MUSLIM LEADERS UNITE IN OUTRAGE AMID SAMI HAMDI SHOCK US ARREST

Mon 27 October 2025:

A tsunami of outrage and solidarity has flooded social media following the scandalous arrest of Muslim journalist Sami Hamdi, with prominent Muslim voices demand his immediate release.

Hamdi, a popular commentator across the Muslim world, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and had his visa revoked after being stopped at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday.

Hamdi was on a speaking tour of the United States and had been invited to speak at several events organised by the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

His detention came following an intense and Islamophobic smear campaign headed by several pro-Israel influences who expressed opposition to his US tour over his anti-Israel views.

Hamdi’s detention has sparked widespread outrage across the Muslim world with commentators, activists, and organisations, branding the move as an attempt to silence a criticism of Israel amid an alarming rise of Islamophobia across the West.

SAMI HAMDI ‘ABDUCTED’ BY ICE DURING US SPEAKING TOUR

Muslim backlash

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) strongly condemned Hamdi’s detention, describing it as an “abduction” and a blatant attack on free expression. In a statement, CAIR wrote: “Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticise the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech.”

CAIR urged ICE to release Hamdi immediately, calling the move an “Israel First policy, not an America First policy.” The organisation said its legal team was pursuing the matter and confirmed Hamdi had not yet been deported.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) echoed this stance, calling on the UK government to take diplomatic action, posting on X: “The MCB urges the UK Government to take urgent diplomatic action to secure British journalist Sami Hamdi’s release from US ICE detention. Press freedom cannot be selective, the Government must defend British citizens and the right to speak truth to power.”

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Prominent American academic Dr. Yasir Qadhi called the detention as the US behaving as a proxy for Israel.

“Our government is doing this on behalf of and as Israel’s proxy, because he is a vocal critic of that genocidal regime… Our country is heading towards a fascist dictatorship in which any speech that goes against the official narrative is going to be criminalized.”

Dr. Butch Ware, Green Party candidate for Governor in California, also condemned the arrest, writing: “Anti-Muslim bigotry is openly embraced, through a fraudulent crusade on ‘anti-Semitism.’ If you notice a stench, it is the rot of this decaying empire.”

British writer Dr. Talha Abdulrazaq, known for his commentary on Middle Eastern affairs, also voiced support for Hamdi: “It is ironic that US officials who lauded Charlie Kirk’s willingness to debate his most ardent critics are failing to simply put forward someone to debate Sami Hamdi on his anti-Israel views, and are instead smearing him as a ‘supporter of terrorism’ and abducting him.”

Hamdi’s father, Dr. Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi, dismissed attempts to link his son to extremist groups, describing him as a principled advocate for justice and peace. In a statement on X.

“I affirm unequivocally that he has no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political or religious group. His stance on Palestine is not aligned with any faction there, but rather with the people’s right to security, peace, freedom and dignity.

“He is, quite simply, one of the young dreamers of this generation—yearning for a world with more compassion, justice, and solidarity.”

In the UK, Muhammad Jalal, the host of The Thinking Muslim Podcast and a close friend of Hamdi praised the detained journalist for his work.

“When I interviewed Sami a few days ago, who would have thought he would be subject to the same treatment of those in Arab autocracies. Sami is a restless advocate. Inspirational.”

Prominent Muslim lawyer and human rights activist Fahad Ansari also posted: “Solidarity with Sami Hamdi who has been instrumental in empowering and mobilising Muslims around the world to take action against Israeli genocide. That of course makes him a threat to national security. Then again, who isn’t these days!”

Concerns over free expression

Hamdi’s arrest and pending deportation comes following a relentless smear campaign by Zionists and Islamophobes online.

In numerous posts shared online by pro-Israel influencers, Hamdi was accused of being a “jihadi” and “terror sympathiser” who posed some kind of threat to the US. He was also accused, without evidence, of being connected or a member of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation.

Hamdi’s family have rebuked the claim and Hamdi himself has built a career which has seen him invited as an expert guest on to various mainstream media platforms including the BBC and Sky news.

Hamdi, who has been highly critical of Israel and its genocidal war on Gaza, has also specialised and analysed various other subjects related to the Islamic world, including: internal Saudi politics, Western foreign policy in the Islamic world, the geopolitics of North Africa, the Syria civil war, and the Arab Spring.

Hamdi’s arrest has reignited growing concern about the treatment of Muslim voices critical of Israel in the Western world.

Many now argue the incident highlights how pro-Palestine views are increasingly being criminalised and the extent to which Israeli lobby forces have penetrated into the establishment of Western democracies.

As calls for Hamdi’s release grow louder, Muslim commentators continue to frame the case as a defining moment for free speech, one that exposes the fragility of dissenting expression in the face of political pressure and prejudice.

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.

This article is republished from 5Pillars. Read the original article.