MEF Dispatch: Updates on Hamas-Linked Georgetown Univ. Academic Arrested, Facing Deportation Following MEF Report

Updates on Hamas-Linked Georgetown Univ. Academic Arrested, Facing Deportation Following MEF Report

By Winfield Myers ● Mar 24, 2025

Smart Brevity® count: 4.5 mins...1218 words

In this special issue, we compile MEF’s coverage of Badar Khan Suri, a post-doctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Suri was arrested by the Dept. of Homeland Security on March 17 and faces possible deportation.

We begin with today’s podcast featuring MEF research associate Anna Stanley, who broke the story. Next is Stanley’s new article on Suri, followed by our March 19 press release, which placed his arrest within the context of MEF’s coverage of his radicalism. Also included is Anna’s original Feb. 24 article that broke the news that Suri, the son-in-law of a Hamas official, “actively spreads the [Hamas] terror group’s propaganda and promotes virulent antisemitism on social media.”

We end with an in-depth 2017 Campus Watch report on Georgetown’s Middle East studies faculty. It provides context for recent developments and demonstrates that Georgetown’s cultivation of radicals isn’t new.

ICYMI: ‘Hamas Ties at Georgetown: Unmasking Extremism in Academia’ with Anna Stanley

Two Hamas-linked academics at Georgetown University have recently come under fire following explosive revelations of their ties to the terror group. Badar Khan Suri, a fellow at the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, was arrested on March 19, 2025, and now faces deportation after a Middle East Forum report exposed his praise of Hamas and his marriage to Mapheze Ahmad Yousef Saleh, daughter of a senior Hamas official. Saleh, a graduate student at Georgetown’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, is implicated alongside Suri, whose social media activity promotes Hamas propaganda and virulent antisemitism.

MEF Research Associate Anna Stanley, who broke the story, highlights how the Trump administration is cracking down on extremist sympathizers in academia, while Georgetown quickly jumped to the defense of the academic in question. With an upcoming MEF and Clarity Coalition report set to reveal even deeper ties between the university and extremist networks, this case raises urgent questions. How did Georgetown harbor such figures? What does this mean for academic integrity? And why did Georgetown rush to Suri’s defense?

To watch the full podcast episode, click here.

Georgetown Condemns Trump ‘McCarthyism,’ Defends Son-in-Law of Hamas Leader

Georgetown University is under fire for defending Badar Khan Suri, a scholar linked to Hamas, with claims of free speech.

Why it matters: Suri's promotion of Hamas propaganda raises serious questions about Georgetown's commitment to national security.

Despite evidence of sharing terrorist content, Georgetown shields Suri under the guise of academic freedom.

This stance risks normalizing extremist ideologies in academia.

The stakes: Suri's arrest, justified under U.S. immigration laws for his adverse impact on foreign policy, is miscast by Georgetown as a free speech issue.

ACMCU's response ignores the documented antisemitism and terror endorsement linked to Suri.

The bottom line: Georgetown's continued defense of Suri highlights a dangerous tolerance for extremist sympathies that could undermine U.S. security.

As Suri's legal battle unfolds, Georgetown must choose: uphold integrity or become a haven for extremist narratives.

Call to action: It's time for Georgetown to reassess its alliances and prioritize academic integrity over dangerous appeasement of Islamist extremism.

To read the full article, click here.

NEWS: Hamas-Linked Georgetown Academic Faces Deportation Following MEF Report

Badar Khan Suri, a fellow at Georgetown University’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, has been arrested and faces deportation proceedings following a Middle East Forum (MEF) report. The report, published on February 24, 2025, exposed Suri’s praise of Hamas terror and his marriage to the daughter of a senior Hamas leader. Suri, who previously joined a 2010 activist caravan to support Gaza under Hamas control, is challenging his detention in a sealed petition filed in Virginia.

The Trump administration’s action against Suri is part of a broader effort to remove foreign nationals accused of extremism. MEF research associate Anna Stanley, who authored the initial exposé, praised the move, stating it prevents the U.S. from becoming a haven for extremists in academia. An upcoming MEF and Clarity Coalition report will further detail ties between Georgetown staff and hostile foreign entities, radicals, and terror groups, signaling a crackdown on such connections in American universities.

To read the full press release, click here.

For Georgetown Univ. Couple, Terror-Ties Are a Family Affair

In a Feb. 24, 2025, article published originally at JNS, the Middle East Forum revealed that Georgetown University harbors two individuals with deep, even familial, ties to the Hamas terrorist organization.

Why it matters: That Georgetown is home to individuals with overt terrorist sympathies threatens U.S. national security.

Mapheze Ahmad Yousef Saleh, the daughter of longtime Hamas leader Ahmed Yousef, is a graduate student at Georgetown’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. Ahmed Yousef was a senior Hamas figure in Gaza and an adviser to the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, assassinated by Israel last year.

She is married to Badar Khan Suri, a post-doctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding who has repeatedly endorsed Hamas terror and spread its propaganda even as he claims to specialize in “peace processes in the Middle East.”

The big picture: Georgetown is fostering an environment where extremist ideologies find a welcoming home, further undermining its academic integrity.

Suri posted a video showing Hamas terrorists holding Israeli child hostages and wrote, “This is how Hamas men dealt with kids on Oct. 7.”

What's next: As Georgetown prepares future diplomats and policymakers, we must ask: What values are being instilled? This is clearly not the intellectual environment we want to shape America’s next generation of leaders.

America is watching closely, expecting Georgetown to sever ties with those who promote extremism.

The bottom line: Georgetown stands at a crossroads—will it ever clean out its stables of pro-Hamas, terrorist-connected academics? Or will it allow its reputation to continue to tarnish?

To read the full article, click here.

Islamists, Apologists, and Fellow Travelers: Middle East Studies Faculty at Georgetown University

In this 2017 report, MEF’s Campus Watch project detailed how Georgetown University’s Middle East Studies (MES) faculty has become a notorious hub for Islamists and fellow-travelers, fostering an environment ripe for spreading radical ideas.

Why it matters: The faculty's influence on U.S. policy and media is alarming, given their propensity to champion anti-Western and pro-Islamist narratives.

The old guard, including John Esposito, laid the groundwork with theories that undermined earlier academic rigor in favor of anti-Zionist, pro-Islamist sentiments.

The new guard, led by Jonathan Brown, has escalated the agenda, not merely defending Islamism but actively promoting it.

The stakes: Georgetown's MES programs are dangerously politicized, pushing biased narratives that distort Middle Eastern realities and skew policymaker perspectives.

Recent hires reveal a troubling trend towards normalizing extremist ideologies within academic circles.

The bottom line: Georgetown must urgently address these ideological biases or risk further discrediting its academic integrity and influence.

This dangerous situation should be unacceptable to everyone connected to Georgetown; they should take immediate steps to ensure that the university ends its role as an Islamist outpost on the Potomac.

The call to action: The University must either rid itself of extremist sympathizers or continue down a perilous path that threatens to undermine its reputation and impact on future leaders.

To read the full report, click here.

This is a developing story. MEF will continue to pursue new leads, analyze the latest information, and bring you updates as warranted.

Sincerely,

Winfield Myers
Managing Editor, Middle East Forum
Director, Campus Watch

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