| Published April 4, 2025
It’s the kind of headline that once would’ve shocked the nation: students at elite universities cheering for Hamas — the same terrorist group responsible for massacres, rapes, kidnappings, and rocket attacks on civilians in Israel.
But in 2025, this isn’t some fringe incident. From Ivy League campuses to social media platforms, there’s a growing trend among young Americans — especially college students — openly supporting or excusing the brutal acts committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and beyond. It raises an uncomfortable but vital question: How did an entire generation become so morally confused that they glorify terrorists as “freedom fighters”?
A Dangerous Normalization of Evil
The horrifying events of October 7 — when Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israeli towns, killing over 1,200 civilians and committing mass atrocities — were among the worst terrorist attacks in modern history. The attackers didn’t just kill; they raped women, slaughtered children, and took hostages, including the elderly.
And yet, just days after, college quads were filled with students waving Palestinian flags, chanting slogans that blamed Israel and hailed the attackers as heroes.
At Harvard, more than 30 student groups signed a letter blaming Israel for the violence — while bodies of victims were still being recovered. Similar sentiments echoed from Columbia, Yale, and even state universities across the country.
To be clear: Hamas is officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and many other democratic nations. Their charter calls not for peace, but for the destruction of Israel. They don’t want coexistence — they want annihilation.
Yet somehow, a generation that prides itself on being “empathetic” and “anti-violence” is aligning itself with one of the most violent, extremist forces on the planet.
Who’s Responsible?
Experts and commentators have pointed fingers in every direction: radical professors, left-wing activist groups, TikTok misinformation, and a K-12 education system that often replaces civics with grievance politics.
Instead of teaching history, context, and critical thinking, too many institutions have embraced ideological activism over objective truth. Students are fed a binary worldview — oppressor vs. oppressed — where facts no longer matter. In this twisted framework, Hamas gets a pass because they’re seen as victims, no matter what atrocities they commit.
Social media only worsens the problem. Algorithms reward outrage and simplify conflicts into 15-second hot takes. Influencers with no background in foreign policy or history spread propaganda unchecked. And anyone who challenges the narrative? Labeled a bigot or “Zionist colonizer.”
The Cost of Moral Relativism
This isn’t just a political debate. It’s a warning sign of a deeper moral decay — one where mass murder can be excused, and rape victims ignored, so long as the perpetrators fit the “right” identity profile.
Holocaust survivors, Jewish students, and families of Israeli victims have spoken out, begging for empathy and truth. Instead, they’re met with silence, or worse, mockery and harassment.
Universities, terrified of backlash or appearing “intolerant,” tiptoe around the issue — issuing bland statements about “all sides” and “de-escalation” rather than calling evil by its name.
A Generation at a Crossroads
Not all young people have fallen for the lie. Many Jewish and pro-Israel students have shown incredible courage in hostile environments. And some Gen Z voices — both Jewish and not — are calling out the hypocrisy of the pro-Hamas apologists.
But the fact that this moral confusion is spreading so widely, especially among future lawyers, journalists, and lawmakers, should be a wake-up call.
This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about right vs. wrong.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Parents, educators, and leaders must stop assuming young Americans are “too smart” to be radicalized. They’re not. And when schools, media, and online platforms fail to provide moral clarity, others will fill the void — including terrorist sympathizers.
It’s time to rebuild the foundations: teach real history, not ideology. Promote critical thinking, not victimhood hierarchies. And above all, remind young Americans that evil exists — and it must never be excused.
Because if we can’t call out the rape and slaughter of civilians for what it is — evil — then we’ve lost more than the next generation.
We’ve lost our moral compass.
