'Words twisted': Huda Kattan reacts to TikTok backlash, calls to remove brand from Sephora
Huda Kattan, the founder of the brand, recently posted a video on Tiktok, criticising Israel's actions against the people of Gaza. The video faced immediate backlash, with US-based groups, and social media commenters taking offence.
According to CNN, Huda reportedly said in the video: 'All of the conspiracy theories coming out and a lot of evidence behind them — that Israel has been behind World War I, World War II, September 11, October 7 — they allowed all of this stuff to happen. Is this crazy?'
'Like, I had a feeling — I was like, 'Are they behind every world war?' Yes.'
Khaleej Times is not able to independently confirm this statement as the video has since been taken down. Huda clarified that the video was removed by herself, not by her team, and not by TikTok, after many media outlets reported that the social media giant had pulled the video down.
After widespread criticism, Huda took to TikTok once again, to clarify her stance of support for Palestine, which does not translate into a stance against Jews.
"To silence you from speaking out, they do what they always do — they twist your words, label you an anti-semite."
Huda spoke on her anguish of seeing suffering children in Gaza starve; people maimed and being bombed in tents "while just trying to survive the already excruciating, uninhabitable conditions they are living in."
The beauty mogul called out the "spear campaign" in which her words were twisted and taken out of context. She clarified that she was in no way speaking about Jews, but about the Israel government.
Huda said "fake stories" circulated, claiming that she did not recognise the Holocaust; however, this was entirely not true. Learning about the Holocaust in school actually led her to "promise herself to stand up" in other situations where humanity was at stake, she added.
After organisations like the Anti-Defamation League posted statements calling out "Huda Kattan's recent promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories", she clarified that equating criticism of Israel to hate against Jews was also a form of antisemitism in itself.
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