Cruz loses in Texas because Americans realize he’s Israel-first instead of America-first, that’s a signal to politicians that supporting foreign agendas over American interests has consequences.”
With the seemingly baseless allegations against Hamdi, a team of Muslim lawyers was created by CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund (MLFA), arguing his detention was unlawful.
On Monday, the legal team said in a social media statement they met with him at an ICE facility and filed a federal habeas petition challenging the legality of his detention.
They also filed an emergency restraining order “to stop ICE from any attempts at secretly transferring him and to defend his right to free speech.”
Whether or not they will be successful is unknown. However, many pro-Palestinian voices who have been arrested by ICE since Trump came into office have been set free. The cases of Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk and others were thrown out after judges ruled that there was simply little to no evidence they supported terrorism because of their pro-Palestine rhetoric.
The evidence that Hamdi is a jihadist or member of the Muslim Brotherhood is simply not there.
He is a well-versed political analyst whose expertise in global affairs and consistent advocacy for democracy directly contradict the government’s claims.
His criticism of Israel and support for the America First movement—urging citizens to prioritize domestic interests over foreign lobbies—are political positions, not threats to national security.
Detaining Hamdi for his speech sets a dangerous precedent that the Trump administration has created: one where lawful dissent and political critique are treated as crimes. His case is not about terrorism. Rather, it is about silencing a Muslim voice unafraid to challenge power.