Omar Mohammed
Dr. Omar Mohammed is a historian from Mosul, known only recently as the anonymous blogger ‘Mosul Eye’. Through Mosul Eye, Omar set out to inform the world about life under the Islamic State in his city. He is the head of the Antisemitism Research Initiative within the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. He hosts the podcast series "Mosul and the Islamic State," which tells untold stories from inside the Islamic State’s reign of terror, the pursuit of justice in its aftermath, and the enduring struggle of the people of Mosul for a better future. Additionally, he hosts "36 Minutes on Antisemitism," a series that discusses the rise of antisemitism around the world, featuring policymakers and officials globally. Omar teaches Middle East History, Cultural Heritage Diplomacy, and Counter Terrorism at Sciences Po University. His focus has now shifted to advocating social initiatives for the people of Mosul, including the international effort to re-supply the Central Library of the University of Mosul. Omar served as a senior consultant at UNESCO from 2018 to 2023. He has professional experience in cultural heritage project management. He has led several heritage projects in Iraq and the Middle East, including the Oral History of the Mosuli Jewish Community in Israel and the Oral History of Mosul in Iraq. Omar is also active in climate change activism, where he led the Green Mosul project to replant trees in his hometown, where he was exiled. He received his Ph.D. in Middle East and Ottoman History from EHESS in Paris, France, and holds an MA in Middle East History from the University of Mosul. He was named 2013 Researcher of the Year by Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. He was listed among The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life in 2020 by The Algemeiner. His doctoral research explores history and historians in 19th and 20th-century Mosul. He now lives in exile in Europe.
Publications
"The ISIS 'caliphate' failed but extremism remains an evolving threat", National News, July 17, 2024
"History will record who destroyed Mosul’s heritage sites — and who rebuilt them," National News, June 21, 2022
"The Taliban Haven't Changed, but U.S. Policy Must," International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT)- The Hague, October 31, 2021
"History’s rhymes in the fall of Kabul and Mosul: Flawed ideas, broken promises, and poisonous spin," Lawfare, September 2, 2021
"The Head of ISIS is a Hypocrite and a Traitor," Foreign Policy, November 19, 2020
"Exposing Terror, Building Resilience: Harnessing Citizen Journalists and Social Media to Confront Terrorism," GNET, September 29, 2020
The Logic of Insanity: Why Groups Like ISIS & Hamas Strategically Court with Self-Destruction, Program on Extremism, November 1, 2023
The Perilous Intersection of Amnesty and Accountability: Iraq's Legal Quandary and its Global Counterterrorism Ramifications, Program on Extremism, October 9, 2023
Rebuilding Cultural Heritage in Mosul and Beyond: A Key Strategy in Countering Extremism, Program on Extremism, May 5, 2023
Preserving Memory, Promoting Understanding: The Importance of Oral History in Combatting Antisemitism in the Middle East, Program on Extremism, May 5, 2023
Headless & Vulnerable: Cracks in Daesh’s Core Must Be Exploited, Program on Extremism, May 5, 2023
The Forever War: The Doctrine and Legacy of ISIS Child Soldiers, Program on Extremism, February 18, 2023
The Islamic State’s Defection & Reintegration Strategies: Transforming Enemies into Supporters to Sustain Its Forever Wars, Program on Extremism, August 25, 2022
Elections, but no Democracy": Omar Mohammed, Clandestine Chronicler of ISIS, on Iraq's Past—and its Future, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, June 2, 2022
Fraternity is More Durable than Fratricide : Pope Francis Visits Iraq, Contending Modernities, March 18, 2021
Mosul’s new chapter: What do students think about the new books arriving at Mosul library, after Isis destroyed the previous building and collection?, Index on Censorship Volume 48, Issue 3, 2019
Eye of the storm: The historian known as Mosul Eye on documenting what Isis were trying to destroy, Index on Censorship Volume 47, Issue 1, April 9, 2018
Mapping the Tribes of Nineveh: The Future Role of the Tribes in Post-ISIL Nineveh, USIP - Policy Paper, March 10, 2016
"ISIS Attack on the Divinely Protected City of Mosul: A Terrorist Attack on Diversity and Peace," in Mariz Tadros, Philip Mader and Kathryn Cheeseman, eds., Poverty and Prejudice (Bristol University Press,2023)
"Space, Time and People: How the Destruction of Mosul’s Heritage Reshaped the Future of the People,” in Lorenzo Kamel, ed., Collapse and Rebirth of Cultural Heritage: The Case of Syria and Iraq (Peter Lang, 2020)
"IŞİD’in Düşüşünden Sonra Musul ve Civar Kasabaları," in Davut Hut, ed., Yüzyıllık Sorun: Musul Vilayeti (VakıfBank Kültür Yayınları, 2020)
"The ‘anti-Zionist’ threat: American Jews increasingly the target of anti-Israel violence" | Washington Examiner | 4 July, 2025
"The murders outside the museum were foreseeable: That’s the problem" | Times of Israel | 22 May, 2025
الشرع في العراق: خطوة نحو المصالحة أم مغامرة محفوفة بالمخاطر؟ | BBC | 5 May, 2025
"The reconstruction of Mosul through the eyes of Omar Mohammed" | Foundation Max van der Stoel | 26 March, 2025
"Yazidis call attention to nearly 3,000 captives still missing a decade later" | Religion News Service | 24 March, 2025
"DOJ task force to visit GWU, other universities to investigate antisemitism allegations" | Caplin News | 13 March, 2025
"Once Neighbors, Now Strangers: Can Jews Walk Iraq’s Streets Again?" | Times of Israel | 28 February, 2025
"The Arab World’s Forgotten Jewish Past" | Times of Israel | 22 February, 2025
"Why ISIS’s Message Still Echoes in America" | Times of Israel | 2 January, 2025
"«C’est un moment crucial où tout est possible» : dans le Nord-Est syrien, la menace de Daech croît" | Le Figaro | 2 January, 2025
"« La guerre en Syrie n’est pas terminée » : dans le Nord-Est, les Kurdes se préparent à une flambée des violences" | Le Figaro | 30 December, 2024
"Why discussing antisemitism is dangerous for Arab intellectuals" | Times of Israel | November 21, 2024
"How do you say Jew in Arabic?" | Times of Israel | November 13, 2024
"Mosul Eye: ten years after Isis, the eyes of a wounded people reborn"| Asia News | November 6, 2024
"Rediscovering Humanity: A Reflection on Shabbat and Empathy" | Times of Israel | September 25, 2024
"The Surge of Antisemitism After October 7: A Global Crisis | Times of Israel | September 17, 2024
"What makes Mosul so special?" | The Global Coalition | August 2, 2024
"Mangel an historischem Verständnis" | Juedische Allgemeine | July 29,2024
"Marking the tenth anniversary: Mosul’s resilience and rebirth" | Alarabiya News | June 28,2024
"Green Mosul: How trees helped a city recover after conflict" | ICSR | April 16, 2024
"Still Waiting for an International Tribunal on ISIS" | Defense One | April 10, 2023
"One man’s mission to document Mosul’s Jewish history" | Jewish News Syndicate | April 2, 2023
"Iraqi project preserves witness testimonies from traumatic ISIS reign" | Diyaruna | March 31, 2023
"'Witnessing catastrophe': Iraq preserves memories of IS reign" | RFI | March 27, 2023
"After ISIS: Reviving the Jewish history of Mosul" | BBC | May 27, 2022
"Mosul: the green rebirth of the city. Interview with Prof. Omar Mohammed (Sciences Po – Mosul Eye)" | Geopolitica.info | February 14, 2022
"Omar Mohammed- The Trees of Hope in Mosul" | Le Figaro | January 31, 2022
"Rubble to Restoration: Rebuilding Mosul" | CNN | November 12, 2021
"Omar Mohammed, l’histoire vivante de l’Irak" | Le Soir | September 8, 2021
"Omar Mohammed/‘Mosul Eye’ on World Press Freedom Day" | The Global Coalition | May 3, 2021
"Lo storico Omar Mohammed: “Mosul aspetta l'appello del Pontefice per ricostruire la convivenza”" | La Repubblica | March 6, 2021
"‘Where Are the Jews?’: As Pope Visits Birthplace of Abraham, Chronicler of Mosul Calls for ‘Recognition’ of Jewish Heritage" | Algemeiner | March 5, 2021
"The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life, 2020" | Algemeiner | December 1, 2020
"As Mosul recovers from ISIS rule, a native of the city is fighting to revive its Jewish past" | Forward | December 1, 2020
"L’homme qui a tout risqué pour témoigner depuis Mossoul contrôlée par l’EI" | Times of Israel | November 17, 2020
"Reintroducing the Jewish story into Mosul's history"| DW | October 27, 2020
"Chercheurs en exil : une vie professionnelle à reconstruire, en France ou ailleurs" | Campus Matin | June 26, 2020
"Mosul after ISIS: A Conversation with Omar Mohammed" | GWToday | January 21, 2020
"Iraq: "A revolution that is going to change the whole game" in the region" | FRANCE 24 English | November 4, 2019
"Et bibliotek vokser i skoven" | Weekendavisen | June 20, 2019
"Omar risked his life to expose Islamic State atrocities in Mosul. He still doesn't feel safe" | ABC News | June 6, 2019
"Omar Mohammed: ‘ISIS is not Gone’" | Valdai Club | February 28, 2019
"Documenting IS atrocities in Mosul" | DW | November 6,
ISIS Overlooks a Synagogue in Mosul" | Wall Street Journal | October 18,
| Yale Daily News | September 28,
June 11, 2018
"Mosul Will Never Be the Same" | Middle East Research and Information Project | May 22, 2018
"Eye on Iraq: Meeting the man behind 'Mosul Eye'"| The New Arab | May 14, 2018
"What lies behind Mosul Eye" | RFI | February 26, 2018
"Mosul Eye is Omar Mohammed" | Nederlands Dagblad | January 8, 2018
"AP reveals identity of secret blogger known as Mosul Eye" | The Associated Press | December 15, 2017
"Chronicler of Islamic State ‘killing machine’ goes public" | AP News | December 8, 2017
"Mosul Eye opens up about double life under Islamic State" | The Hindu | December 7, 2017
"Unmasked: Mosul Eye is anonymous historian who leaked Daesh secrets" | Arab News | December 7, 2017
"Unmasked: Anonymous historian leaked Islamic State secrets" | Indian Express | December 7, 2017
"Mosul Eye unmasked: Meet the anonymous historian who leaked Islamic State secrets" | Hindustan Times | December 7, 2017
Civic Minutes: On Hatred (Host)
36 Minutes on Antisemitism (Host)
Mosul and the Islamic State (Host)
Delving In with Stuart Kelter, Ep: 146 - 2025 "The History of Antisemitism in the Arab World" (Guest)
The Outlook Podcast, 2021 'Document everything. Trust no one' (Guest)
The Civilian Protection Podcast Ep: 1 - 2021 More than numbers (Guest)
Defense One Radio, Ep. 46 - 2019 Mosul, revisited (part one) with Omar Mohammed of Mosul Eye (Guest)
Yale University Podcast, Ep: 22 - 2018 World Fellow Omar Mohammed (Guest)
Ottoman History Podcast, Ep: 368 - 2018 Writing History in Historic Times (Guest)