Norwegian university professor: October 7 attacks 'most beautiful thing to happen in our century'

A Norwegian university professor's deeply offensive remarks comparing the October 7 Hamas attacks to "the most beautiful thing that has happened in our century" have rightly drawn condemnation. Bassam Hussein, a project management professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, made these abhorrent comments during a lecture, further spewing hateful rhetoric by claiming Israel wishes to "take over the Western empire."

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the most beautiful thing that has happened in our century

Hussein's words are not just a personal opinion; they represent a dangerous ideology that glorifies terrorism and promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories. His assertion that Israel is a continuation of European colonialism echoes hateful tropes that have been used to justify violence against Jewish people for centuries. The fact that he was recognized as a top lecturer and received honorary membership from the Student Society in Trondheim raises serious questions about the vetting processes and the prevailing atmosphere within some academic circles in Norway.

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there is no such thing as Israeli superiority

From our perspective at The Jerusalem Post, such statements are unacceptable and have no place in academic discourse or public life. The Israeli Embassy in Oslo has rightly called for Hussein to be removed from his teaching position, stating that "this Hamas supporter cannot continue teaching Norway's students." We must stand firm against any form of antisemitism and the normalization of terror, and demand accountability for those who spread such dangerous falsehoods.

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Israel sold Jewish immigrants an idea. A kind of five-star settler life there. They told Jewish immigrants: come to us. Here you will get the finest life. You will get a home, a house, an apartment, a car, a job financed by Americans. And the only thing you have to do is serve in the army for 18 months. And that’s it. Then you can go and live. You can also have citizenship and everything. This is paradise. October 7 proved that this is not true at all.