NNEW YORK — Egyptian Muslim human rights activist Dalia Ziada warned that Islamist movements are exploiting Western institutions and political systems following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, saying the ideology behind the violence is now being repackaged as a victim-driven political cause with growing influence in the United States.
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Speaking in an interview on the Viktor Frankl Podcast with Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, a New York–based psychotherapist, and attorney Lori Fein, Ziada said the international response to the Hamas massacre exposed what she called a moral failure in Western leadership, media and academia.
Ziada, an Egyptian author, former director of the Middle East Center for Studies, and longtime advocate for Muslim reform and women’s rights, was among the few Arab public figures to condemn Hamas immediately after Oct. 7. She has previously advised Western governments on counter-extremism and has testified before international forums on Islamist radicalization.
She said Hamas’ actions cannot be separated from a broader ideological project rooted in Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, which she described as having spent decades using the Palestinian cause to gain legitimacy while shielding violence from accountability.
“These groups portray terrorists as oppressed victims while erasing Jewish suffering,” Ziada said. “That narrative didn’t start on October 7. It has been carefully built for years.”
Ziada said the aftermath of the attack revealed how deeply that ideology has taken hold across universities, activist organizations and parts of the media, arguing that protests minimizing or justifying the massacre reflected ideological conditioning rather than spontaneous outrage.
She also warned that antisemitism is consistently the earliest indicator of broader radicalization.
“Jews are always the first target,” Ziada said. “But they are never the last.”
Turning to U.S. politics, Ziada issued a sharp warning about New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, condemning his past remarks calling to “globalize the intifada.” She said Mamdani represents what she described as a new generation of Islamist-aligned political actors operating under the banner of progressive activism.
“He is playing a sophisticated propaganda game,” Ziada said, accusing Mamdani of using a small number of Jewish supporters to build public legitimacy. “That does not change what he represents.”
Ziada also criticized Jewish figures who have endorsed Mamdani, saying they underestimate the ideological forces they are aligning with.
“Jews who endorsed Mamdani have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into,” she said. “They will realize very soon that they made a serious mistake.”
She said such endorsements are frequently used by Islamist movements to deflect scrutiny during early stages of political ascent, adding that once power is consolidated, those allies are often discarded.
“Useful support is temporary,” Ziada said. “The ideology is not.”
Ziada further addressed the widespread use of the term “Islamophobia,” arguing it is often deployed to silence criticism of extremist ideology rather than to protect ordinary Muslims.
“This language is not about tolerance,” she said. “It is about power and intimidation.”
Schonbuch framed the discussion through the moral philosophy of Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, warning against moral relativism in moments of crisis, while Fein emphasized the legal and civic consequences of allowing extremist narratives to dominate public discourse.
Ziada concluded that confronting extremism requires moral clarity rather than appeasement.
“If you excuse barbarism,” she said, “you invite it.”
Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, LMFT, is a New York–based psychotherapist, author, and host of The Viktor Frankl Podcast, a rapidly growing platform examining psychology, culture, faith, and current events through the lens of Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy. He is the author of five books, including Viktor Frankl and the Psychology of the Soul, and founder of the Torah Psychology School of Coaching and Counseling. His work focuses on meaning, resilience, and moral clarity in an age of confusion. You can follow him at rabbiforamerica.com.
“Jews who endorsed Mamdani have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into,” she said. “They will realize very soon that they made a serious mistake.”
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