TikTok has removed a video posted by businesswoman and beauty influencer Huda Kattan, which promoted conspiracy theories regarding Israel.
The Iraqi-American entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Huda Beauty, alleged in a video posted on Sunday that Israel was responsible for “every world war,” including World War I and World War II, as well as the September 11 attacks and the October 7 attacks.
The American Jewish Committee stated that Kattan was “using her massive platform to spread vile antisemitic conspiracy theories.”
TikTok confirmed the video’s removal on Tuesday, citing violations of its community guidelines, but offered no further comment. Kattan and Huda Beauty have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The state of Israel was founded in 1948. World War I concluded in 1918, and World War II, during which the Nazi Holocaust resulted in the murder of millions of Jews, ended in 1945.
In the video shared with her 1.7 million followers, Kattan claimed that evidence suggested “Israel has been behind World War One, World War Two,” as well as al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001 attacks on the US and the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
“I had a feeling, I was like, were they behind every world war? Yes. Behind September 11th? Absolutely,” she stated.
Kattan also repeated a range of other claims, including unfounded accusations that Israel protects paedophiles.
“These dangerous and historically baseless accusations echo some of the oldest and most pernicious antisemitic tropes,” the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the organization, which aims to combat antisemitism, told the BBC: “Having such a big platform for your business and choosing to use it to spread antisemitic conspiracy theories is inflammatory, irresponsible and dangerous.”
In a statement to BBC News, the American Jewish Committee asserted: “This isn’t ‘criticism of Israel’. It’s centuries-old hate, repackaged and broadcast to millions.”
“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.”
Kattan was featured on the BBC 100 Women list in 2023 and ranked 15th on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s richest online creators that same year.
TikTok’s community guidelines prohibit hate speech, the promotion of hateful ideologies, and misinformation that could cause significant harm, including conspiracy theories.
Huda Beauty boasts 57 million followers on Instagram and remains one of the world’s most prominent beauty brands.
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