Huda Beauty founder Huda Kattan defends anti-Israel conspiracy rant: ‘There is a smear campaign against me’

JTA – Beauty mogul Huda Kattan is defending herself against accusations of antisemitism after she echoed a series of antisemitic conspiracy theories about Israel in a social media video.

“I feel compelled as a human to speak out for other human beings, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, and it’s also not fair that you can’t criticise the actions of Israel without being mislabelled,” said Kattan.

The Huda Beauty founder has faced calls to have her brand removed from Sephora stores after she posted a video on TikTok earlier this month in which she accused Israel of being behind World War I; World War II; the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

“The only way we can fight superpowers is as a people united, we’re not gonna be able to fight the evil systems that have been put in place, that have been manipulating the system for literally centuries, unless we do this together,” said Kattan in the video, which TikTok told CNN it had removed for violating its community guidelines. “It’s absolutely crazy. Like I had a feeling, I was like, were they behind every world war? Yes. Behind September 11? Absolutely.”

In the video, Kattan also accused Israel of “hiding paedophiles”, a claim that appeared to echo longstanding antisemitic conspiracy theories and centuries-old blood libels that falsely portray Jews as sexually deviant or complicit in crimes against children.

Kattan’s social media tirade, which comes amid a flurry of criticism of Israel because of its military campaign in Gaza, drew a swift and fierce backlash. The American Jewish Committee reposted the video on X along with the accusation that Kattan was “using her massive platform to spread vile antisemitic conspiracy theories – accusing Jews of harvesting the organs of Palestinians; causing 9/11; and running global paedophile rings.”

Kattan has 1.8 million followers on TikTok, and Huda Beauty has more than 57 million followers on Instagram. She founded the beauty brand in 2013, which brings in roughly $200 million (R3.5 trillion) in annual sales and was valued at $1.2 billion in 2017, according to Forbes.

One Change.org petition to have her products banned and boycotted from Sephora stores garnered nearly 33 000 signatures, and another petition by Never Again had more than 17 000 by the time of publishing.

Amid the backlash, Sephora issued a statement to CNN stating that it was “actively reviewing this issue internally”, and that “promoting hate, harassment, or misinformation does not align with our values or code of conduct”.

Sephora didn’t respond to a request for an update on its internal review of Huda Beauty from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

“Sephora’s statement is an important signal that major retailers are beginning to recognise the serious implications of platforming hate,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League. “We are encouraged by this step, and we will be watching closely to see whether it is followed by meaningful action. No brand should be given a pass when its founder spreads dangerous antisemitic myths.”

But following the intense backlash, Kattan appeared to double down on her antisemitic rant in a second, six-minute video posted to her TikTok account last Friday, in which she argued that a “smear campaign” had been launched against her.

“In order to silence you from speaking out, silence me, they do what they always do. They twist your words, label you an antisemite, and right now, I’m experiencing all of those things,” said Kattan. “I’ve been labelled an antisemite, and there is a smear campaign against me.”

Kattan rejected the allegations of antisemitism, adding that “not being able to criticise the actions of Israel is not only creating antisemitism, but I would argue it’s a form of antisemitism itself”.

In the video, Kattan argued that her message had been “misinterpreted and completely misused”, and that she had “never even mentioned the word ‘Jews’”.

“You are allowed to speak out on atrocities happening in the world, and that in no way makes you an antisemite. It doesn’t make you a self-hating Jew,” said Kattan, who went on to describe herself as Muslim. “It comes from wanting peace for humanity, and it’s crazy that if you speak up on behalf of humanity, you could face so much backlash, and that’s what I’m experiencing right now.”