Washington, DC, Nader Hashemi, Professor of Middle East and Islamic Policy at Georgetown University, was an audio critic of the efforts made to silence the demonstrators and academics supporting the actors amid the Israeli war in Gaza.
These efforts reached new horizons under President Donald Trump, which last week took the exceptional measure of detention and the pursuit of the deportation of a Colombia University student Mahmoud Khalil, the permanent resident married to an American citizen.
After that, the immigration authorities came to a student of Hashemi. Earlier this week, agents detained Badar Khan Suri, post -PhD fellow at the Prince Talal Prince Center in Georgetown to understand Christian Muslims, who directs Hashemi.
Hashemi said: “It is terrible, and it confirms our worst fears that authoritarian repression will expand in American universities under the Trump administration.”
Civil freedom groups and rights monitors have criticized – and challenge -He tries to attempts by Khalil Al -Tarfil, which Hashemi describes and other observers as an extension of the anti -Palestinians in the American government.
This often involves mixing anti -Jews and Hamas support, which the United States classifies as a “terrorist organization”, with statements criticizing Israeli military action or support for the Palestinians.
But Hashemi and his colleagues see that the targeting of a Syrian, who is in the United States in a student visa, as a step forward, given that he was not detained due to public protests but rather for his alleged personal opinions.
Khaled Elginy, a visiting researcher in Georgetown, focuses on the Palestinian Israeli affairs, said that the Trump administration enforcement efforts seem to be an “different world with this issue”, and extends beyond the American students and population visa holders punishment For protest activity.
He said: “It seems that this person is targeted, not for his activity, but simply on suspicion that he carries some opinions.”
“The consequences of harmful foreign policy”
For its part, the US Department of Internal Security confirmed on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Marco Rubio had agreed to deport a Syrian.
Tricia McLeulin spokesman said that Rubio had been determined by referring to the same law used to justify an attempt to deport Khalil.
It is a item of the 1952 immigration and nationality law that gives the Minister of Foreign Affairs to remove any non -citizen who considers his presence in the United States “severe consequences for foreign policy.”
McLeulin was accused of Syrians of “spreading Hamas’s propaganda actively and strengthening anti -Semitism on social media”, without providing more details. The Ministry of Internal Security did not respond to a request to obtain more information from the island.
She also said that a Syrian “has a well -known or suspected terrorist, a great adviser to Hamas.”
On Wednesday, the wife of a Syrian, Mavisi Saleh, confirmed to Al -Jazeera Island that she is an American citizen. Meanwhile, Ahmed Youssef, the former adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Hani, confirmed to the New York Times that a Syrian was his son -in -law.
Youssef told the newspaper that he left his position in the political wing of Hamas more than a decade ago and publicly criticized the group’s decision to attack Israel on October 7, 2023. He said that a Syrian did not participate in “political activity”, which is much less support for Hamas.
His lawyer Hassan Ahmed said that a Syrian strongly rejected allegations against him. Its legal team, which includes the Virginia Office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), submitted a petition in the American District Court of the Eastern Region in Virginia to request his release.
He remained at the United States Immigration and Customs detention center in Louisiana on Thursday.
In a statement on Wednesday, Georgetown University also said that it supports its members of its community “editing and open rights in the discussion, even if the basic ideas are difficult, controversial or rejected.”
Meanwhile, the Alwaleeed Center issued an emotional defense of a Syrian on Thursday, saying that it had become a victim of “a campaign by the Trump administration to destroy higher education in the United States and punish its political opponents.”
“A direct threat to learning”
Surrey and his wife, Saleh, have already been distinguished by “Campus Watch”, a project outside the Middle East Forum saying that “it reviews and criticizes the studies of Middle East in North American universities.”
Critics they have accused A project to be a tool to silence Israel’s criticism of higher education.
Meanwhile, Hashemi Suri described “a very respectable and dangerous academic.”
“In many ways, (Syrian) was completely opposed to Mahmoud Khalil, meaning that he was not an organizer or a leader. He was simply a post -doctoral researcher and colleague in our center,” Hashemi said, “who was only working on minority rights topics, one who is more likely and the problem of tyranny.”
Meanwhile, Elgindy said that the Trump administration is still building “dangerous confusion” when it comes to complex discussions on Palestinian and resistance rights.
He said: “Any expression of solidarity with the Palestinians or the criticism of Israel is in itself to be hostile to Semitism and support its nature of terrorism and enthusiasm.”
ELGINDY described “a real atmosphere of fear” when it comes to academic discussion about the complex facts that define the Israeli -Palestinian conflict.
He said: “The matter really reduces the heart of academic freedom – if people are forced to monitor themselves, if students are afraid to ask certain questions or ask some points because a person in the class may record and will participate with some of these extremist groups that were students who were leading.”
“The intention is to cool the debate and make people guess the second whether they should express some opinions at all.”
“Bread attack”
On Thursday, a member of Congress, Don Bayer, north of Virginia, formed a Syrian detention, describing him as a violation of his right to “legal procedures” and “blatant attack on the first amendment”, in reference to the protection of the United States constitution for freedom of expression.
He presented his statement a preview of the principles that are likely to be raised in federal courts.
The Trump administration took Widespread These constitutional rights are not extended to temporary visa holders or even permanent population in the United States.
But the courts have largely supported the right of migrants to enjoy freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and other basic freedoms.
Bayer called for the judge to issue a quick ruling on a Syrian challenge for his imminent deportation, noting “the administration’s record in an attempt to reject the constitutional rights in ways that are difficult to retreat before providing judicial means.”
Earlier this week, Mokoni, Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown fellow after his doctorate, was arrested outside his home in Roslin. He is still being held despite not being accused of a crime, which is a clear violation of his constitutional rights. It should be released.https://t.co/ptqvm0ys2K pic.twitter.com/aupvfuq0k
– Representativeser (Repdonbeyer) March 20, 2025
Late Thursday, the Trump administration’s federal judge prevented a Syrian deportation immediately. His Lawyer told Reuters news agency that he was waiting for an appointment for a hearing in the Immigration Court.
Meanwhile, Hashemi and Alageni pointed out the need for an academic community to take a steady position against Trump’s actions, while recognizing the employees of teachers and officials in the difficult landscape.
In addition to the risks of professors on temporary work visas, Trump also pledged to cut the federal funds for institutions that do not take severe measures enough against protesters and “instigators”.
His administration has already reduced $ 400 million of scholarships and contracts for the University of Colombia.
Hashemi said: “I think the worst has not come yet,” Hashemi said. “What people do not stand and pay.”
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