Latest news with #BadarKhanSuri
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
What happened at CUNY, Georgetown and UC Berkeley that alarmed Congress?
CUNY, Georgetown and UC Berkeley face US Congress over campus antisemitism. (AI Image) Three major US universities—City University of New York (CUNY), Georgetown University, and the University of California, Berkeley—will testify before Congress over allegations of campus antisemitism. The upcoming hearing before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce follows months of increased scrutiny into how universities handle protests and the safety of Jewish students. The three institutions are the latest to face questions from the Republican-led committee, which previously summoned leaders from Ivy League schools. The focus of this hearing is on 'the role of faculty, funding and ideology' in enabling antisemitism, as reported by The New York Times. Congressional scrutiny widens beyond Ivy League At CUNY, which serves nearly 240,000 students across 26 colleges, federal investigations found that the university mishandled complaints of antisemitism and other bias incidents dating back to 2019. In 2024, pro-Palestinian protests across multiple CUNY campuses resulted in mass arrests. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights concluded that a number of cases had not been properly addressed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kayseri: Yeni İşitme Cihazları Emeklileri Hayrete Düşürdü Best Hearing Aids Undo CUNY Law School, in particular, has drawn attention due to outspoken pro-Palestinian activism by several graduates. In response to rising concerns, CUNY has taken measures including centralising its bias reporting procedures, deploying more safety officers, and increasing anti-hate training, according to The New York Times . Protests and federal pressure at Georgetown and Berkeley At Georgetown University, tensions escalated after the US Attorney for the District of Columbia threatened to ban graduates from federal employment due to the university's diversity programming. The Georgetown Law School dean described the move as 'unconstitutional' in an official statement, as reported by The New York Times . A postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown, Badar Khan Suri, was arrested by US authorities for allegedly promoting antisemitism and 'spreading Hamas propaganda' on social media. He was detained for two months before a federal judge ordered his release, citing violations of the First Amendment. The judge stated that the arrest had been made 'for punitive reasons,' according to The New York Times . At the University of California, Berkeley, student activists erected tent encampments in 2024 and disrupted an event featuring an Israeli speaker. Protesters reportedly smashed doors, prompting the chancellor at the time to label the incident as 'an attack on the fundamental values of the university.' The House committee later demanded documentation of Berkeley's response to such incidents. Berkeley is also known as the birthplace of the student group Students for Justice in Palestine, which was founded in the early 1990s. Background to the hearings These hearings began after the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which led to Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza. Republicans expanded their investigations beyond Ivy League institutions following widespread campus protests. President Trump has endorsed punitive action against universities, including the withdrawal of federal funds, as reported by The New York Times . TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Reuters
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Pro-Palestinian Georgetown student can remain free, US appeals court rules
July 1 (Reuters) - A pro-Palestinian Georgetown University student from India, detained by President Donald Trump's administration but then released on a judge's order, can remain free while fighting deportation efforts, a U.S. appeals court ruled, opens new tab on Tuesday. A three-judge panel of the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against the administration's request that Badar Khan Suri be returned to immigration detention. The 4th Circuit said it found no grounds to overturn the decision by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles to order Suri's release. "To allow the government to undermine habeas jurisdiction by moving detainees without notice or accountability reduces the writ of habeas corpus to a game of jurisdictional hide-and-seek," Judge James Andrew Wynn wrote on Tuesday. Habeas corpus refers to a procedure under which the legality of a person's incarceration can be challenged in court. Suri, 41, was arrested in Virginia in March and then moved by the U.S. government to Texas, where he was released in May after the ruling by Giles. Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, part of the Jesuit university's School of Foreign Service. The Trump administration has attempted to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student protesters while accusing them of being antisemitic, threats to American foreign policy and extremist sympathizers. Suri has denied the U.S. government's allegations that he spread Palestinian militant propaganda and antisemitism on social media. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have said the U.S. government has conflated criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza with antisemitism and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism. Human rights advocates have raised free speech and due process concerns over the administration's actions toward these students. Other pro-Palestinian students who were arrested by the government and subsequently released under judicial orders include Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi and Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk. Suri's wife, Mapheze Saleh, is a U.S. citizen. Saleh is from Gaza, according to the Georgetown University website, which said she has written for Al Jazeera and Palestinian media outlets and worked with the foreign ministry in Gaza. Saleh was not arrested.
Middle East Eye
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Appeals court rejects Trump administration bid to re-detain Georgetown scholar
Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri can remain free while he fights his deportation, a federal appeals court panel ruled on Tuesday. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected the Trump administration's request that Suri be returned to immigration detention while it seeks to deport him by a vote of 2-1. Suri was arrested on 17 March by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside his home in Virginia in retaliation for constitutionally protected speech and association, and he spent eight weeks in detention, mostly in Texas. Upon his release in May, he returned home to his wife and three children in Virginia, where his lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of his arrest is proceeding. 'I am grateful for my freedom and for the time I have to spend with my family,' said Dr. Badar Khan Suri. 'I have faith that the American judiciary will protect my constitutional rights'.
Arab News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pro-Palestinian Georgetown student can remain free, US appeals court rules
WASHINGTON: A pro-Palestinian Georgetown University student from India, detained by President Donald Trump's administration but then released on a judge's order, can remain free while fighting deportation efforts, a US appeals court ruled on Tuesday. A three-judge panel of the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against the administration's request that Badar Khan Suri be returned to immigration detention. The 4th Circuit said it found no grounds to overturn the decision by US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles to order Suri's release. 'To allow the government to undermine habeas jurisdiction by moving detainees without notice or accountability reduces the writ of habeas corpus to a game of jurisdictional hide-and-seek,' Judge James Andrew Wynn wrote on Tuesday. Habeas corpus refers to a procedure under which the legality of a person's incarceration can be challenged in court. Suri, 41, was arrested in Virginia in March and then moved by the US government to Texas, where he was released in May after the ruling by Giles. Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, part of the Jesuit university's School of Foreign Service. The Trump administration has attempted to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student protesters while accusing them of being antisemitic, threats to American foreign policy and extremist sympathizers. Suri has denied the US government's allegations that he spread Palestinian militant propaganda and antisemitism on social media. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have said the US government has conflated criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza with antisemitism and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism. Human rights advocates have raised free speech and due process concerns over the administration's actions toward these students. Other pro-Palestinian students who were arrested by the government and subsequently released under judicial orders include Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi and Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk. Suri's wife, Mapheze Saleh, is a US citizen. Saleh is from Gaza, according to the Georgetown University website, which said she has written for Al Jazeera and Palestinian media outlets and worked with the foreign ministry in Gaza. Saleh was not arrested.
NDTV
28-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
How Badar Khan Suri Parented His Children From Immigration Detention Centre
Badar Khan Suri, the Georgetown University postdoctoral scholar, who had been arrested by immigration officers and faced deportation, had been in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for months. He was arrested on the charges of "actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media." Khan Suri "has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas," Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in March on X. He explained how he helped manage his 5-year-old sons to get to terms with his absence. He credited his wife, Maphaz Ahmad Yousef, and called her a "blessing", since she was the support system for their children. "For my younger twins, I created a story they could hold on to: I told them I was traveling and had gotten lost somewhere in the clouds, trying to find my way back home," Khan Suri said in an email to NBC News. He said he took efforts to parent his three children "with love, creativity and resilience" from afar, while at detention. It has been a month now since his release from the ICE facility in Texas, after a judge ruled that his detention violated the First Amendment right to free speech and the Fifth Amendment right to due process. "For my family also, I feel the power dynamic changed. I am no more the provider or protector I once was," he said. "But I have survivor's clarity, as I saw the injustice. I am rebuilding my journey with meaning and truth." He also reflected how parenting from detention was a "heartbreaking" experience but it "kept him going". He has now returned to his regular parenting days, bringing his kids to the bus stop, and said that he has earned the privilege of being identified as the favourite parent in the household. "Even the twins say 'Baba' when I ask who they love more," he joked. "Before, it was always a clear 'Mama.'" He described how the first week in custody was a "nightmare". "That night, my wife was only able to bring back my belongings. My elder son only saw my bag returning home and not me," he said of the night of his arrest. "I was sad for my children, who had lost their father, their security cover, their ease in life." He told how his children kept aside food for him, expecting him to show up any moment. "They would draw pictures for me, and even save cupcakes or slices of pizza for me as if I might come back at any moment - they refused to let anyone else touch my share." Although his younger sons felt comforted by the stories of him travelling through skies, his 9-year-old older son understood more and had become more withdrawn. "I tried to bring humour into our conversations when I could," he said. "I'd tell him I had a PlayStation 4, a basketball court and a soccer field where I was, and he would laugh and ask questions about them." Suri was not even provided a bed at the detention centre, and used to sleep in the TV room where the television played from 5am to 2am, according to the petition. He also received halal food only after 5 days. "On April 2, officers came and told him that he had complained through his lawyer about his religious accommodations and asked him for more details," the petition said. "After Dr. Khan Suri reaffirmed his needs, he was given a prayer mat, a Quran, and provided a space on a bed in the dorm, outside of the TV room." He was classified as "requiring high security" and had to wear a bright-red uniform. He was told he fell under the category of "with a known criminal group". "Due to his classification and security protocols at the facility, Dr. Khan Suri is only permitted two hours per week of recreation," the petition said. To cope with the difficult conditions at the detention centre, he said, "I would write about them, I would think about them - like when their school bus would come, when would it return, what they do during the day, what they were drawing," he said. "When I saw drawings by kids of other detainees, I felt the love for my children." On the morning of his release, he said, "When they saw me, all three were shouting with joy, hugging and kissing me," he said. "For the twins, I had finally come back from the 'clouds.'"
