Huda Kattan, the founder and CEO of the immensely popular beauty brand Huda Beauty, has sparked a huge firestorm. This all followed news that she’d released a video on social media Sunday evening. The Iraqi-American entrepreneur shows her wide margin of popularity, with 1.7 million followers on one social media platform and 57 million followers on Instagram. He even incredulously accused Israel of starting “each one of these world wars,” including World War One and World War Two.
Among them—without any basis—Israel was behind the Gulf of Tonkin incident, Kristallnacht, and 9/11. She cited the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the recent October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel as illustrations. This attack has led to over 1200 deaths and 251 hostages. Kattan further accused Israel of being responsible for al-Qaeda’s involvement in the September 11 attacks and repeated unfounded accusations regarding Israel’s alleged protection of paedophiles.
The backlash against Kattan’s statements has been equally swift and severe. In response to her statement, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) denounced her words as “dangerous” and “irresponsible,” insisting that rhetoric like this only serves to reinforce harmful antisemitic tropes. A spokesperson from the ADL stated, “Having such a big platform for your business and choosing to use it to spread antisemitic conspiracy theories is inflammatory, irresponsible and dangerous.”
Kattan’s remarks have drawn criticism from various organizations, including the American Jewish Committee (AJC), which stated, “This isn’t ‘criticism of Israel’. It’s centuries-old hate, repackaged and broadcast to millions.” They painted an even scarier picture, emphasizing that rhetoric can result in action.
“A beauty company spreading this ugliness isn’t just ironic – it’s dangerous. We cannot and will not stay silent while anti-Jewish hatred is normalized. Words have real-life consequences. This rhetoric must be called out, exposed, and condemned.” – American Jewish Committee
This year, Kattan finally got his due. She even earned her place on BBC 100 Women list, and she reached 15th place on the list of the richest online creators compiled by Forbes magazine. Despite her accolades, her recent comments have overshadowed her achievements and raised questions about the responsibility of influencers and entrepreneurs in using their platforms.