[5][6] He has been criticized by some observers for a perceived alignment with jihadi fighters in Syria, with The New York Times reporting that Kareem was considered a "jihadist propagandist" to some.
[11] He converted to Islam, partly due to its "emphasis on clean living",[1] travelled to Egypt to study Arabic, where he later obtained a presenting role with Saudi-funded television channel, Huda TV.
After leaving Huda TV due to "disagreements", he travelled to Rwanda and Libya to film documentaries,[12] before arriving in Syria in 2012 where he was first hosted by Ahrar al-Sham.
[1] its official website claims it is "committed to delivering accurate English language news to a Western audience regarding the Syrian crisis".
[13] In 2017, he filed a lawsuit against the United States government in the District of Columbia, claiming they had attempted to assassinate him, and requesting his removal from the Disposition Matrix, usually referred to as the "kill list".
U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer rejected the government request to dismiss the lawsuit and in the opinion paper wrote: Due process is not merely an old and dusty procedural obligation.
It is a living, breathing concept that protects US persons from overreaching government action even, perhaps, on an occasion of war.The judge also ruled that Bilal cannot challenge the laws that allows the US government to put someone on the "kill list" or target those on it, but as an American citizen he has the right to due process before being added and to know whether his speech as a reporter is protected by the first amendment or not, as the reason Bilal claims he is on the list is because of his speech.