Dr Jonathan A C Brown, a tenured professor at Georgetown University and former chair of the Islamic Studies Department, has been placed on leave and subjected to an internal review following a targeted media campaign that distorted his recent tweet criticizing U.S. and Israeli military actions.
The tweet in question came after a series of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. In it, Dr Brown expressed hope that if Iran were to respond, it would do so in a measured, strategic way—unlike the “indiscriminate bombing” of civilians routinely carried out by Israel in Gaza and by the U.S. in the region. The post was quickly stripped of its context and falsely circulated as a call for Iran to attack a U.S. military base.
Within minutes, Georgetown administration contacted Brown. He was later removed from his leadership post and placed on leave. University President Robert M Groves disclosed these actions during a House hearing on so-called “antisemitism” in higher education—a hearing widely criticized by academics and civil liberties groups as part of a growing crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech.
Brown’s real offense, according to supporters, was not any call to violence, but his open condemnation of the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths, widespread infrastructure destruction, and growing allegations of genocide by human rights organizations. He has consistently spoken out against what he calls the normalization of mass violence against Muslim populations under the guise of self-defense or counterterrorism.
“This is not about antisemitism,” said a colleague in Georgetown’s theology department who requested anonymity. “It’s about silencing those who dare to speak out against Israeli war crimes or critique U.S. complicity in them.”
Critics argue that the university’s response shows how academic institutions increasingly cave to political pressure and media-driven outrage, especially when faculty challenge U.S. foreign policy or the Israeli military. Meanwhile, many note the stark double standard: while pro-Israel advocates can defend or justify mass killings without consequence, those who criticize such actions face professional ruin.
Brown has not issued a formal public statement, but his defenders insist this is a test case for academic freedom and the right to dissent. “If a professor can be removed and investigated simply for urging restraint and criticizing war crimes, we are no longer talking about education,” said a student organizer with Georgetown Students for Justice in Palestine. “We’re talking about enforced silence.”
Related: NYU Accused of Censorship Over Graduation Speech on Gaza
As war continues in Gaza, and as U.S. universities face mounting pressure from Congress and donors to suppress Palestine solidarity activism, the fate of Dr Brown may set a dangerous precedent for what scholars are allowed to say in an era of deepening authoritarianism disguised as moral policing.