08/09/2026
Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis and Hamas: From Critic to "We Are With Hamas"
Who is he?
Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis (عثمان الخميس) is a Kuwaiti Salafi preacher, born May 26, 1962, in Kuwait. He is one of the most-watched Salafi voices in the Gulf, with a huge YouTube and TV presence. He is also one of the most controversial: Kuwaiti authorities banned him from preaching in mosques in 2015 and fined him 20,000 dinars (65,700) in 2019 for "stoking sectarian tension," and his rulings against Christian and Shia symbols have repeatedly sparked lawsuits and public storms in Kuwait and the UAE.
The timeline: what changed
1. Long-standing hostility (before 2025)
Al-Khamis belongs to a Salafi current that has spent years attacking the Muslim Brotherhood — and by extension Hamas, which it treats as the Brotherhood's Palestinian branch. He had repeatedly criticized Hamas as a political movement, even while saying he supported the Palestinian people.
2. March 2025 — the scandal
Appearing on the Insan podcast in early March 2025, Al-Khamis attacked Hamas hard, calling it a "deviant political group" tied to Iran that had taken a "bad path," and argued people should distinguish between the people of Gaza and Hamas. The timing — during Israel's war on Gaza — made it explosive. Israeli media outlets openly celebrated and thanked the "Islamic preacher" for attacking Hamas. Days later he went further, saying Hamas "must be eliminated" — a phrase that went viral.
3. Mid-March 2025 — the retreat
Facing a flood of anger, Al-Khamis claimed his words were a "slip of the tongue": he said he meant Hamas's political leadership, not its military wing (the Qassam Brigades) or the "mujahideen" fighting the occupation. Critics widely rejected the distinction — Hamas is one movement, and its political bureau directs the military wing — and noted he smiled through the "retraction" rather than apologizing.
4. The new clip (September 2026) — the apparent reversal
In the clip going viral now, an interviewer asks him: "What's your take on those who say Hamas started it?" His answer is a near-complete reversal of tone:
