New NUS president posted Islamic chant threatening ‘Jews’ and sympathised with Hamas

The National Union of Students has voted for a new president who only last week had to apologise for a historic tweet in which she posted the words of an infamous Islamic chant threatening “Jews” with an attack by “the army of Muhammed.”

Shaima Dallali was confirmed as the next NUS leader following a vote at the student body’s annual conference in Liverpool on Monday.

The former City University Students Union president will replace current NUS leader Larissa Kennedy later this year.

The Union of Jewish Students reacted to Dallali’s election by issuing a statement urging her to “come to the table” to discuss concerns over her “extremely challenging views” for Jewish students.

Last week Jewish News revealed how Dallali had in 2012 posted an inflammotory tweet stating:”“Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud.”

In Islamic tradition, the chant – which means, “Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning” – is used as a battle cry when attacking Jews or Israelis.

It refers to the Muslim massacre of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in north western Arabia in 628 CE.

In a statement issued last week Dallali said: “Earlier today I was made aware of a tweet I posted 10 years ago.

“During Israel’s assault on Gaza I referenced the battle of Khaybar in which Jewish and Muslim armies fought. I was wrong to see the Palestine conflict as one between Muslims and Jews.

“The reference made as a teenager was unacceptable and I sincerely and unreservedly apologise.”

Further evidence shown to Jewish News confirms that other deleted tweets posts by the new NUS leader included one from November 2020 in which she wrote that Jeremy Corbyn “should never have been suspended” from Labour “in the first place.”

It referred to Corbyn suspension after he claimed the EHRC report into antisemitism had exaggerated the extent of the problem for political reasons.

Other deleted tweets made by the new NUS leader included statements supportive of the Islamic terror organisation Hamas.

In a statement released on Monday evening the Union of Jewish Students said: “The NUS delegates have voted in Shaima Dallali as the next NUS president. Jewish students have spoken to us and raised their concerns over much of the messaging Dallali has put out on her social media in the past – attacking the Jewish community, attacking UJS, and supporting speakers with extremely challenging views.

“We hope that she will come to the table, work with UJS and understand how to support Jewish students.

“There have been many bridges broken between NUS and Jewish students over the past few weeks, and we call on Shaima and her team to join us in rebuilding those bridges to ensure that NUS becomes a space where Jewish students once more feel welcomed in rather than sidelined and excluded.”