Amid Georgetown University’s conduct review of the former chair of the Arabic and Islamic studies department after controversial social media posts, students, community members and national audiences have shown support for Brown and called for his termination.
Jonathan Brown (COL ’00), who served as interim department chair, posted on social media in June that he wished Iran would carry out a “symbolic strike” against a U.S. military base to end hostilities. University Interim President Robert M. Groves said at a July 15 congressional hearing that the university contacted Brown “within minutes” of learning about the post and subsequently removed Brown, who has tenure, from his position as department chair, placing him on leave while the university considers further measures.
Brown’s comments prompted backlash from conservative groups that claimed he was calling for violence, though Brown said the groups mischaracterized his post, which he deleted from X, formerly known as Twitter. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) questioned Groves about Brown’s post and the university’s response during the hearing.
In a follow-up post on X, Brown said he did not intend to call for violence but rather de-escalation of the conflict.
“I deleted my previous tweet because a lot of people were interpreting it as a call for violence. That’s not what I intended,” Brown wrote on X. “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 day after Brown’s post, Iran launched a symbolic strike on a U.S. base in Qatar in response to the U.S. bombing of its nuclear facilities. Iran’s strike effectively ended hostilities with the United States.
Groves’ announcement brought national attention to Brown’s case, prompting both condemnation and praise from university groups and leading civil rights organizations.
After Brown initially wrote the posts, a university spokesperson disavowed Brown’s words, saying they were “deeply inconsistent” with the university’s values.
“We are appalled that a faculty member would call for a “symbolic strike” on a military base in a social media post,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “The original statement is from an individual faculty member and not the University, and the faculty member has since deleted the post and stated that he would not want any harm to befall American servicemembers.”
Georgetown’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a student organization supporting Palestinian liberation, started a letter-writing campaign urging the university to reinstate Brown. As of July 22, over 950 people have sent messages, well over SJP’s stated goal of 500.
SJP said the university’s review of Brown contradicts its values, accusing the university of suppressing political speech.
“This university has continued to capitulate to the Trump administration under the guise of Jewish safety,” the organization wrote in the letter. “Censoring our academics and repressing our students for their pro-Palestinian views is a violation of the values that Georgetown claims to uphold.”
Fiona Naughton (SFS ’26), one of the students who sent a letter, said the university’s decision to remove Brown as chair sets a “terrifying precedent” and showed how Georgetown is not committed to its values.
“In disciplining Professor Brown for his expression of free speech legally protected by the First Amendment, President Groves and our administration have demonstrated that they will sacrifice anyone on our campus — students and staff alike — if it will appease the Trump regime,” Naughton wrote to The Hoya. “As a current student at Georgetown, President Groves’ testimony last week terrified me.”
The Washington, D.C. chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an international non-profit supporting Israel and combating antisemitism, commended Georgetown for its swift response, saying the university must hold Brown accountable.
“These steps reflect a serious commitment to accountability and to maintaining a campus environment where all students feel safe and respected,” the group wrote in a statement. “Dangerous rhetoric — especially from those in positions of influence — has no place in our institutions.”
The national ADL also cited Georgetown’s review of Brown as evidence that the congressional hearings are “delivering results.”
Since Brown is a tenured professor, any dismissal requires the university to demonstrate just cause. According to the university’s faculty handbook, just cause can include “professional incompetence” or “moral turpitude.” Though Brown was removed as department chair, he retained his endowed position as Alwaleed bin Talal chair of Islamic civilization in the School of Foreign Service.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights group in the U.S., sent a letter to Groves defending Brown’s scholarship, saying “punitive action” against him is incompatible with the university’s values.
“To frame Dr. Brown’s comment as unpatriotic or violent, as some have done, requires a willful misreading of his intent and of the broader context of the brief U.S.-Iran war,” CAIR wrote in the letter. “That such misreadings are now being used to pressure the university into investigating and possibly punishing a respected professor is not only unjust.”
“Universities must not allow their disciplinary processes to be hijacked by ideological pressure campaigns or online outrage mobs,” the organization added.
After watching Groves’ testimony, Naughton said she no longer has faith the university would support her or other community members in a similar situation to Brown’s.
“As I watched Groves describe the disciplinary action that Georgetown is taking against Professor Brown for a social media post on his personal profile, a quote deliberately taken out of context by Republican congressional officers, it became more clear to me than ever before that my university will not protect any community member who is targeted by fascism in our country — and it would not protect me were I in the same situation as Professor Brown,” Naughton wrote.