Georgetown disciplines professor after social media post about Iran striking U.S. military base
Georgetown University Interim President Robert Groves told members of Congress that the school removed Professor Jonathan Brown as department chair and placed him on leave after Brown called for Iran to strike U.S. military bases.
'Professor Brown is no longer chair of his department. He’s on leave, and we’re beginning a process of reviewing the case,' Groves testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Georgetown University Interim President Robert Groves told members of Congress that the school removed Professor Jonathan Brown as department chair and placed him on leave after Brown called for Iran to strike U.S. military bases.
“Professor Brown is no longer chair of his department. He’s on leave, and we’re beginning a process of reviewing the case,” Groves testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce on July 15.
Brown was previously the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization, according to his biography on Georgetown’s website.
Groves said the university acted “within minutes” of learning about Brown’s since-deleted tweet, in which the professor wrote, “I hope Iran does some symbolic strike on a base, then everyone stops.”
Campus Reform reported about Brown’s suggestion on social media that he hoped Iran would launch a symbolic strike on a U.S. military base after the U.S. attacked Iranian nuclear sites last month.
Brown also mocked pro-Israel advocates in his posts and commented that Iran could endure attacks and still retaliate effectively.
After backlash, Brown deleted his posts and claimed he never meant to call for violence. He said people misunderstood him and stressed that he would not want harm to come to American soldiers.
In addition to his testimony about the professor, Groves said the school is “very proud” of its mission in Qatar.
“We’re very proud of our mission in Qatar,” Groves stated. “It’s completely consistent with the Jesuit animation of working at the frontiers, of serving groups that are not served easily in Washington.”
“I’m convinced that gradually opening the eyes to new ways of thinking that we represent there, you can see the change occurring already,” Groves added.
Campus Reform reported last month that a new study alleges Georgetown University received over $1 billion from Qatar since 2005, contributing to the “normalization” of “Islamic ideology” and raising concerns of underreported foreign funding.
Campus Reform has also reported about other ties between Georgetown and anti-Israel advocacy. In April, Georgetown University police forcibly removed about 15 anti-Israel protesters from Healy Hall after they blocked access and ignored repeated directives.
Protest organizers, including members of Students for Justice in Palestine, accused Georgetown of repression and vowed to keep protesting, declaring on Instagram, “The more you try to silence us, the louder we will be!”
Campus Reform has contacted Georgetown University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
