Khaled Hassan, a national security and foreign policy researcher, recently spoke with The Jerusalem Post in his UK home about antisemitism in Egypt, activism on social media, and the inherent anti-Israel bias in the British press.
“It was a very happy childhood,” Khaled Hassan said as he elaborated on growing up in Cairo in the middle-class Maadi neighborhood. “It’s one of the city's oldest and most diverse neighborhoods, with many diplomats living there – including the Israeli ambassador.”
Hassan was born into a Muslim family that he described as “open-minded, secular, and middle class.” He attended an American school, where his education was almost entirely in English, except for religion and Arabic studies.
“I believe having English made me who I am today because it allowed me to access narratives completely opposed to what I saw around me,” he added.
Hassan developed an interest in politics, international relations, and security, which led him to enroll in these topics at the university. Later, he worked with the UN and worked his way up, getting acquainted with key personalities in Egypt's political sphere.
“At some point, I became intrigued by Judaism,” added Hassan. “As part of the Arab-Israeli conflict, which I call ‘the Muslim Jewish conflict,’ I was very curious to learn and read about Judaism and find different narratives and perspectives.”
This interest led Hassan to defy the anti-Israel atmosphere in his native Egypt by enrolling in an online course at Tel Aviv University. “It was fascinating to see how it’s a completely different narrative from what I grew up with. This course was an important piece of how I came to build my personality today,” he reminisced.
In 2014, Hassan met with Israelis for the very first time. “It was a shared program with Egyptians, Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis in Cyprus.
It was a turning point for me. Until then, I supported the Arab Peace Initiative,” he explained, referring to the 2002 roadmap tabled by Saudi Arabia, which called inter alia for a full Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 lines and a de-facto patriation in Israel of descendants of 1948 Palestinian refugees – in exchange for normalization with the entire Arab world.
“I believed that if Egypt and Israel could have had peace – albeit hardly felt and cold, but still peace with no bloodshed – then surely Palestinians and everyone else also can. But the time I spent there with Palestinians made me realize that peace is not achievable with them.
Now, I hardly think that they deserve their own state, as whatever they are given – will always be seen as a stepping stone for more land and more wars with Israel.”
Antisemitism in our DNA
“In 2016, I converted to Judaism,” Hassan mentioned casually, a golden Menorah shining in the room's background. “I would say that I never really grew up as a practicing Muslim. I went to a mixed American school, I had a girlfriend, I used to drink, I lived in a western lifestyle. But at the end of the day, I realized that Judaism aligns with my values best.” Hassan also explored Christianity, especially the Coptic church, the ancient Egyptian autochthonous sect of Christianity.
“Though it was fascinating in a historical manner, it didn’t align with my theological point of view. I was always more interested in Judaism, and I guess it’s also part of my rebellion against the norms. See, Jews were seen as pure evil, and so I had to go in that direction,” he added ironically.
Hassan described the inherently antisemitic atmosphere he grew up with. “My dad was a teacher who taught German. He was very proud of Hitler and showed admiration to Nazism. He was completely apolitical and claimed that politics is a disease that infects anyone who gets too near,” he said.
“Being antisemitic is in every Egyptian’s DNA. I always heard nasty comments, all normalized and used by people from all walks of society, billionaires and poor people alike,” Hassan continued. “That’s not to say that all will actively attack a Jew if they see one. Some, mainly Islamists, would really hurt Jews should they have the same. Others, the more secular and nationalists, would say something but not act physically. But regardless, every single person I met in Egypt is an antisemite. I’ll rephrase it: I’ve never met an Egyptian who is not an antisemite, whether if Islamist or nationalist-secular,” he added, somberly.
When asked if there was any way to fix this situation, Hassan paused for a bit and commented: “People in the West must understand that Arab societies work differently from Israel or the UK. Let’s say that tomorrow an Islamist president wins the elections in the UK or US – it’s not like all society would immediately change.
In Saudi Arabia for instance, before the leadership of crown prince MBS (Mohammad Bin Salman), whom I wholly support and admire, driving cars was haram (religiously banned) for women, and both society and clergy mostly agreed with it, coming up with arguments to back these ideals. Once MBS took the leadership, the same clergy found other reasons to justify the current position, and that’s what happens in society.
Norms are dictated top to bottom; the president says this is forbidden and everyone aligns. You can reject and say whatever you want, but this is how things work around here,” he argued, adding that this may be the way to begin solving the conundrum of antisemitism in the Arab world.
First visit to Israel
In early September, Hassan visited neighboring Israel for the first time in his life. When asked about his experience in the Holy Land, Hassan commented: “Frankly, nothing surprised me. I’ve known Israelis for such a long time, I’ve worked with them a lot. I knew that Israel is a fascinating place, with many security-related challenges,” he said, adding that he saw terrorists get arrested in front of his eyes during his visit.
“Everything I saw lived up to the expectations. Israel has this vibe or energy, it makes you feel alive. It’s a middle eastern country in the sense that it’s alive, people talk loudly, they’re energetic. Once you experience it, it becomes like an infection, or an addiction that makes you want to go back again.
“I would sum Israel up as a dream coming true in the heart of the Middle East. You can be openly gay, you can be whatever you want. I went to meet what the media tends to call ‘the settlers’, pictured with guns and many children. I tried to meet everyone, from right and left, except maybe for the far left, but they would probably not like to meet me anyway. I took taxis a lot. Half of my drivers were Arab Muslims, and you can only guess whether your driver will be Jewish or Muslim Is this apartheid?” he asked teasingly.
Despite this, Hassan also experienced some heavy security measures in the airport. “I was taken to interrogation, but I understood it completely. They see a Khaled Hassan who was born in Egypt, where over 99% don’t believe Israel should exist, arriving at their airport in the midst of a war, and then he claims that he has converted.
This surely raises many questions. I wouldn’t expect anyone to let me in without questioning. So, they took me aside, asked some questions, I answered, and they said Shabbat Shalom and welcome. And it’s not like immigration officers in the US or UK are kind hearted,” he added ironically.
When asked what his favorite part of visiting Israel is, Hassan points out the culture and the people. “Just walking around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was so special. It’s ironic to think that the place where I come from has been at war with Israel since the moment it was established; and its society celebrates the October 7th attack as if it were heroic.
But when I’m in Israel and I tell my taxi driver that I’m Egyptian, they’re excited; they welcome me and give me suggestions as to what to see and eat. To me, it's exceptionally fascinating that when they meet someone from ‘the other side,’ the first thing they offer is hospitality.
“Israel is such a mature society, they don’t hate people based on who they are or where they’re from. I took a train, asked about a station, and people just started talking to me. They saw I was a tourist and all I got was kindness and compassion. This would never happen to an Israeli or a Jew in Egypt, and so I find this a bit of a surreal experience.”
Social media activism
Since the beginning of the war, Hassan noted how his X account started becoming more and more popular, reaching over 75,000 followers as of today. “I’ve always been involved in issues surrounding antisemitism and terrorism, but I used to do this in a lower profile. I started to speak up because I wanted my voice to reach decision makers.”
Hassan explained that he is aware of his being perceived as an odd bird due to his background. “I know how I’m perceived. BBC once reached out to me following a comment I made comparing those who deny the necessity of sending armaments to Israel to antisemites.
They were supposedly interested in interviewing me but that never happened. Obviously, Zionists and Jews alike tell me that they appreciate me, which is great but not at all a surprise. What does surprise me is how everyone on the other side seems to completely avoid me.
Some say I’m a Mossad agent and or part of a propaganda scheme, though I never got a penny from any government. Those who avoid or ignore me do so because I don’t fit in their narrative, and because I raise questions which they don’t want to raise, such as why do 50% of British Muslims sympathize with the October 7th attacks? So, for them it’s ‘avoid this guy at any cost,’ and that’s how it works.”
More on the issue of online activism, Hassan took part in the research that led to the groundbreaking report sponsored by British-Israeli lawyer Trevor Asserson and published a couple of weeks ago.
The report presented findings regarding the inherent anti-Israel bias on the BBC, including over 1,500 breaches of the public broadcaster’s own editorial guidelines regarding impartiality, accuracy, editorial values, and public interest.
“For me, it showed that the BBC is institutionally antisemitic by promoting falsehoods, and twisting the narrative in a way in which Israel can never be on the right and Palestinians can do no wrong,” he explained.
“BBC’s outlets in Arabic are even worse, but they, unfortunately they dismissed the report and haven’t invited anyone to challenge or discuss our findings, and we’re not very hopeful that they ever will.”
When asked about his message to pro-Israel voices, Hassan stressed: “We must stay united, listen to everyone and talk to everyone, each and every ally – Jewish or not. This is not a conflict over land, only global Jihad Vs. the Jews. This is how it should be treated, and this is why this war must be won. We defeated Hitler in the past, and now it’s the Islamist Neo-Nazis. Obviously, there are many amazing Muslim allies, too, including in places such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We shouldn’t be hostile or suspicious of Muslims or of anyone.
If this person in front of you supports Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, then this is an ally. Otherwise, this is an enemy who wishes ill for us, and we should identify them and call them out accordingly.”