The Miami dentist who was fired after he was spotted tearing down posters of missing Israeli children is defending his actions, claiming they were carried out with the ‘best of intentions’.
Why he tore down the posters
Speaking with his attorney, Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa claimed removing the posters was an effort to ‘promote peace’.
‘It’s to deescalate the situation that we’re going through and make sure that our communities are safe,’ he said.
ElKoussa is also demanding his job back. He was fired from CG Smile after a video circulated showing him and ‘Instagram model’ Xave Ramoul ripping down posters of Israeli hostages in Brickell, a trendy neighborhood in Miami, on Tuesday.
‘Unfortunately my video of four seconds got taken way out of context as well as the way that my former employer had portrayed it, that it’s an act of supporting terrorism,’ ElKoussa said.
‘To promote peace’, he said.
Elkoussa claimed he did it to ‘promote peace’ and de-escalate the ‘situation we are going through.’
He feared the posters would incite further violence and he was only trying to ease tension in the community.
In a statement Thursday, Shibly said ElKoussa’s actions were prompted by the death of a 6-year-old boy in Illinois by his landlord, which police have called a hate crime.
‘Dr. ElKoussa was simply motivated by fear of copycat acts given that Investigators said the landlord had been radicalized by emotionally triggering images from the terrorist attack on Israel.
‘That was the sole intention in removing them, and claims otherwise have no basis,’ the statement read.
ElKoussa’s lawyer is the founder and lead attorney of ‘Muslim Legal,’ an all Muslim law firm representing clients whose children are stuck in Gaza as well as Americans who have ‘faced backlash from employers, the government and media for speaking out.’
The defendant’s claim…
‘We are speaking out for the children of Palestine. We are speaking out to stop the onslaught of Gaza and the safe return of American Children stuck there and for peace and safety for all children regardless of race and nationality,’ he wrote on X.
Shibly told NBC6 that the dentist was afraid the posters would spark conflict and talked to police before taking them down.
‘He wanted to ensure that there’s no conflict here in Florida. And when he saw those posters, he was just concerned that they may lead to an escalation in conflict,’ the lawyer said.
‘He removed them after speaking to law enforcement, saying, “Listen, there’s a lot of tension in the country right now. I don’t think there should be pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli posters hanging around, they may spark conflict. So what should I do?” the lawyer claimed.
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‘They said, “Listen, you can remove them if you feel unsafe.”’
Hateful messages incoming
After the video went viral, ElKoussa reportedly received hateful messages from those who found his actions incomprehensible.
‘I want to be very, very clear as my heart does go out to the Jewish and Israeli community, to those innocent lives and civilians, as well as the Palestinians,’ ElKoussa said.
‘The issue here again, it’s something that they’re posting the posters in Brickell, in the neighborhood where this is not occurring, in this neighborhood it’s causing tension. So if anybody can help these people in any way that they can, by donating, by resources, I urge you to help them, to pray for them.’
Shibly said his client did not mean to offend anyone and blamed the website that posted the video and incorrectly assumed ElKoussa’s intentions.
Stop Anti-Semitism, the site that shared the video of Elkoussa, is the leading non-partisan American-based organization fighting anti-Semitism – which has been seen across the US since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed 1,400 civilians.
