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Oct. 8, 2025 - Sean Hannity Show
27:47
In The Name of Freedom - October 7th, Hour 3
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Um here it is the second anniversary of October the 7th, 2023.
And, you know, one of the things I often talk about on this program is we live in the greatest best country God gave man, and we often take for granted the liberties and freedoms that so many fought blood and died for.
And it's it's natural.
I mean, you don't wake up every day, ah, I live in freedom.
You know, you wake up every day, ah, you know, you get the kids dressed, you get them ready for school, you pack their lunch, you you know, you you drive them to school or you get them to the bus stop, whatever it happens to be, and then you go off, you put in your 12, 13, 14 hours, whatever you work every day, and you come home, you you know, put a meal together quick, and then you help them with their homework, and then you know, you shuffle into bed, hopefully you watch Hannity and your day's done, and you get up and you know, grind out the next day.
And you don't wake up and say, Oh, I live in freedom.
However, when you have those quiet moments, those reflective moments, those introspective moments, which we all need in life, you realize, wow, we are blessed.
We're blessed beyond measure, uh, blessed beyond what we deserve.
Uh, Ennis Freedom, whose story is unbelievable, joins us.
He wrote a brand new book.
We'll put it on Hannity.com, it's on Amazon.com, it's in bookstores around the country.
It's called In the Name of Freedom, a political dissidents, fight for human rights in the MBA and around the world here on the anniversary of October 7th to talk about those atrocities, but it tells the story of NS Cantor.
And by the way, he was honored at the Patriot Awards a couple of years ago, and I spent time with him and I realized just how amazing he is and what a life he's had.
But, you know, he came here from Turkey and now be as an American citizen, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, a fierce advocate for human rights, and he paid a price for speaking out and refused to stand as a native as his native country descended into this authoritarian dictatorship.
He made his opinion known to Erdogan, not a good guy in his regime, and they declared him an enemy of the state.
His father's still in Turkey was arrested, declared a terrorist, and his passport was revoked as he you know was made stateless.
Anyway, Ennis, great to have you back, sir.
How are you?
Thank you for having me, Sean.
I appreciate it.
I'm good.
How are you?
Well, it's a sad day.
I mean, it's a reminder, you know.
Um I mean, we're on the brink of maybe a deal in the Middle East, and and hopefully and prayerfully we hope that that happens, and the hostages that are both alive and dead are released, and and that maybe, you know, for the first time, Arab countries will will step up and help that region of the world.
Uh more hope than we've ever had in my lifetime for sure.
But why don't we go through your story?
Let's talk about your life uh and how you had a dream, how you made it to the MBA, and how you stood up against your country.
It was actually like we all started with a promise.
I remember I was nine years old.
I went downstairs to play with my friends who are not even teenagers.
And my friends, my little friends, they were burning American flags, they were breaking crosses.
And I remember I asked one of my friends, like, guys, what are you doing?
They said, Well, that's what we've seen on TV.
We should hate America, we should hate the West, we should hate the Christians.
And I'm like, what's the reason?
Well, they said, Well, that's that's what our leader says.
So I remember one of my friends gave me a flag to burn it.
He gave me a flag, he gave me a lighter and said, burn it.
I remember I just looked down, I threw the flag down.
I ran upstairs to my mom.
I was like, Mom, my friends are telling me to hate America, hate the West, hate the Christians.
What do I do?
My mom said, I'm not gonna tell you what to do, but do not hate anyone before you meet them.
So that day I give a promise to my mom.
And literally 17 years later, for the first time I came I came to America as a teenager.
Uh I start meeting with Americans.
I start meeting with Christian people for the first time.
And I have realized that everything that I've been learning back in Turkey is just false.
So now I dedicated my whole life to inspire and educate the young generation so they can have a better understanding of America, a better understanding of what's going on around the world.
Because of in in especially Middle East, is the easiest way to brainwash people, use religion.
The problem is not Islam or anything.
The problem is with the politicians.
And unfortunately, they use that hate to be reelected again.
But now I'm just literally my dedicated my whole life to this cause so I can inspire the next generation.
For the first time, I do see hope.
And I really give a lot of credit to President Trump.
Um, you know, this 20-point deal that he put together was not an easy deal.
There was a lot in there for Israel that they had to swallow a release of you know, twelve hundred prisoners and and people that they know are their sworn enemies and disarming of Hamas and the return of the the prisoners.
We'll we'll know probably in the next forty-eight hours if this deal is gonna come to fruition.
I'm hopeful.
I mean, we've never had so much hope, but he has also built relationships with Jordan and Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the Emirates and other countries, maybe not necessarily Turkey and Erdogan, or although he did lecture Erdogan recently, which I found refreshing because I think he needs it.
I think he's become more radicalized as the years have gone by.
And while he's still a member of NATO is somewhat surprising to me.
What are your thoughts as we as we listen to this?
And I want to play for you a pro-Palestine, pro Hamas, you know, as these protesters celebrate these October seventh attacks here two years later.
Listen.
Early morning on Saturday, October seventh, our resistance storms, illegal settlements, and parasites across colonial borders.
From the river to the sea, I'm a side will be free.
From the river to the team, from the river to the sea.
Glory to the murders, to the murders!
It was exhilarating, it was energizing.
And if they weren't exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human.
They got tanks, we got made liars.
They got tanks, we got made liars.
Glory to the resistance fighters.
Glory to the resistance fighters.
Free, free Palestine.
Free, free Palestine.
From the river to the sea.
From the river to the sea.
There is only one solution.
Default revolution.
Where's the Jews?
From the river to the sea means wiping Israel off the map.
You know, glory to the martyrs.
Uh you have a mayoral candidate in New York that's leading the supports a global antifada.
That means the elimination of Israel, wiping it off the map, which is in Hamas's charter.
What's your reaction to that?
You know, throughout all this old throttle is I still think that you know the peace is uh possible, and I just I'm really like praying and hoping that I hope the President Trump will step in and just bring this deal uh in and then actually uh actually we can have peace again because the people need to understand that there are you know thousands of tens of thousands of innocent people are on the streets are getting hurt on both sides actually, you know.
Um so I I just hope I I I'm just hoping that you know peace is possible, but I would just need strong leaders.
We just need strong leaders like President Topic like President Trump to step in and says enough is enough, enough killing, and we gotta stop it.
Um I was listening uh President Trump's um uh one of his interviews and the reporter asked him, um which side are you on?
Are you on Ukraine or Russia side?
And he he gave an amazing answer.
He said, you know what?
I just want people to stop dying.
What an amazing answer.
So I just hope uh with this deal as well.
I just hope that you know people will stop dying because people behind the table are the ones that give in the orders and innocent people on the streets are the ones that get hurt.
So we got we gotta do whatever we can to bring awareness.
And also like this kind of in this kind of a protest uh protest, I see like people are burning American flags and stuff.
What a dis what a disrespectful move that is.
Like you live in America and you're disrespecting this country, right?
It just breaks my heart, man.
But I just hope that you know peace we can bring peace again.
I believe I I'm hopeful that it's possible, and I hope the President Trump will step in and uh and uh bring the peace again to uh Middle East.
Let's go back to your personal story.
You talked about your mom and your friends burning the American flag.
Let's go to your story and how you left Turkey, how you made it to the MBA, and how your family is still to this day paying a price because you were not subservient to Erdogan and to the radicalism.
Oh man, you know, I mean, it's it's been 11 years, Sean.
Literally 11 years that I have not seen my mom, my my dad, or my sister.
Um people keep talking about me losing my career because I spoke up about China's human rights violations and how MBA is tied up with uh China and stuff.
But like people need to understand that I wanted to stand up for uh for the for uh for the human rights violations on political uh prisoners in Turkey.
I have not seen my family for 11 years.
They put my dad in jail.
You know, luckily that we put so much pressure from here to Turkey, they have to uh let him go.
You know, it's been it's been I think the hardest thing that I'm just gone through is what my family has to face.
You know, my mom and my do you still talk to them?
I can't.
Because if I talk to my mom or dad, if I pick up the phone, or if I if we have any kind of uh connection with them, it's an act of terrorism in Turkish government's eyes.
You know, so that's why I cannot even pick up my pick up a phone and call my mom.
You know, my brother plays basketball overseas, so I have to call my brother, and my brother uh has to tell me what's what's going on with my family.
You know, I can't even I can barely remember the face of my mother right now.
And I mean, I uh I understand Turkey is a very important ally to America.
Um just like you said, though, Turkey.
I would say important, and they have been more important in the past, but as they become more radicalized, they're less and less important in my mind.
I mean, this is the country, like to Turkey, Erdogan.
This is the the dictator that gives passport to Hamas leaders so they can go in and out of uh European countries.
This is the leader uh that gives you know troughloads of weapons to Muslim brotherhood.
Like when are we going to say enough is enough and we have to take concrete actions against this uh regime?
You know, I understand, you know, we have an American airbase over there.
I understand Turkey is a NATO ally and the second strongest military in NATO.
Uh like we cannot just let a NATO ally help the terrorist organizations out there, you know.
Um I so I hope that when this whole conflict ends in uh Middle East, President uh Trump can you know have like a serious conversation with Erdogan and push him to care about uh human rights uh violations in his uh in his country.
How did you make it to the MBA?
Um I went to University of Kentucky.
Um I want to give a huge uh shout out to John Calipari.
Uh he played a very important role in my basketball uh career.
After attending one year of University of Kentucky, I got drafted in 2011 by Utah Chess.
Um and then I played basketball since, you know.
And the thing is, I I worked so hard my whole life to uh get into MBA and I I remember I I it just breaks my heart how my career ended because I really thought we have freedom in America, but it's it's crazy that I started to talk about the problems that are happening in China and now I am out of uh out of the league.
I mean it's it it blows my mind how the biggest dictatorship in the world like China put a pressure on a hundred percent Americ American-made organization like NBA and fire a US citizen.
Um I'm just very very confused with that.
Um stay right there.
Ennis Freedom is with us.
He has a brand new book out in the name of freedom, a political dissidents fight for human rights in the NBA and around the world.
We'll pick it up where he left off on the issue of why he's not playing in the NBA right now and the influence that uh outside political influences that impacted him.
Quick break, right back, we'll continue.
Anyway, Ennis Freedom is with us.
In the name of freedom is brand new book, a political dissidents fight for human rights in the NBA and around the world.
Uh if you missed the first part of our interview, he's not he's not been able to talk to his family for 11 years.
Uh he's a political exile from Turkey, now an American citizen, playing in the NBA, played in the MBA.
What happened that got you out of the NBA?
What was it in particular?
Because I remember at the time when this happened, I'm thinking this doesn't make sense.
Well, I didn't lose, trust me, I didn't lose my place in MBA because I couldn't play.
I lost it because I choose to speak up.
You know, when I spoke out against uh all the human rights uh abuses by the Chinese government, I mean, I knew it might cost me something, but I never imagined it will cost me my career.
You know, more people watch NBA games in China than American population last year.
So NBA makes billions of dollars from jersey sales, shoe sales, TV deals, and this was never about politics or taking sides.
It was literally like uh about something uh for literally basic human dignity.
You know, for the people who cannot speak freely, who are sounds or simply wanted to live with freedom and respect.
Um so I had many conversations with my teammates, many conversations from the uh from the NBA uh front offices, and they all said the same thing.
They're like, uh listen, uh, we believe what you're saying, but it's going to cost us millions of dollars.
So you can never uh say anything about the Chinese government uh or uh Nike's uh hypocrisy.
I mean, I'm talking about this uh sweatshops.
So it it it's sad to me because I was 29 years old uh when I started to speak up, and my agent called me and he said, Listen, I work for you, I don't work for the NBA, so I gotta be honest with you.
If you say another word, if you say another word about the the Chinese uh government, you are not gonna play basketball ever again in MBA.
And this is going to cost you between 40 to 50 million dollars.
The choice is yours.
I hang up the phone and never uh talk to him again, you know.
Uh it's crazy to me how much how much the Americ some organization and entities and is controlled by the Chinese government.
I'm talking about MBA and Hollywood and academia and big tech and uh farmlands.
So I was like, I gotta expose their hypocrisies.
What is it about you that you would do what probably maybe one percent of other MBA players would never do?
I mean, like empathy.
I put myself in other people's shoes.
While we are comfortably living in this country, living in the most luxurious houses and eating the most delicious food and sleeping in the most warmest bed on the other side of the world, people are losing their loved ones, losing their lives and losing their homes.
You know, especially like especially like people in China.
I mean, look at Uyghurs.
Three million Uyghurs in concentration camp waiting for help.
Look at Tibetans, look at what's happening in Hong Kong, look at Taiwan.
So this was bigger than myself, bigger than basketball, bigger than MBA.
I mean, I might have lost basketball, but I found something bigger, a voice, a purpose, and the understanding of freedom that is not guaranteed.
It's something that we must defend, Even when it's hard, you know, and I hope this story, I know it cost me like 40, 50 million dollars.
It cost me my basketball career or my family.
I mean, listen, I care about uh the future of our country.
I care about um our world.
If you want to have a better and brighter future, we have to inspire inspire and educate the next generation.
So we gotta do whatever uh we can to tell this people that freedom is very fragile and we should not take it for granted, and we have to put ourselves in other people's shoes on the other side of the world.
What do you make of this rise of anti Semitism in the halls of Congress, as I said?
Uh it's happening on college campuses, it's happening, it's growing worldwide.
I hear it in the punditry class, people on radio and TV saying, you know, things that to me are extraordinarily ignorant.
You know, I'm not sure what part of murder, rape, torture, kidnapping, beheading, as I said, they don't understand, but what do you make of it?
I mean, I listen, I have so many uh Jewish friends around the world, and I'm actually having conversations with um many of them, and they're scared.
They're even scared to go to a synagogue, they're scared to go outside, they're scared to, you know, even like a wear a Jewish star as an necklace.
And it just it's uh i it's horrible, man.
You know, it's it breaks my heart how much our world is divided right now when people literally hate each other with without knowing the uh other side, and but I mean that's why we we need uh bridge builders inside of walls.
Um listen, as I'm uh I mean I mean also like people need to understand this like very uh very clearly, like our prophet, like not many people know about this.
Our prophet, Prophet Muhammad, right?
Uh he said when we go to war, we have rules.
When a Muslim go to war, we cannot kill babies or women, elderly people, we cannot knock down um religious temples or church.
We are not allowed to even kill animals or cut down trees.
And this is our prophet.
If someone or a group that goes against this mentality, they don't represent Islam.
So I don't um I can clearly say that Hamas does not represent Islam, period.
Let me ask you about this, because I think there's a misunderstanding.
I always make a distinction between Islam and radical Islamists, because there is a difference.
Um and why do you think so many people have been indoctrinated into, and I believe one of the reasons that I think Arab nations have been reluctant to absorb part of the Palestinian population, and I've shown this on on TV many, many times, is from the time children are born, for example, in Gaza.
They are shown cartoons that depict Jewish people in the most, you know, repulsive ways.
When they go to school, I've s I've seen school books and I've shown them on TV.
You know, basically it's like, oh, if you have ten Jews, you kill seven, how many more Jews do you have left to kill?
And that indoctrination has poisoned the minds of young children, and I think there's been reluctance and resistance among neighboring nations to absorb that population because they don't want the radicalization in their country.
They already have problems with radicalization.
Right.
I mean, so uh I mean, if you look at like it it's very funny because it it doesn't happen in Turkey, but in some of the Middle Eastern countries, in schools, front of classes, feel like you have an American flag, and if you don't step on this flag, you're not even allowed to um you're not even allowed to attend the class, and you will get bullied rest of the school year, you know.
So it's it starts within a very early age when these dictatorships unfortunately just brainwashes this this population that who are uneducated, and then pictures to West as a as a demon, you know, as uh as a monster, and every kid growing up uh is believing that and like Islam itself is not the problem.
The extremism is, you know, and people who use Islam or the Holy Book of Quran to brainwash people is the problem, or the Islam itself is not the problem, you know, because Islam uh is keep I mean according to my what I read uh that I mean I just told you that before we cannot like go to wars and do what Hamas did or do what Hezbollah is doing or
do what ISIS is doing, you know.
So uh I hope to me that people understand the true meaning of Islam and just uh trying to wipe out that radicalism or extremism uh in our you know uh societies.
Well it's pretty unbelievable because there there is a distinction and a difference, and I I you know we we all have to eventually just come to terms with and and understand that we have to live together.
And do you see that day now beginning to approach?
Also, like I mean, radical ideologies feed on hate and power, not on fate or I think spirit spirituality.
Also, like I think extremism like manipulates religion for political uh personal gain, and that's what all the the all the like leaders of those groups are are doing it.
They twist like teachings to justify violence.
So no true faith calls for the killing of innocence, or no true believers celebrates suffering.
So if someone does that, they don't represent true Islam.
Yeah.
Well, I I really urge people, uh, first of all, you're a very special human being, and I really urge people to get a copy of your book.
It's called In the Name of Freedom, a political dissidents fight for human rights in the MBA and around the world.
It's on Hannity.com right now, it's on Amazon.com right now, and it's in bookstores now as of today, all across the country.
And uh, you know, you don't really meet many people that really stand on core values and principles and put it all on the line, and Ennis, you're one of them, and I applaud you for all that you have been doing and will do as you continue your incredible journey.
I think God obviously has big plans for you in your life, and you're an inspiration to everybody.
And I just want you to know how much we appreciate you.
I hope everyone will go out and get this book and read it and have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the blessings of liberty that we were born with and probably too often take for granted.
Uh Ennis Freedom, thank you, my friend.
Thank you so much, man.
I appreciate that.
800-941 Sean, our number if you want to be a part of the program.
Don is in Oklahoma.
Don, hi, how are you?
Glad you called, sir.
Hey, Sean, thanks for taking my call.
My pin drop is actually out far western Oklahoma with uh some of the greatest friendliest patriots in the country, right up there with uh people of South Alabama.
I'm I'm my heart goes out to uh the people in New York City because Mandani's gonna soon uh make good on his promise to make bus rides free in the city.
But the problem is there won't be any seats on the bus because it'll be full of homeless.
Air conditioned in the summer, heated in the winter.
It's gonna be madness.
And I think Linda's right in the middle of this mess, and I'd love to get Linda's take.
She's got friends and she has to go to the city and how is No, she doesn't she actually doesn't have to go to the city.
She actually lives in Pennsylvania.
He chooses to go to the city because she refuses to listen to her boss.
I just thought she may have friends there that she travels to the city, but you know, unless you're flying in and taking an Uber, I don't know how you're gonna get around once the but all the transportation is gonna be full of homeless.
And it's inevitable when it's Yeah, it's pretty full now.
There's a lot of homeless now.
There's a lot of homeless on the subway, a lot of rats on the platforms, the trains are a mess.
Unfortunately, you know, Hokel is already a complete and utter loser.
And you know, people are getting murdered, stabbed.
You just have to have your eyeballs open.
Mom Donnie's just gonna make it worse because people are gonna feel like they have no accountability because he's you know, gonna shut down all the prisons.
We're not gonna, you know, prosecute anything.
So that's my bigger fear.
Well that answer your question, Don.
That way now.
Well, I'm just so sorry it's that way now.
It's it's that uh it can only get worse once it's free.
Um agreed.
You get what you vote for, right?
And my heart goes out to those folks.
But maybe we need this for three or four years before the eyeballs are opened.
It's rough.
There's no doubt about it.
I'm just out of time, though.
I appreciate your call.
Um, I want Curtis to win too, Linda.
You know what?
It's an uphill battle.
But I'm telling people you got you got to try.
We've got to try what we've been doing these last three years.
All right, that's gonna wrap things up for today.
Heated hearings with Pam Bondi today.
We get reaction uh FBI director, Cash Patel, Todd Blanche, number two at the DOJ, Lindsey Graham tonight, Senator Kennedy, Tommy Larren, and John Solomon.
Set you D VR, nine Eastern, Hannity on Fox.
We'll see you tonight back here tomorrow.
Thank you for making this show possible.
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