A Florida dentist fired for tearing down posters of Israeli hostages had the 'best of intentions' but is now getting death threats, his lawyer says
Handout/Muslim Legal
- A Florida dentist was fired for tearing down posters of Israeli hostages who were taken by Hamas in Israel.
- Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa is now getting death threats, but he had the "best of intentions," his lawyer told Insider.
- ElKoussa's lawyer says he pulled down the posters because he was worried they'd spark more conflict.
A Florida dentist was fired after he was caught on video tearing down posters of hostages who were taken by Hamas fighters during the Palestinian militant group's deadly terrorist attacks on Israel earlier this month.
Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa is now getting death threats for his actions, his lawyer told Insider on Thursday.
"He acted on his best judgment at the time and removed them without any ill intention for the Jewish community," said ElKoussa's lawyer, Hassan Shibly, the founder and lead attorney of Muslim Legal, adding that his client has been "slaughtered online and paid a big price without even being given a chance to clarify."
Shibly said ElKoussa had the "best of intentions" when he ripped down the fliers in the Miami neighborhood of Brickell this week because he was concerned the posters would "escalate further conflict."
ElKoussa, a 31-year-old American of Lebanese descent, was seen walking down the street with a friend with crumbled posters in their hands in the now-viral video shared online this week by the nonprofit StopAntisemitism.org.
—StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 18, 2023
"Miami - two men were spotted removing posters of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas in the Brickell area," StopAntisemitism.org said in a post of the video on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, along with their identities.
By Wednesday morning, ElKoussa's employer, CG Smile, had announced on Instagram that ElKoussa had been fired.
"We are very sad to see this situation upon waking up," the dental clinic said in a post. "Our office CG Smile is not in favor of any of the actions taken by Dr. ElKoussa. We do not support terrorist groups, actions, or supporters. He has been removed from our staff, all of our social media pages and groups."
Shibly said that ElKoussa was told he was axed from his job effective immediately and said that his client is "appalled" by his termination.
CG Smile added "fuel to the fire" and "misrepresented the situation," the attorney said, adding that ElKoussa will be "exploring all legal options" against the dental clinic.
According to Shibly, ElKoussa decided to tear down the hostage posters because he was "horrified" by the recent killing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy.
Police say the boy was fatally stabbed by an Illinois landlord in an anti-Muslim attack in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
"That was the sole intention in removing them, and claims otherwise have no basis. We demand an apology and reinstatement as the only path to restore his livelihood and clear his good name," said Shibly.
Shibly noted that before ElKoussa tore down the hostage posters, his client called the police to express his concerns.
"The police told him, 'You know, it's also part of freedom of speech for you to remove those posters that are publicly posted, so you can exercise your right to do that,'" said Shibly. "So he did that with the intention of just hoping to avoid an escalation of conflict."
ElKoussa 'genuinely apologizes to anyone who may have been offended'
Shibly told Insider that ElKoussa "genuinely apologizes to anyone who may have been offended and misunderstood his actions and his intentions" and that he "genuinely apologizes, especially to the Jewish community, any members of the Jewish community that may have felt offended."
"At the same time," Shibly said, "He does believe his employer should be held responsible for fanning the flames without even speaking to him."
CG Smile owner Juan Izquierdo told Insider on Thursday that his clinic stands by the decision to fire ElKoussa.
"Our office will never tolerate any type of behavior that, you know, targets a certain group of people, so we made the decision that we did based on what we believe is our contractual right," Izquierdo said.
Since Hamas launched its assault on Israel and took nearly 200 people hostage, prompting the Jewish state to respond with deadly airstrikes on Gaza, employees, professors, students, and colleges have faced backlash for their response to the war.
"We shouldn't be turning against each other," Shibly said. "People should be free to express themselves in a respectful manner, in a peaceful manner … without people's careers and lives being destroyed over this."
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Friday, October 20, 2023
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