A teacher at a specialist west London school has been suspended over social media posts appearing to glorify the mastermind of the October 7 terror attack in Israel.
Mohammad Dahlan, who teaches design and technology at west London’s Burlington House School, appeared to praise Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after his death last month as a “martyr”.
The independent school teacher appeared to post on social media that “killing Zionists is an act of worship”, The Telegraph reported.
Inviting or expressing support for Hamas, a banned terror group under UK law, is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Other posts appeared to refer to the attack as the “flood”, and linked to a GoFundMe page under the teacher’s name which was raising funds for his aunt in Gaza.
A spokesperson for the Fulham-based school, which specialises in teaching pupils with learning differences, said it had suspended Mr Dahlan after being alerted to the posts.
“As soon as we were informed of this matter, the individual was immediately suspended pending a comprehensive disciplinary investigation into potential violations of our code of conduct and social media policy,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The school said it had notified “all relevant authorities, including the police, to ensure the matter is addressed with the seriousness it warrants”.
It added: “Our school is firmly committed to being a secular, non-discriminatory organisation that upholds the values of respect, inclusivity, and unity.
“We strive to create a safe, welcoming environment where children, young people, and adults of all backgrounds can learn and thrive together in harmony.
“This incident did not occur on school premises, and we maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy towards any form of racism, anti-Semitism, or discriminatory behaviour, whether on or off school grounds.”
A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust, a Jewish communal organisation which protects synagogues and monitors antisemitism, said: “It is horrifying to think that a person with views such as this would be teaching children, and it is entirely right that he has been suspended.”
Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last month.
Israeli forces killed three men while conducting a routine search for Hamas militants in Rafah, one of whom was later identified as Sinwar.
