Bringing Peace to the Middle East: A Dialogue with Loay Alshareef
This event took place on May 8, 2025. The Z3 Project, in proud partnership with Israel Bonds, presented a powerful and timely conversation with peace advocate Loay Alshareef. In this wide-ranging discussion, Loay offers rare insight into the challenges and possibilities of dialogue in the Middle East, drawing from his personal journey from hate to understanding and experiences being raised in the Gulf. From confronting antisemitism to supporting the Abraham Accords, Loay’s story is one of transformation, courage and bridge-building.
About Our Guest
Loay Alshareef is a beacon of positivity in today’s world. Loay is a distinguished linguist and educator based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with a profound passion for both modern and ancient Semitic languages, particularly Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac. Born and raised in Saudi Arabia within a religious Muslim background, Loay was initially exposed to negative views about Jews and Israel. However, his perspective began to shift during his studies in France, where he lived with a Jewish host family. This transformative experience challenged and ultimately reshaped his views, inspiring him to actively counter antisemitic disinformation and support initiatives like the Abraham Accords. Since 2012, Loay has been creating and producing educational content on YouTube, focusing on language, history and cultural understanding. He aims to leverage his deep knowledge of Judeo-Arabic heritage to foster better relations between Arabs and Jews, contributing to a future of mutual respect and cooperation.
Video Transcript
Good
Rabbi Amitai Fraiman: evening. It's it's great to see everybody. I am Amitai Fraiman. I am the director of the Z3 project. We're really excited to have you all join us. We're especially grateful for our partnership with the Israel Bonds and Yoav who brought us Loay. Just a bit about what we do here. We have our annual conference November 9th.
Many of you have been there. I encourage you all to keep your eye out for upcoming events throughout the year, lectures like this, conversations. And the point of it is to create a place where we can come together, have conversations, hear from people and ideas that we don't necessarily interact with or have an opportunity to engage with in the firsthand.
So this is what we're gonna here tonight. We're here to hear from the line about his work, his journey. But before we get there, I want to invite my dear friend Yoav to say a few words about Israel bonds and their incredibly important work in this time. So thank you for joining us.
Yoav - Israel Bonds: Thank you, Shalom Palo Alto. It's good to be here with you here tonight. Last week as wildfire burns near Jerusalem, the people of Israel marked two days that are deeply connected. Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Yom HaZikaron, a remembrance and Yom Ha'Aztmaut, a celebration of independence. These moments remind us something uniquely Jewish, the ability to hold grief and hope together, we remember the falling under the sacrifice, and then we dance, we sing, we celebrate life.
Israel's story from the very beginning has always been about resilience, about finding hopes in the face of hardship, about finding a future even when the road ahead is uncertain. In 1951, prime Minister David Ben-Gurion gathered with American Jewish leaders at a King David Hotel in Jerusalem. He did not come asking for charity.
He came with an invitation. He asked people to become partners in building a nation to have a stake in the dream of a Jewish homeland. From the meeting, Israel Bonds was born, not just as a way to raise money, but as a tool to build highways, hospital water plants, a way to help Israel become a nation of innovation, a startup nation.
And yes, a way to build hope, but it's, but it was more than that. Israel bonds gave Jewish, gave Jews in the diaspora a chance to stay close to Israel, not just by, not just through giving, but through investing, not just by offering a charity, but by becoming true partners in Israel's future. That invitation has became $53 billion to date.
Over the past decade, Israel bonds an average $1.5 million investments each year. And after October seven, when tarot tried to break Israel's spirit, the Jewish world, and many of you here in this room responded with an with action, nearly $4 billion pulled in less than three months. Not just as financial support, but as a declaration of confidence.
Confidence in Israel, in our people, in our future. These are heavy times for our community. The rise of antisemitism around the world, the uncertainty that so many feel is real. But if history teaches us anything, is that we are strong girl. When we stand together, that when we invest in one another, when we choose hope over fear, we can overcome even the greatest challenges.
So tonight I ask you, what role will you play in Israel's next chapter? Will you invest not just with your heart, but with your voice and your resources? Because Justice Ben Gron once called Jewish leaders to us. Today we are called to carry the torch forward. This isn't just Israel's story, it's our story and each and one of us has a power to play.
So my ask of you, please consider to go to Israel bonds online and buy a bond. $36, a hundred dollars, $1 million. Nothing is small. Just do it ihai.
Before I call Loay to the stage, I'd like to thank the JCC for hosting us tonight. Specifically Maya Yaniv and her team worked tirelessly behind the scene to make this event happen. Amitai Fraiman of Z3. Without you, tonight will not be happening. And now without further ado, let's move to the reason we are all here tonight.
It's a great honor to welcome Loay Alshareef who flew over 12 hours from the UAE with us to be with us here tonight. Since October 7th, I've hosted many speakers to address antisemitism and anti-Zionism in today's social media ecosystem, where true is blurred and false narratives often become accepted reality.
It's important to distinguish between facts and opinions. Unfortunately, many are quick to share their opinions while ignoring the facts on the ground. What makes Loay unique is that he relies on facts, not just personal opinion to support his argument. I'm excited for you to hear those facts tonight. So without further ado, please join me to welcome Loay Alshareef and Zach Bodner, president and CEO of Oshman, JCC.
Zack Bodner: Okay, welcome here.
Loay Alshareef: Just one thing you have. It was 15 hour flight, not 12. Just three hours.
Zack Bodner: Alright, thank you all for joining us tonight. I'm really excited to engage in this conversation. Lo, I thank you for being here. It's,
Loay Alshareef: thank you. It, it is really a pleasure and honor, I just gave you a hard time memorizing the name of this place. It's I still call it San Paolo.
Zack Bodner: San Paolo. I'm sure it's close.
It's something. It's close. Palo Alto.
Loay Alshareef: Palo Otto. Yeah, it's close. Can't get it. We'll take it. Can't get it. No, it's all right.
Zack Bodner: San
Loay Alshareef: Pao. I still have it. San Pablo. I'll just keep it this way.
Zack Bodner: That's okay. You made it. That's what counts. That's what matters.
Loay Alshareef: Second time in Bay Area,
Zack Bodner: we have been called way worse.
Loay Alshareef: Yes. And so here you are, this Abu Dhabi based blogger, big thinker, speaker social mover and shaker. And you've been on the road but you were raised as this Muslim guy taught to believe that God wanted you to hate Jews, and that yet here you are, the Jewish Community Center. How do you wind up lower?
Zack Bodner: Imagine that here at a Jewish community center
Loay Alshareef: from hating Jews to being among so many Jews. How does
Zack Bodner: that happen?
Loay Alshareef: First of all, a real honor and pleasure being here. And I really feel every time I speak to a Jewish community that I'm just not with allies or friends that I would say with a family.
So I'm really honored. Thank you so much for having me.
The head come on. Hebrew Jews insist to destroy Hebrew. That's I just wanna say one thing that this advocacy brought me to so many places that I wouldn't have imagined, like this place and other places as well. Two months ago, I was I received an email. That we are a small Jewish community that we invite you to speak in our city.
And that city was Jackson Hole, Wyoming,
Jackson, Wyoming.
Loay Alshareef: And to me, Wyoming was only the Wild West. Yeah. But now I'm, I was speaking in Wyoming and I didn't believe that this advocacy would bring me to places where I speak to people that I really viewed as enemies when I was young. And as you said it's something very important for people here to understand that yes, there are so many radical Islamists that really hate Jews.
I really hate Christians. But there are people like me, a growing minority, that one day there is em will become the norm. And I want you to understand that. They want you to believe that Muslims and Jews, Arabs, and Israelis will never get along. I am a defying proof. I am defying them and telling them You are wrong.
We are friends, we are family, and we will get along and in Shaah we will build the Middle East together. This is why I'm here.
Inha.
Loay Alshareef: In Shaah. So I told you the difference between Inha and Alah,
Zack Bodner: right?
Loay Alshareef: You so in Shaah is in the sun.
Zack Bodner: That's the
Loay Alshareef: difference.
Zack Bodner: It's a big difference. It's
Loay Alshareef: a big difference of,
Zack Bodner: but we'll take it anyway. You wanna slice it in? So you, your travels have taken you all over. Now, your, what are some of the most unreal places, the places you wouldn't have expected to go? Jackson, Wyoming is a pretty good one,
Loay Alshareef: but Jackson Hole was really good.
But also when it comes to unexpected, I would say the audience that I spoke to in England, the Muslim audience, was really something different. Tell us why. I really enjoy speaking to my, my community. But that one in Manchester, it was like a school, a Muslim school, and many Muslims were defying what I wanted to tell them about the Abraham Accords.
But the good thing is that after I finished speaking to the Muslim school, they invited me to pray with them. And they they said, okay, we don't agree with everything you say, but at least we want to listen to a view of a different Muslim. And this is something very important that there are Muslims who did not leave the faith, who just left something behind, which is, I always say, we all Muslims should do, we should leave hate behind.
We should leave hate. I always say, I did not leave the faith, but I left hate because I was indoctrinated with lots of hate. And I do remember in one of the incidents that I had with Rachel or Rashelle and France, when I told her, she told me, why do you hate ju? I said, because. We are indoctrinated that you must hate Jews and Christians.
There is an interpretation in Islam that is called loyalty and disloyalty or in Arabic that you should be loyal to the Muslims and you should be disloyal to Jews and Christians, and you should hate them from the bottom of their, of your heart. Rachel told me, Hey, you know how the Torah speaks of the of the Egyptians?
I said, yeah I do. Yeah. How God warned the Jews and the Hebrews of the Egyptian at that time when they enslaved the Hebrews, but when God commanded Moses to deal with the normal Egyptians in normal circumstances, you know what he said? He said,
do not abhor an Egyptian because you are foreigners in the land. There is nothing called eternal enmity, by the way, so many things that I say in my advocacy is repeating Rachel's words. This really touched my heart and made me feel that, yeah this is God. This sounds like a God. This sounds like what?
I understand that there could be enmity between people, but there is nothing called eternal enmity. So God really touched my heart when I was in Paris. This is why I always say friend Jews, with all due respect to all Jews, friend Jews are the best American Jews. Second.
Oh, okay. American.
Loay Alshareef: American Jews come second.
But French Jews. Yeah because that experience in France really transformed, it was the awakening to me, the awakening moment that made me go back to Saudi and study more, learn more about Jews, learn more about Israel, and work hard on rehabilitating the Muslim Jewish relations. And I'll be very blunt with you, it's a mission worth dying for.
Wow. It is a mission worth dying for when you've been in the other side and you see the darkness, and then you see the light and you expunge hate. You truly you truly become appreciative of the blessing that God gave you. And you say, you know what? I'm gonna, I'm gonna try to do my best to change people's minds and hearts, just like he did to my mind and heart.
And it's a noble message.
Zack Bodner: I love that. Not everyone here knows your story about the time you spent in France with the Jewish family. I think half the audience might because they're big followers of yours on social media. But maybe give us a little bit of insight to what happened to you.
Loay Alshareef: I was an exchange student in 2010.
Went to study French in France. Ended up learning Hebrew and Judaism instead. No, but it was an exchange program. It was a, something called a host a host a family host program right where you live with a family. Didn't know they were Jewish. They were Jewish. Thank God the mother was Sephardic.
Not Ashkenazi. So the food was good. Yeah. Two Shabbat dinners made it.
Rabbi Amitai Fraiman: Yeah.
Loay Alshareef: But the mother had a background. She was French, of course. She's French. And now, by the way I don't know if I would say unfortunately or not. Now, she lives in, she made Alia in 2018. She's now lives in the French colony in Israel, which is Natanya.
We all know Natalia the French colony. So she was French, but she was a seventh generation Yemenite. So the first thing she made me she exposed me to, and the Yemenite songs and lots of Yemeni heritage. And she understood so many difficulties about Islam and Judaism. So we had so many interesting discussions about things that I had about Jews.
So I saw all the bad ideas right in front of my eyes. Collapse, all the bad ideas that I was indoctrinated in school. That Jews are bad. Jews are evil. Jews have bangs tales. Jews would, if they would give you a bottle of water, you should not drink it because it's poisoned. Jews are conspiring against Muslims, and I will be very honest with you.
One of my favorite TV shows when I was young, it was called A Night Without a Horse, A Night With a K Without a Horse. And that TV series was based on the protocols of the Elders of Zion, which is a work of fiction. But believe it or not, in so many Arabic book fairs in the Middle East, it is the top selling book, the protocols of the elder design, that tells you that there is lots of work need to be done.
Eight months in Paris, went back to Saudi, decided to learn more. It was not just a change of mind and heart, immediate or imminent, but it was an awakening moment that made me learn more. And I did, I dig more deeper. And this is why I have a very good relation with my family, because they understand that I've done so much work in research, in learning more about Jews, Judaism, and Israel and the Bible Of course.
Yeah. And the history and archeology, which is Israel's greatest weapon. Israel's greatest weapon is not high tech is not, cybersecurity is not cherry tomato is not USB.
Zack Bodner: Yeah.
Loay Alshareef: It is archeology industry. It is Israel's greatest weapon.
Zack Bodner: Maybe we should rebrand it from startup nations. Dig it up, nation.
Dig it up. Nation. Yeah. Or yeah,
Loay Alshareef: archeology nation.
Zack Bodner: So let's talk about Israel, because you have taken a number of trips there. You were just there a couple of a couple of months ago. What's that experience like for you now?
Loay Alshareef: Couple of months? Couple of weeks ago? Couple of weeks ago, was it?
Yeah, a couple of weeks ago.
Zack Bodner: Tell us about your latest trip. What you experience there.
Loay Alshareef: Latest trip I landed immediately after the Houthis fired in missile on Israel. Okay. And I really, what I felt when I went to the shelter in Israel and immediately leave the shelter after. And so the people of Israel, just walking into the shelter, leaving the shelter and celebrating in the beaches of Tel Aviv made me believe that this, these people cannot be defeated.
Those who celebrate life will not be defeated by those who worship death. Let's just mark this as a slogan of Israel,
and to me, Israel, I'll be very honest and blunt. I don't want to offend anyone. To me, Israel is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the heart of Israel. Tel Aviv is Vegas. But but Jerusalem to me is the heart of Israel, is where you feel really connected to the history, to the if you study the Bible so well.
Everywhere you go in Israel, you sense that there was a prophet or a judge, or a king or a hero of this nation lived in this land. This is so powerful and this is why I love Israel so much, especially Jerusalem. Of course. So I was doing some work with the Museum of Tolerance in, and I spoke to some audience there also in, in Jerusalem, and I'm planning to go again in, in summertime, even though I was advised not to go there.
Zack Bodner: Jerusalem is okay. We decided right Jerusalem, the weather's not to,
Loay Alshareef: but for sure I'm gonna go to celebrate my favorite holiday in the Jewish calendar. Hanukkah. Hanukkah,
Zack Bodner: yeah, absolutely.
Loay Alshareef: And it's light in the darkness. It's not only my favorite holiday, it's the most Zionist Z It's the most Zionist holiday in the Jewish calendar because it's about the Jewish independence from the Sid who are the Greek.
Syrians and it tells the story about, about about Israel. Yeah.
Zack Bodner: Some of us should be embarrassed that he knows more about our Jewish history than our own children. I'm not judging anybody, I'm just saying. But other than the spiritual, the connection to the land, the archeological it's a highly political moment as it almost always is in Israel, but you're there postoc October 7th, and you're there at a time when the people's nerves are raw.
Tell us about your reaction there. How did they react to you being there? The folks who didn't know that you're an influencer and your pro Israel, how did it feel for you to be there from that perspective?
Loay Alshareef: In French, you say, I really felt at home when I was in Israel for the first time. For the first time, really, I was welcomed by everyone from Ian Airport and all of those work in Ian are my friends by the way.
They took me for so many VIP tours in being, which is great by the way. And I wanna say that I really felt that when I first went to the shelter, that was November, 2024 I was asked by my friends, aren't you afraid? I said, you have to know one thing. When you defeat the bad ideology that incites hate into your heart and you expunge it, you will become invincible and you will not be afraid of those
Audience Member 2: who
Loay Alshareef: carry this ideology and fire rockets at you 'cause you defeated their ideology.
I defeated radical ideology. This is why I wasn't afraid of the rockets. And I really encourage people to visit Israel. Do not be afraid. Israel is safe. Israel is a blessing and it should be always remembered this way.
Zack Bodner: I sensed this from you as we were walking and talking before, and I said, where's your security?
Aren't you worried? You're putting yourself out there. There's no in your head, and you really didn't have the fear. I'm looking in your eyes and you are, and I felt like a Jewish mother. Let's take care of you.
Loay Alshareef: You don't wanna know what you are, what you I was doing. You. No, I, you should be careful.
I because he's so worried about me, but I'm just saying that, but how
Zack Bodner: do you expunge that fear? Is it how, because you, I really felt it from you that you don't have that fear.
Loay Alshareef: I receive lots of threats online, but I'll be very blunt again with you. I told you this is a mission that is worth every single thing to do for, and I have zero regrets.
Really. My favorite peace hero is the Egyptian president. Anorad. I always say Anorad was a real man of hero was a real man of peace. He paid his life for it. But he will always be remembered that he was on the right side of history and. I know for sure that one day all of us will die one day if I would die for this mission.
Trust me. Zero regrets.
Zack Bodner: Yeah it's remarkable. And speaking of men of peace, you're doing your work behind the scenes. You still have relationships with those at the highest levels in Saudi, I understand. Recently in Jed. And you've been doing doing this before the Abraham Accords.
You're way ahead of your time. An early adopter. That's the language we use here in Silicon Valley. But about peace between Israel and the Arab world. And I understand you were recently in a, an interesting meeting with Badar, aka yeah. Who is he's a nice guy. Very nice guy. God bless him. The one of his top aide to MBI mean, tell us a little bit about what's going on.
Yeah. He's MBS
Loay Alshareef: personal secretary. Yeah. And yeah he invited me in Ramadan to attend. It was in jda. And the irony is that after I finished the meeting with, I flew directly to Israel. No, indirectly to Israel. I had to go to Dubai, right? Catch a flight. And then, but one day in Shaah, soon it'll be a direct flight.
So I see that there will be peace in Shaah very soon. MBS really wants to solve the Palestinian code. And we have to differentiate between the Palestinian as people and Hamas and the radicals, Hamas radicals, Islamic Jihad. These are the evil players. But the Palestinian people really, I do believe that they deserve to live in dignity and they deserve to have a leadership that cares for them instead of those who consider their losses, tactical losses, like what Hamas is saying about the Palestinians who die in Gaza.
So there, there can be a solution. I'm so sure MBS is a great leader and he will come up with a solution that would lead the way for a permanent piece. I'm hopeful. I am hopeful. And
Zack Bodner: you do. You're hopefully you do believe the Saudis are moving closer to Yes,
Loay Alshareef: I'm I'm very hopeful.
MBS wants to have a Middle East that is prosperous and thriving and with trans and Europe. And he believes that it can happen with yeah, lots of work need to be done, but it'll happen.
Zack Bodner: And how much of this is because of the common enemy of Iran and how much of this is goodwill and wanting prosperity?
No, I don't
Loay Alshareef: think it has to do with Iran. No. I think it has to do with building the Middle East. The Middle East is a region that is got so much involved in wars and and chaos, and we need to just leave this behind and build a new Middle East. It has to do with this.
Yeah.
Loay Alshareef: And by the way, you can corner the bad players by having more peace when they feel isolated.
They would either hop on the train or they would be left behind.
Zack Bodner: Some hypothesize that Kamas even carried out the attacks of October 7th because they saw the Abraham Accords starting gain momentum.
Loay Alshareef: It's not really a theory. It is the truth. Yeah. Hamas carried out October 7th because they really felt that according to so many leaders of theirs, it's because they really anticipated that there will be a very imminent peace between Saudi and Israel, and they carry the attack for that.
Zack Bodner: So it really is the peacemakers that can make sure that the war is dispel. Now you do a really incredible job, and it's important for our community here of distinguishing between everyday Palestinians and the Palestinians who are suffer and Hamas. And you've said that, you've said that Palestinians who are suffering right now in Gaza because of Israel's response, it's not Israel's fault you've put it on Hamas' shoulder.
Loay Alshareef: Of course. No. Everyone who said, when I speak in to my community, to the Muslim community or to the Christian community. And they say, but this ward is happening right now and this ward is ugly. I say, I agree with you. This ward is an ugly war. That can stop yesterday.
Yeah.
Loay Alshareef: If those who started the war ended,
yeah,
Loay Alshareef: Hama started the war and it can end it yesterday if they release the hostages and lay down their arms.
Simple, basic in elementary. So this is something very important because Israel didn't ask for this war. Didn't want this war, and didn't really, it didn't start. It didn't want it, didn't ask for it. Hamas did. But the distinction between the Palestinians and Hamas is very important. I'll tell you why.
Because there are gams who paid their life protesting against Hamas even a couple of months ago. Many gams who protested against Hamas, paid their life for it. And some people, by the way, even before October seven, when Hamas did the kta in 2007. Hamas killed so many Palestinians as well who did not agree with its policies.
So we should not be as Che said Che said, we should not generalize. If we want to fight the bad people, we should not be bad ourselves. And we should not generalize as saying all the Palestinians are Hamas or all Gaza, Hamas. This is not true.
Zack Bodner: Yeah, it's not true. We know that it's not true. And it's complicated and it's messy.
And it's difficult because we also know that on October 7th, many regular Palestinians, many civilian also complicit, I know with Hamas, but not
Loay Alshareef: all.
Zack Bodner: Not all, of course not all. Yes, IDF has a tough job of going in and making the distinction and
Loay Alshareef: Yeah, of course. And they don't care for their own population.
Hamas doesn't really, you have to understand one thing. Radical Islamism is a pathological creed that believes in an apocalyptic apocalypse where millions die on both sides for a disappeared in to reappear. And for a final battle to happen between Jews and Muslims. And this is their ideology, which is evil.
And I was indoctrinated with this ideology when I was young. If you ask a 17-year-old lu, I would say, yeah, of course this is what we know. But then you know something else, and this is why you need to have this kind of education to change people's minds at heart. It starts with education. Trust me. It starts with education.
What would you expect from a Gasson who did this on October 7th that he was educated from day one? Jews are your enemies. Jews are the bad people. Jews are the enemies of God. Jews are the enemies of Muhammad. Jews are this. Jews are that. What would you expect them to be? A peacemaker. Come on. Of course not.
It has to change. And this is why the first thing that has to happen when this ugly war ends is the deradicalization. And I believe it can happen. It worked in Germany and it can work also in gas.
Zack Bodner: How give it. Thank you. Like I agree with you and I, let's spend some time on this issue of radical Islam because I, you have a lot to teach us.
So we how can it happen? I feel like you're such a a needle in a haystack as they say. It's such a rarity to have somebody like you who came out of this background is now a peacemaker and out there on the front lines. How do we do this on mass again? Do you Silicon Valley speak? How do we scale this
Loay Alshareef: exposure?
So let's take the 17-year-old lu who was a religious Muslim, memorized the whole Quran 114 chapters. Who would tell you Jews are the enemies of God when he was 17? I would never accept having peace with Jews or with Israel. Why did that change? Let's go to the answer. What happened in Paris?
Exposure. Exposure. We need to have some sort of exchange programs where we can have Muslims and Jews mingle and work together, not in the Middle East, in Africa. For a certain project, for some voluntarily for some voluntary work where they mingle and work together and get to know each other.
This is the way that so many bad ideas will shatter. And I believe if this is cascaded on a larger scale, great change can happen.
Zack Bodner: I believe you're right. I think there's a lot of fear to overcome so that people will do that. There's a, an initiative called the Moia House, which brings young Jews right outta college to live together.
And I remember a couple years ago coming outta that, the Abraham House came outta that, where they were bringing Muslims, Christians and Jews together to live right outta college. And it's a perfect example of what you're talking about.
Loay Alshareef: And that's the solution. That's the solution because people, when they are not exposed, I guess not, I guess I believe those who hate Jews in the Arab world have never met a Jew, have never met a Jew.
Ask them, do you have Jewish friends? No. What do you know about the Jews? I don't know much, but I, no, I know about what my scholars or what my teachers are teaching me about Jews.
Zack Bodner: Yeah. You've warned publicly that radical Islam will eventually target western societies. So what would be your message to politicians about this threats?
Loay Alshareef: Listen to those who know, listen to those who who understand how this ideology works. Your regulations really have a problem if you allow me to speak, please. So in the west, in the us, in Canada, in Europe, not so many people can distinguish between freedom of speech and incitement. We think they're all the same, and this is not true.
So there is a difference between freedom of speech and incitement. From the river to the sea, or other battle cries that are being repeated in campuses cannot be treated as freedom of speech burning. An American flag cannot be treated as a freedom of speech. And I've seen so many people, by the way, in Washington, some of them are Jewish.
They were telling me burning an American flag in our society, in our community is creative speech. Buy another flag. It's not about buying another flag, it's about the symbolism of what this action carries. If a foreign student doesn't appreciate that he's in a country that millions would die to come and live and study in, they should be deported.
If they do not appreciate that, they should be deported. But if you have people who are misusing your liberal freedom, you should know that there will be consequences, God forbid. But there will be consequences that you will pay and. When people say, why do you warn about the Muslim Brotherhood or the Radical Islamists?
Because we trusted them in the 1970s and eighties. They were operational in the UAE, they operated in the UAE, they operated in Saudi Arabia. And then their evil deeds became so obvious and they were kicked out. Guess where they go? London, Birmingham, Washington, Los Angeles, New York Montreal, Vancouver, all over the place.
And then people would say, people would, the west would say, we have a problem. Of course you have a problem because you did not listen to those who know
Zack Bodner: I happen to agree with you a hundred percent. With campuses in particular, my oldest daughter, student at Columbia where it's just a mess.
A ba FAAH, is the right. A big ba, lagan. So what should the universities be doing? I have my ideas of what the universities should be doing. What is your advice for the universities, the university presidents? How do they balance the freedom of speech, the first amendment rights with also stopping the incitement and ensuring that language that does turn to hate speech?
What would you tell a university president who's sitting across from you right now? Yeah, just prevent those who intimidate other students for their faith or for their ethnicity. That's it. You just have to stop that because I've met so many Jewish students in Columbia and also in Canada, by the way, who said, we are afraid to go to our classes because we are Jewish.
Loay Alshareef: This cannot be classified as freedom of speech, and you have to stop the battle cries that are being chanted in so many American campuses and think of them this is freedom of speech. It is not. Trust me, it is not and it is the first step for doing something physical that would be harmful not only to the Jewish students, to other students as well.
Zack Bodner: Yeah, there's actually I don't know if you know this, there's US case law that's gone all the way to the Supreme Court that ruled that you can't wear at a black university Confederate flag, because it'll be provocative. They said that's not protected under free speech because we know it could incite violence, but they haven't used that same thinking when it comes to the, when it
Loay Alshareef: comes to the Kofi or when it comes to other things, because they don't wanna sound, they don't they are afraid to be called islamaphobes.
And guess what? There is nothing called Islamophobia. I'll tell you this. As an Arab and a Muslim, there is nothing called Islamophobia. I'll tell you why. There is anti-Muslim bigotry, people who hate Muslims from being Muslims. That is true. There is an incident in Canada where someone attacked a mosque or in New Zealand where someone when a gunman walked into a mosque and killed peaceful Muslims.
But Islamophobia as a term, is used by radical Islamic groups to protect themselves from being criticized. And you don't understand that in the West, they are using this to protect themselves from being criticized. So the moment you criticized you are Islamophobic phobia is the irrational fear. I personally have a hundred percent rational fear to be afraid of the Islamists and their radicals because they spoke against me personally after October 7th, intimidated me, ex blackmailed me for so many things that I did on on social media and so many others who are standing against their ideology, who being blackmailed hunted and threatened.
This is not a rational theory. This is a rational theory. This is why the word Islamophobia has to stop, has to be ceased from existence.
Zack Bodner: So how do you distinguish though, between real mu big bigotry against Muslims and Islamophobia, which may just be used as, because the, when we think of homophobia, it's anti.
Homosexual actions, incitements. So how do you distinguish between if
Loay Alshareef: someone would say, I hate Muslims for being Muslim, that is anti-Muslim bigotry. If someone is saying I'm afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood because what they're either doing in my society, or I'm afraid of the Muslim students who are intimidating my Jewish students, or I'm afraid of those who are closing the roads to so they want to pray.
If you are a true Muslim, why would you need to shut down, do shut down roads to pray? This is not a prayer. This is a show of power that, hey, I'm here and I will be dominant one day. And if you're afraid of that, you are not Islamic folk. You are, you have rational fears of this of this kind of group.
So this is the difference. If you speak up against all Muslims, that is something if you speak against radical Muslim groups who want to change your I really don't know. Why would someone come from the Middle East to America? Instead of assimilating. Instead of assimilate, he wants to dominate.
Instead of being part of the American society, he wants to change the American society with the same ideology that he fled away from. Then what's the point of being an American? And he met so many people, and I'll be very honest, I met so many people in France who became French citizens from Moroccan or Algerian background.
These, I hate France. What are you doing in France? No, the benefits are great. Ah, the benefits are great and the politicians and the leftists in the, and the politicians in the in, in the West, they don't really understand that. And they don't understand. It will backfire. And they are doing it because of the boats.
Some of them are doing it 'cause of the boats, and some of them are doing it because they don't want to be called Islamophobia or Islamophobes. There are Arabs and Muslims. You cannot be more Arab than me. You cannot be more Muslim than me. And we are telling you these people are dangerous and they will bring your society into a catastrophe.
Listen to those who know.
Zack Bodner: We need to model our behavior after yours. Your bravery, the courage, your willingness to swim against the current. It's one of the things we're trying to train our young people. We have programs here, leadership development programs for our kids going off to college. What would be your advice to these young people, these college kids?
Because it's hard social ostracization social suicide they call it now. If you know my daughter was canceled from her theater group for being a Jew, for being a Zionist she's strong, but she's in the minority. How, what would you say to our kids? We need to have your strength and your willingness to push back against so much of the current climate.
Loay Alshareef: Never be intimidated if opportunities are lost, so many other opportunities will come. If you lose friends, you will gain more friends. I would say never be ashamed of who you are, especially if you are Jewish. Never be ashamed of your heritage. Speak up if you lose friends. Make more friends who are aligned with your views.
Grow your alliance. You have to rely on your non-Jewish allies because we are your best ally. We outnumber you because you are, at the end of the day, you're 15 million or 1.8 billion. So I'm just saying that grow your alliance and work with those who who are willing to listen and who are willing to become more and more allies.
Zack Bodner: Great advice. I want to ask an interesting question that y'all have encouraged me to ask you about your experiences with these non Zionist Jewish communities. That was the best tell. Tell us a little bit about that.
Loay Alshareef: That is the best experience I have ever had. So in in Ottawa, I had the opportunity to speak to a non Zionist Jewish community, and I told him, please enlighten me as someone.
Who is a Muslim and an Arab who wants to understand what's your point of view, why you are not why you're not Zionist or what's your problem with Israel. Okay. They were nice and they were just but I'll be very blunt in, in saying my opinion. So they were telling me, first of all, Israel is a state against God.
You should never go back to the land of Israel according to our faith unless there is a divine order for you to go back. So what is that? So let me just understand this correctly. So you agree with the idea that you have to go back to the line of Israel, but it's only with a divine order. Yeah. If it's not a divine order, we cannot go back to the line of Israel.
So what is the divine order you're waiting for? El Ma? I said, please, can you show me where in the Bible where in the Hebrew Bible it says, so you should only go back with the machir. It is not in the Hebrew Bible. It's the interpretation of our sages. Okay, good. So it's not in the Hebrew Bible. And you believe that one day the ma will come and he will take you to the land of Israel.
So you have no issue to going back to the land of Israel. It is just a matter of a mechanism. They said, yeah, but it has to be with the Macia. I said thank you so much for proving my point, because you are Zionists in the waiting. That's what I call them. And I call 'em from now on Zionists in the waiting.
They are Z. They are Z by the way. Not only that many of the Naori movement, they believe that the temple will be rebuilt, that that the Machir will be the king of Israel and he will rule Israel. And if the pro Hama supporters listen to what they say, and I told him this, with all due respect, I'm being very honest.
As someone who really loves the Jewish people if you are caught in the hands of Hamas, they will kill you too. You know why? You know why? Because on October 7th, Hamas did not kill the far right Jews. They killed the most pacifist Jews of the state of Israel, the leftists, the Mni, those who believed in the right of the Palestinians to have a state.
Those who came to me on social media and said, Lu, a, you are sga, you are this, you are that. Many of them were killed by Haas. That was Hamas greatest miscalculation or calculation. And it said to the employee culture group, you would be also targeted as well. And by the way, the pacifist Jews were also killed in Nazi Germany.
Yeah,
Zack Bodner: exactly. Sounds like an incredible experience, but we have to call waiting, but we
Loay Alshareef: have to call them from now on Zionist in the waiting. So it's
Zack Bodner: just all about timing. Yeah, it's all about
Loay Alshareef: sometimes when machir comes, no they believe that they have to go back to the line of Israel, but only when macia comes.
So that that's the only thing. But the idea you cannot take, you cannot, by the way, in Judaism, you cannot take the element of the land from the faith. You cannot take the element of the land of Israel from the faith. And every Passover Jews are saying next year in Jerusalem. It is part of the faith.
You cannot take it away from them.
Zack Bodner: Amen to that. Okay. I'm gonna ask you one last question and prepare the audience for how we're gonna do questions. Maya, Ty, how are we gonna do that? Bring the microphone around. Yeah. Okay. And I'll ask that you ask. Questions and don't make 15 minute speeches, please. But so you have an incredible audience here that has come out, spent one of their evenings rather than watching Netflix at home to be here to learn to show you their love and support.
What can they do to help? What can they do to emulate you to be these PSAP gets themselves? What's your advice for how can they can? So first
Loay Alshareef: of all, I'm really appreciative for this opportunity and I wanna say that you can help voices like mine by giving us the podium. And this is why I really appreciate all the Jewish organizations and the non-Jewish organizations that invite us to speak because this way you are encouraging also the Arab peace activists and the Muslim voices who are the growing minority to speak up.
When we speak up, we encourage others to speak up. And on this note, I really thank Israel Bonds for giving me this opportunity to speak in Seattle. And also in San Paolo, I still call it.
Yeah. So to speak up. To speak up because really with Israel bonds and also of course you have brought me to Berkeley last year and other organizations. I'm gonna speak now in London, in Rome, Italy for the first time to the Italian community and also in the Netherlands dismay as well.
When you give us the podium to speak up, you are doing us a favor because you are encouraging other Muslims who refuse to be called or who refuse to believe that the enmity is eternal, which is not between Arabs and Israelis, Muslims and Jews. And when you encourage the silent majority to speak up, we would become an all a bigger alliance.
That one day will be the norm. I would remind the Jewish people that the Maccabees started as two Yahuda and mahu,
right?
Loay Alshareef: And then became the norm
right there. There
Loay Alshareef: were other Jews who refused the revolt of Judah, the Macabe. They were called ya, mi, the Greek Jews who said, ah, let them ize J let them do this, let them do it.
But Yehuda refused a Yehuda when he saw Antis bringing the statue of Jupiter or Zeus inside Betham Dash, he said, you are destroying our monotheism. The Israelite monotheism, the greatest gift that God ever gave us. And you are taking away our sovereignty. We are not going to let this happen. And he was only with his dad Matia.
And then they became the Maccabi those who defeated the lucid and down to became the norm. So small majority can become. Small minority can become the majority mund day in
Zack Bodner: Shaha.
Loay Alshareef: So thank you again for giving us the podium and keep inviting us to this beautiful city that I don't hall exactly.
But I don't call its name, right? Yeah, it what a shame. It's all
Zack Bodner: right. It's alright. Alright. We have some folks who wanna ask you some questions
Loay Alshareef: for sure.
Zack Bodner: Okay. Maya, I
was wondering if you ever speak at
Zack Bodner: mosques? We can't hear you Ja. If he ever speaks at mosques. Yeah. Mic isn't,
Loay Alshareef: if I ever spoke in mosques there was a plan to speak in Michigan and there was an event and it was canceled four days before.
I understand it's difficult, but I'm working on it and I really want my fellow Muslims to hear a different point of view when I tell them that you cannot be the enemies of the people. That 1.8 billion of us. Many of the 1.8 billion are named after Jewish prophet Kings of heroes, which is hilarious. I don't want to say this to our, and I want to say, and you know what?
It's so funny that, by the way, I'll tell you one funny fact. Sh the leader of the Houthis, his name is of course ti the leader of the Houthis,
Audience Member 3: his son, what's his name?
Loay Alshareef: Jabil Jab. His name is Jabil. His son's name is Jabil. Jabil doesn't have any meaning in Arabic. You know what it means?
Ver her el, the man of God, Gabrielle and their slogan, death to the Jews. But we can name our children after the Jews, but death to the Jews. This is the kind of education that needs to expand in the, and I wanna do this in mosque. It is challenging, but I'm working on it. I'm working.
Zack Bodner: We need to clone you.
Get your eyes on the road some more. Okay, who has the microphone? Gabriel. Oh, I God. Oh yeah, grace. Alright, next one. Ellie.
Audience Member 4: Now, right now, or very soon, Trump is gonna be traveling to the Middle East, mostly Saudi Arabia. And it's already announced that he's gonna have a big statement to make afterwards. So I'm asking you, do you think that statement may be that Saudi will join the
another one?
Loay Alshareef: But I wish
Audience Member 4: as Giuliani put a suit and a tie and he's starting to France and they're talking about the possibility that the Syrians will join that.
Loay Alshareef: So I want to tell, I wanna say one thing on the Giani. I don't I have my doubts. I tell you why I believe people change, but if you really changed, you have to speak up.
And publicly denounce your bad ideas or your bad beliefs. If you don't and you just change your candu or your Gaia to a tuxedo doesn't work. And this is an openly evasive policy. It's a camouflage. And this is why I don't trust Yoani personally, because he doesn't, because he didn't so far publicly denounce the bad ideas that he had.
We had all bad ideas, but you have to publicly denounce them in order for people to trust you. If you don't, that means you're hiding something
Zack Bodner: that's not, it's a sign of strength. It's too often it's seen as a sign of weakness among politicians. It is not a sign of, it's not a
Loay Alshareef: sign of weakness at all.
It's a sign of strength, especially when it comes through knowledge. Especially when it comes through knowledge. Yes. Yeah, for sure. Okay, Maya, to you on your side, we're going. Bipartisan. Left left,
Audience Member 2: what can we do about the United Nations as an institution in this world?
Loay Alshareef: So yo is trying to do a plan on this and in sha I hope it works,
Zack Bodner: trying to get you in front of the United Nations in
Loay Alshareef: Shalon.
And I would love to speak in front of the United Nations to teach them a historical lesson. And I referred my speech, what I wanna say in the United Nations. I wanna say, please feel grateful to the nation that one of its prophets wrote an inspiration inscribed in your walls when you write it behind your building that says, nation shall not lift up sword against nation.
They shall learn war no more. These were the words of Isha, the prophet who lived in a land he called Israel. Feel appreciated.
Zack Bodner: Okay. Stand up. So everyone sees that you're adorable. 12-year-old. Okay.
Audience Member 5: Have you managed to influence anyone in your community and like how did they react
Loay Alshareef: in this community,
Audience Member 5: in your community?
Loay Alshareef: In your community? Yes, of course. I have met so many influencers in my community and in Saudi and the UAE, many of them are positive about what I say.
They have their disagreements, not all of them. Some of them have disagreements, but they're very open to learn more. They appreciate that it comes through knowledge and facts and the truth and and some of other influencers. Yeah, decided to just, block me and just end the re end the friendship.
But I always say the door is open. Whenever you want to come back, you're more than welcome. And let me tell you one thing, a month ago. One of my great friends, he's an influencer in gaming. He's a gamer, okay? Before, after October 7th, he said, Lou, I am really sorry. I have tremendous pressure that I have to unfollow you on Instagram because people are coming after me.
How
Audience Member 3: could
Loay Alshareef: you
Audience Member 3: follow this Zionist, who is not even an Arab, he's an Israeli born in Jerusalem. I wish. But he is not an Arab. He's not a Muslim. He's just a, a good player or a bad
Loay Alshareef: actor. Bad actor. Bad actor. Bad actor
Audience Member 3: for the Mossad.
Loay Alshareef: Yeah, exactly. Mossad sad. Mossad owes me a lot. I need to do some bonds for the, to get some Mossad.
Yeah, exactly. But I just wanna say that a month ago he came back and he said I really want you to understand that I, I was under a tremendous pressure. And I really hope that we get our friendship back and I watch your videos. And your perseverance made me believe that there is something behind this guy that made him believe in what he's believing in.
And I wanna learn more. And I met with him before I traveled. Wow. So I never get, I always say I really feel blessed that I went through this journey from someone who hated to someone who embraced the Jewish people. I'll tell you why. Because this journey made me a better person in a way that when I see people from the other side attack me, I said, you know what?
I've been in your shoes. I know exactly what you're gonna say. I know all the lies and all the misinformation. Misinformation, and whenever you want to, whenever you wanna listen, I will be more than happy to speak. But I'm not angry at all at you because I know how you feel, but I know it's wrong.
I had been there, I saw exactly how it looked like and I said goodbye. I'm not gonna go back.
Zack Bodner: Oh, yeah.
Audience Member 6: For me secure Syria would be crucial in preventing clementine from rebuilding Lebanese Hezbollah. So if Gelani said, yeah, denounce choir, leadership of Jaua and involvement with Al-Qaeda, would you then say,
Loay Alshareef: of course. Yeah, of course. He has to do this. He has to denounce his ideas with Jabra and Al-Qaeda, and he said that he can just make, by the way he can.
When I thought about it with some other influencer, they said, oh, but he's surrounded by people who would kill him if he said there are some ways he can do it politically. Like for example, I have belief that Jews and Christians or the enmity, for example, stuff like that.
Now I have different views, different opinions. I I'm learning while I go, and so many bad ideas that I held in the past are now behind my back and I'm a different person. But he has to be, it has to be public. It has to be public. And of course you have to denounce being part of course.
Thank you. Yeah. This side.
Audience Member 7: Hi, my name is Huon. I'm a Persian Christian. I'm the only artist in the world asked by the state of Israel to make the woman life freedom murals in Israel. I put 18 of them up. Our mutual friend Heather Chester, told me to come here. Ah, Heather, of course. Yeah. To hear you speak.
I, I have two questions. One is when I started putting these murals up in Israel, the whole world saw that the Jews are the only people in the Middle East standing with the freedom fighting women of Iran. And I got hundreds of messages from Arab women all around the world saying, we can't believe there's murals in the Middle East of a woman's hair showing.
And my first question to you is, from what you've seen and observed, what is the Arab reaction to this woman led revolution in Iran? Because Israel is very clear. They're standing with these women in Iran and there are no other countries in the Middle East where there's a woman life freedom mural.
Loay Alshareef: Yeah. There are people who are supporting the freedom in this movement in Iran, but they are not they are not amplified, I would say their voices are not amplified. But I see so many people or so many women organizations in the UEE and also in, in the Gulf that speak up for that.
But the, back to the Iranian issue, the Iranian, the Iranians I would say this like the Iranian issues are not of big concern in the Gulf States or in the. So many parts of the Arab world, this is why you don't hear a lot. We don't know much what's happening in Iran, by the way, other than the fact that they are just, ruled by the muah and they are making their life a misery.
But we're not so much exposed to what's happening in Iran. This is why you don't have these kind of many movements that support what's happening. But from what I know, they have lots of support, but they are not amplified enough.
Zack Bodner: Okay. How much more time do we have, Maya? One more question
Audience Member 2: before we get picked out.
You're
Zack Bodner: gonna have to pick, I'm not picking Ms. Crowd. All
Audience Member 7: right.
So something that I find really important here is that independent, in addition to the views you're expressing, you represent a generation that should be coming into its, I don't know how to put it, political, mainstream. If we look around the world, particularly in Israel, you see the same old politicians, people are talking about, who are the potential next leaders?
And it's just musical chairs. Who do you think would be, and if you don't know individuals, where would you look for the source of leaders for Israel that are roughly in, your generation? Okay.
Loay Alshareef: Leaders from
Audience Member 7: Israel. Israel, future political leaders. Yeah. The people that are gonna be the peacemakers from the other side, from the Israeli side, but that are of your rough, I don't wanna be ageist, but say your generation
Zack Bodner: Yeah.
Up and covers the up and covers.
Audience Member 7: Yeah.
Zack Bodner: So
Audience Member 7: I was, we've gotta sweep out the old clear 'em out. Left, all of them gone. Who do we put in? Okay.
Loay Alshareef: I need to pay more visits to Israel to answer this question. I'm not really
Audience Member 7: please, when you visit, think and think of, even if it's not the individuals where you would look for them how we can go find them and encourage them.
Loay Alshareef: Alright, I will do Alright. Want the next visit to Israel.
Zack Bodner: Okay. Listen I know we're coming to time here. We wanna be respectful of your time you've given us by the way
Loay Alshareef: no, I can take all the time, I just No worries.
Zack Bodner: Of course. Alright, it sounds like I've been outvoted.
Audience Member 1: Thank you so much for coming. My name is Satish, I'm a Hindu. Oh. So after 1.8, I have so many Hindu friends, by the way, in Abu Dhabi, we have a big Du temple. Yeah, of course. Awesome. I'm a big fan of MBS also always looking at and making a moderate view of how we look at the things. Really appreciate, and I see you also part of it.
So my main question was because I've been in Saudi for couple of months, five, six months way back in 2000. But things got changed now much more dramatically, easier way, dramatically. My main we stand with Jewish friends and after October 7th we had been with shoulder to shoulder and they also showed the support when we were also being attacked.
I may say, I don't have to be specific, but, so my question is since the Islam you have the influence from Saudi Arabia and there's certain people, religious people who have an influence all over the world in the moss. What when I have grown in way back in India, I see every day every time there is a Friday, prayers happen.
They come out of it. And there's a lot of hatred. They show against coffees we, and there would be a reaction of stone throwing or other things and in our festivals also. I feel that there is a certain sense of influence where Saudi can do to have influence on these mosques.
I don't know. You call SFI or Hanni, so how Yes. Can you It is doing it. Saudi is doing it with the leadership of MBS, but there is there is a remnant of the past, especially what we call, or those who were so extreme radicals. So it'll take time to clean things up, but it is happening right now.
Loay Alshareef: The new curricula in Saudi are very progressive. But the old curricula is still circulating, which is challenging, but with time it will just take over. So it's just a matter of time. But MBS is doing this, of course, for sure. To have this vision and this influence to be expanded positively. Positively.
It'll just take a matter of time. MBS took to control in 2015, so it's 10 years. Little bit of tense.
Zack Bodner: Alright, I am gonna wrap up because I wanna be respectful and LO's gotta get all the way back to Marin. One last comment Loay on what you'd like to say to leave us with the hopefulness that you've filled us with over this evening.
It's great to meet someone like you that lifts us up at a moment of such darkness. So I'm gonna ask you to leave us with a, another moment of hope and then a message of hope. What's the final word for you tonight?
Loay Alshareef: My final words? I accept all charity in forms of baba.
No, my, my final thought is I am so grateful to be invited and to speak and please. Keep amplifying our voices. Keep giving us the podium. We are your best ally. The non-Jewish voices are your best ally. Together we stand together, we thrive. We are a family, and despite all the challenges, we will prevail.
And don't let the radicals make you believe that Muslims and Jews, Arabs, and Israelis are enemies. I will keep reiterating this over and over. We are not. We will prevail together in Shaah. Thank you again, Israel bonds for giving me this opportunity to speak to this amazing audience. I'm looking forward to having more and more engagements.
Thank you.
