Ramzi Kassem defended an Al-Qaeda terrorist in court in 2018. Kassem has also spread hatred of America and Israel, and engaged in anti-Israel activism.
The profilee's activism occurred during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which Israel launched after the October 7, 2023, terror attacks when Hamas murdered nearly 1,200 Israelis, injured thousands and kidnapped hundreds.
Mamdani has called for dismantling capitalism and promoted hatred of the police. He has also justified Hamas terrorism and glorified terror supporters. On his first day as mayor, he revoked executive orders designed to combat antisemitism, including increased police protection at synagogues, and nullified a ban on city officials to boycott Israel.
As of the same date, Kassem was also listed as a professor of law at CUNY Law. CUNY is located in New York, New York.
On May 2, 2018, AP news reported that Kassem was lead defense counsel forAl-Qaeda operative Ahmed al-Darbi in 2008.
Ahmed al-Darbipleaded guilty in U.S. court to multiple war crime charges, including conspiracy, terrorism, attacking civilian objects, and aiding the enemy. Al-Darbi helped arrange logistics for al-Qaida’s 2002 suicide bombing of the French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen.
On January 1, 2026, Kassem was featured in a video posted on X, in which he said [00:02:12], referring to the U.S. and Israel's war against the Hamas terror group:"...if any of us here believe that we can duck and hide in this moment, where we're witnessing a steady slide towards authoritarianism in this country [U.S.]. If anyone thinks that they can just wait out a genocide then they are seriously deluding themselves."
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped 251 and wounded thousands. War crimes included various systematic sexual crimes like gang rape and genital mutilation. Men and women were violated, even after being murdered. Victims who survived that day, including hostages, endured forms of humiliation and torture.
Gazans working in the targeted Israeli villages provided intelligence to Hamas on which families to kill and torture, including long-time employers. Many Palestinian civilians joined in and celebrated the attacks. Hamas livestreamed their crimes on social media, including to victims’ accounts for families to see. To learn more, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
For years before the 2023-2025 war, pro-terror activists routinely accused Israel of "genocide." On October 8, 2023, they continued using this "blood libel" to try to normalize it. They redefined the term, inflated death tolls, dismissed Israeli aid efforts and used Hamas data counting dead combatants among civilian and natural deaths. They also ignored Hamas war crimes meant to increase deaths which fed more online propaganda.
On December 31, 2025, Financial Express listed Kassem as a lead lawyer for anti-Israel agitator Mahmoud Khalil.
Mahmoud Khalil is a former graduate student and leader of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University who was arrested in March 2025 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On October 6, 2024, Kassem was featured in a YouTube video of a webinar titled: "Emergency Session: A Survival Guide to Arrests and Jail Support." The event was co-organized by the pro-terror activist group Within Our Lifetime (WOL).
In the video, Kassem provided [00:20:28] legal guidance to anti-Israel activists, including international students, on how to avoid legal consequences. The webinar was held ahead of protests marking the anniversary of Hamas' October 7, 2023 terror attacks.
