Virginia teacher with links to terrorism pushes anti-Israel views in classroom

A Virginia school district is in the spotlight after one teacher’s anti-Israel advocacy and past terrorist ties raise concerns.

Documents obtained by Parents Defending Education (PDE) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed Shayma Al-Hanooti, an English teacher at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia, began a pro-Palestine crusade in her district after Oct. 7.

Al-Hanooti required her students to watch the documentary, “Born in Gaza,” and read a collection of short stories called Gaza Writes Back.

She also required students to study a court case involving the state of Israel, asking questions such as:  

• “What purpose does the use of the word ‘defend’ or ‘self-defense’ have when used by the Israeli legal team?”  
• And “How does Israel us[ing] the Holocaust to victimize themselves show an example of a logical fallacy?”  

“This teacher in particular has extreme views. This is not just somebody making a one-off comment,” Erika Sanzi, outreach director at PDE, told The National Desk.  

“She is agitating in front of her students and using her students, describing Israel as participating in genocide, organizing and participating in student walkouts where she has students chanting anti-Israel slogans.” 

In emails obtained by the FOIA request, Al-Hanooti dismissed the concerns of her administrators with few consequences, according to Sanzi. 

“We see evidence in the emails that administrators are frustrated and trying to get her to dial it back,” Sanzi explained. “But we see her rebuffing her superiors, and so as far as consequences I’m not aware of any.”  

Al-Hanooti also has ties to Islamic terrorists, reported the Daily Wire. 

She is the daughter of Sheik Mohammad Al-Hanooti, who the Center for Security Policy called a “unindicted co-conspirator” in several plots, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.  

Her father also served as imam at Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Virginia, where two 9/11 hijackers once attended. 

And her brother, Muthanna Al-Hanooti, was sentenced to federal prison for aiding Saddam Hussein.