An Arlington, Virginia public school teacher who made students criticize Israel is the daughter of an imam who served at a mosque where 9/11 hijackers worshipped.
Shayma Al-Hanooti, who teaches English at Washington-Liberty High School, is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hanooti. From 1995 to 1999, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hanooti served as imam at Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church. The mosque has ties to a number of al Qaeda terrorists, including two of the 9/11 hijackers and Anwar al-Awlaki.
Documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and shared with The Daily Wire reveal that the younger Al-Hanooti frequently brings her political views to school, drilling students on anti-Israel talking points and sparring with colleagues about the conflict in Gaza. Al-Hanooti, who has donated to Hamas-linked organizations, implied to students that Israel was committing genocide, sparred with superiors who prevented students from chanting anti-Semitic slogans, and dismissed colleagues who objected to her political statements.
Such political positions are commonplace in the Al-Hanooti family. According to the Center for Security Policy, Al-Hanooti’s father was an “un-indicted co-conspirator” in both the 2008 Holy Land Foundation Hamas Financing Trial and the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing plot. He was a member of the Palestine Committee of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, which was established in order to support Hamas.” The elder Al-Hanooti also allegedly raised $6 million for Hamas, according to an FBI memo. Al-Hanooti’s brother, Muthanna, was sentenced to federal prison after being charged with secretly helping Saddam Hussein’s regime, and this year called Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar “sell-outs” after they condemned Hamas’ October 7 attack.
In a 2015 eulogy, Al-Hanooti recalled how her father imparted to her “his unconventional … approaches to education.”
“Unconventional approaches” can be seen in the assignments Al-Hanooti gave her students.
“What purpose does the use of the word ‘defend’ or ‘self-defense’ have when used by the Israeli legal team?” Al-Hanooti asked students in one assignment. “How does Israel use [sic] the Holocaust to victimize themselves show an example of a logical fallacy?” Al-Hanooti asked students whether pathos or logos is “the most effective tool for spreading awareness about the genocide,” referring to Israel’s actions.
“These messages reveal comments and behaviors that are disqualifying for an employee in a public school district,” said Erika Sanzi, Director of Outreach for Parents Defending Education, which filed the FOIA request into Al-Hanooti. “She clearly misunderstands her responsibility as a public employee whose job is to educate other people’s kids, not turn them into activists who agitate for her disturbing world view.”
Al-Hanooti’s political pedagogy has drawn the scrutiny of school administrators. On January 24, she screened the film “Born In Gaza” for her students, prompting Washington-Liberty principal Tony Hall to ask about the film’s “use and tie in to [English language arts] Standards.” An assignment shows that she had students write down what the film made them “see, think, wonder.”
Hall’s email did not deter Al-Hanooti. On January 30, she required students to review “South Africa vs. Israel at The Hague,” an international court case in which South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide, and describe why Israel’s defenses were logical fallacies. On February 25, she had students read the book “Gaza Writes Back.”
Al-Hanooti did not respond to a request for comment, and Arlington Public Schools did not respond to an inquiry about what actions it took to ensure that she was not pushing her views on children.
Records show Al-Hanooti’s views frequently brought her into conflict with colleagues and superiors.
On November 1, Hall wrote to staff to ensure that students planning a pro-Palestinian walkout coordinate with administrators to comply with school policy. Al-Hanooti responded by telling Hall he should not expect cooperation.
Hall replied that, as a school principal, he did not have the power to solve world affairs, and that “students DO need to talk with school leaders because what they choose to do INSIDE a school or during a walk out can be disruptive to the school… Also, staff cannot lead or participate in a student led civil demonstration on campus.”
After another walkout in December, Al-Hanooti wrote to Hall and Vice Principal Timica Shivers complaining that students were not permitted to say “from the river to the sea,” a slogan that calls for the elimination of Israel.
“We are teachers, after all,” Al-Hanooti lectured her boss. “We owe it to our students, staff, families and to the tens of thousands of Palestinians being slaughtered with our tax dollars.”
“Is it appropriate for Ms. Shivers or any other administrator/staff member to tell a student that ‘free Palestine’ or ‘From the river to the sea’ is anti-Israel or antisemitic?” she wrote.
Shivers replied that Al-Hanooti had misunderstood what occurred with the event, and proposed meeting to discuss how they could help students “feel seen, heard, and supported.”
“Respectfully, I’m not interested in meeting,” Al-Hanooti replied.
In February, Al-Hanooti helped organize a panel on Israel-Palestinian issues, and invited a Muslim policy expert from the Middle East Institute to speak. He suggested also inviting a “liberal Zionist” or “more hard-core pro-Israel” speaker to create a balanced panel. Al-Hanooti dismissed his suggestion, wondering why they should “continue to provide that perspective.” Instead, she suggested a “Palestinian who has family in Gaza,” and only including a Jew if they were an “anti-Zionist Jew.”
She also rejected the expert’s proposed title, saying “I personally cringe at referring to this as ‘the Israel-Hamas war in the wake of Oct 7,’” later saying, “that doesn’t adequately describe the settler colonialist genocide we’re witnessing.”
On October 18, 2023, Al-Hanooti used an all-staff email list to tell colleagues that there was “the genocide of over 1 million Palestinians unfolding before our eyes.” Al-Hanooti made the false claim that Israel had bombed a hospital, and told her colleagues to “channel your energy into learning about settler colonialism of Palestine or don’t say anything at all.”
When Hall wrote to her that he had heard complaints about her abuse of the listserv, she replied “Is your concern that you’ve heard from colleagues … or is your concern the genocide of Palestinians? I’m confused.”
Al-Hanooti used her work email to tell another teacher, as an example of what he could do, that she donates to the groups Baiultmaal and Islamic Relief Worldwide. An investigation by the Middle East Forum said both are tied to Hamas, and the State Department said there is “blatant and horrifying anti-Semitism and glorification of violence exhibited at the most senior levels of” Islamic Relief Worldwide.
On November 6, 2023, Al-Hanooti wrote to the school board and superintendent Francisco Duran, demanding to know why the school district hadn’t issued formal statements on its position on world disputes.
“Tomorrow will be one month since the most recent eruption of violence in Israel and Palestine, and we have yet to receive any language about the active genocide of Palestinians…We are educators! What are we teaching our kids with our silence?” she wrote.
She added that “what we are seeing is the most advanced and violent stage of the settler colonialist project…We know this because this is how our country was founded.”
Every public post on Al-Hanooti’s Facebook page is about Palestinians or Israelis. On October 25, one of her posts was removed for going “against our guidelines on dangerous individuals and organizations [such as] Praising a terrorist attack.” She also promoted the action at the Watergate Hotel while the Israeli prime minister was staying there, in which maggots were released into the hotel.
