Thirty civil rights, faith-based, academic, and civil rights advocacy organizations today sent a letter to Georgetown University Interim President Dr. Robert Groves urging the university to cease any disciplinary action against Dr. Jonathan Brown and reaffirm its commitment to academic freedom and principled dissent.
CLICK HERE: READ THE 30-ORGANIZATION LETTER TO GEORGETOWN UNIV.
The letter follows Georgetown University Interim President Groves’ announcement during a July 15 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce – led by anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian lawmakers – to remove Dr. Brown from his position as the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization in the School of Foreign Service. Groves also said the university was considering further disciplinary action in response to a mischaracterized social media post.
Dr. Brown came under attack after commenting on the U.S. attack on Iran last month. Brown wrote, “I’m not an expert, but I assume Iran could still get a bomb easily. I hope Iran does some symbolic strike on a base, then everyone stops.”
Brown later added, “I deleted my previous tweet because a lot of people were interpreting it as a call for violence. That’s not what I intended. I have two immediate family members in the US military who’ve served abroad and wouldn’t want any harm to befall American soldiers… or anyone!”
The 30-organization letter states in-part:
“Georgetown University has had more than two weeks to reinstate Dr. Brown and halt any further disciplinary proceedings since announcing its actions during the July 15 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, an event led by members of Congress with well-documented histories of Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian bias…
“Dr. Brown is recognized not only for his scholarly contributions to Islamic Studies but also for his efforts to advance racial justice, interfaith understanding and academic freedom. These are values that clearly align with the mission of Georgetown University. The possibility that the university would pursue punitive action against such a faculty member based on a politically motivated smear campaign targeting his private speech, rather than any actual misconduct, is deeply troubling and unbecoming of Georgetown.”
The signatories argue that investigating or punishing Dr. Brown for a nonviolent, widely shared sentiment—hope for a swift end to war—would set a dangerous precedent for academic freedom. The letter also emphasizes the broader context:
“Universities must not allow their disciplinary processes to be hijacked by ideological pressure campaigns or online outrage mobs… especially when the target is a Muslim scholar whose views may already be unfairly scrutinized in public debate.”
The 30 signatories include:
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC); American Coalition For Good Government; American Muslim Voice Foundation; American Muslims for Palestine (AMP); Americans for Democratic Values; Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action); British Committee for the Universities of Palestine; CAIR Action; Center for Security, Race and Rights; Coalition for Civil Freedoms; Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); ICNA Council for Social Justice; Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism; Islamic Circle of North America; Islamic Council of New England; Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); Islamic Society of Orange County, CA; Islamophobia Studies Center; Libyan American Alliance; Majlis Ash-Shura: Islamic Leadership Council of New York; MAS PACE; MAS-DC; MPower Change Action Fund; MSA National; Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC); Muslim Public Affairs Council; Muslim Students Association of the US & Canada; Queen’s University Belfast Palestine Assembly; US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO); and, World Kashmir Awareness Forum.
The organizations call on Georgetown to fully reinstate Dr. Brown and affirm its institutional values. They also offered to meet with university leadership to discuss the concerns raised in the letter.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com