Culture reporter
Getty ImagesTikTok has removed a video by businesswoman and beauty influencer Huda Kattan in which she promoted conspiracy theories about Israel.
The Iraqi-American entrepreneur, who is founder and CEO of the popular Huda Beauty brand, said in a video posted on Sunday that Israel was responsible for “every world war” including World War One and World War Two, as well as the September 11 and 7 October attacks.
The American Jewish Committee said she was “using her massive platform to spread vile antisemitic conspiracy theories”.
TikTok confirmed it removed the video on Tuesday for violating its community guidelines, but did not give further comment. Kattan and Huda Beauty have not responded to requests for comment.
The state of Israel was founded in 1948. World War One ended in 1918, and World War Two, during which millions of Jews were murdered in the Nazi Holocaust, ended in 1945.
In the video to her 1.7 million followers, Kattan claimed there was evidence that “Israel has been behind World War One, World War Two”, as well as al-Qaeda’s 11 September 2001 attacks on the US and the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
“I had a feeling, I was like, were they behind every world war? Yes. Behind September 11th? Absolutely,” she said.
Kattan repeated a range of other claims including unfounded accusations that Israel protects paedophiles.
‘Irresponsible and dangerous’
“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 group, which aims to counter 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 said: “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 named on the BBC 100 Women list in 2023 and was ranked 15th on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s richest online creators that year.
TikTok’s community guidelines prohibit hate speech or promotion of hateful ideologies, as well misinformation that may cause significant harm, including conspiracy theories.
Huda Beauty has 57 million followers on Instagram and is one of the world’s most popular beauty brands.