NHS Consultant Suspended Over Antisemitic Social Media Posts
A National Health Service doctor has been suspended for two months after sharing conspiracy theories on social media that falsely claimed Jewish people were behind the September 11 terrorist attacks. Dr Najmiah Ahmad, a consultant anaesthetist working at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust at the time, appeared before a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing facing serious misconduct allegations.
Offensive Content and Tribunal Findings
The tribunal heard how Dr Ahmad used her X account to repost two seriously offensive comments that prompted a formal complaint from the Jewish Medical Association UK to the General Medical Council. One repost stated: 'The Zionist owned-and-controlled mainstream media has suppressed this important story for years. Are you surprised? 9/11 was an inside job, The Zionist owned-and-controlled US government was complicit.'
A second repost featured an AI-generated image showing the New York skyline with the Twin Towers and a plane flying toward them, accompanied by text reading: 'This should also be considered. 5 Dancing Zionists on 9/11 attacks.' The controversial image depicted a white van on a rooftop with five males wearing clothing typically associated with Hasidic Jews, celebrating the attack alongside a blue Star of David symbol.
Katie Nowell, counsel for the GMC, argued that the posts promoted dangerous conspiracy theories suggesting Zionists were responsible for the 9/11 attacks and that Dr Ahmad had effectively endorsed this offensive content through her reposting actions.
Doctor's Defense and Background
During proceedings, Dr Ahmad claimed she used X primarily as a research tool and had reposted the comments to 'bookmark' them for later review after becoming 'obsessed' with understanding more about Zionism. She acknowledged using the platform to comment on others' posts but denied intentionally 'amplifying' or promoting harmful content to wider audiences.
The tribunal noted that Dr Ahmad now accepts the term 'Zionist' can be used to describe Jewish or Israeli people and recognizes that well-established antisemitic tropes include conspiracy theories about Jewish control of media and governments, along with false claims about Jewish responsibility for the 9/11 attacks.
In her testimony, Dr Ahmad attributed her lack of understanding about antisemitism to her cultural background, stating: 'I would like the tribunal to know that it's a foreign thing for me to learn about antisemitism. It's not a Southeast Asian thing to grow up learning about it in school. I had a steep learning curve.' She added: 'At the time I reposted it I wanted to know what has Zionism got to with 9/11 - conspiracy or not conspiracy, I just wanted to know. I don't support any of this.'
Tribunal's Decision and Sanctions
The medical tribunal found that while Dr Ahmad had been 'emotionally impacted' by events in Gaza and was 'naive' in her social media use, there was 'insufficient evidence' that her actions were motivated by racial or religious hostility and prejudice against Jewish people. The panel accepted her claim that she didn't understand at the time that the terms 'Zionism' and 'Zionist' could be used as proxies for Jewish people.
However, the tribunal determined that Dr Ahmad's fitness to practise medicine was impaired due to her misconduct. She has since undergone specific training and mentoring regarding appropriate social media use and stated clearly: 'I don't hate Jews.' Despite this remediation, the tribunal imposed a two-month suspension from medical practice as a disciplinary measure.
This case highlights the serious professional consequences healthcare professionals face when engaging with harmful conspiracy theories on social media platforms, particularly those promoting antisemitic narratives that contradict medical ethics and professional standards.
