- Umaymah Mohammad, an Emory University Ph.D./M.D. student, was suspended after publicly criticizing a faculty member who volunteered as an Israeli military medic, accusing him of complicity in Gaza's healthcare crisis.
- Despite claiming her remarks were protected by free speech, Emory ruled she violated conduct codes. After a contentious hearing – where faculty argued she shouldn't practice medicine – she received a one-year suspension.
- There are also other cases, like an Iranian professor barred from Yale based on AI-generated allegations and a Georgetown postdoc detained over unproven ties to Hamas.
- Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate, was detained and later self-deported after his visa was revoked following pro-Palestine protests.
- In several cases, accusations against scholars and activists lacked substantiation, raising concerns about free speech and discriminatory targeting.
A graduate student from Emory University has been suspended after criticizing a medical faculty member who had volunteered as an Israeli military medic.
Umaymah Mohammad, a 28-year-old dual-degree student pursuing a PhD in sociology and a medical degree, had an interview with Democracy Now! during the 2024 pro-Palestine student encampment at Emory in April.
In her interview, Mohammad criticized a medical faculty member who had volunteered as an Israeli military medic, questioning how Emory could employ someone who "participated in aiding and abetting a genocide" in Gaza. She accused the professor of complicity in the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system and the deaths of over 400 medical workers, adding that he was now teaching future doctors.
Mohammad believed that her remarks about the professor, who was not named in the interview, were protected under the free expression policies of the school.
However, the professor filed a complaint and demanded an investigation, alleging her comments made him feel unsafe. By July, Emory's medical school ruled that Mohammad had violated its conduct code by "disparaging an individual" publicly. Despite objections from faculty, including the chair of Emory's open expression committee and the faculty senate president, the school pressed forward.
Mohammad was given a choice: accept the findings and face punishment or attend a disciplinary hearing in November. She chose the latter, later telling the proceeding was "one of the most dehumanizing two hours of my life." Three attendees – the professor, a dean and the professor's faculty advisor – reportedly argued she should never be allowed to practice medicine.
At one point, the advisor shouted, "Who are you to decide what’s a genocide?" A week after the hearing, Mohammad received a one-year suspension from Emory's medical program.
Muslim scholars and activists are being targeted in the United States
The case of Mohammad is not isolated.
Earlier in March, a prominent Iranian professor of international law was blocked from entering Yale University after a pro-Israeli website, using artificial intelligence, accused her of links to a terrorist organization. The professor, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was reportedly invited to speak at the university before being denied entry based on unverified claims.
Meanwhile, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian post-doctoral fellow at Georgetown University's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
His research focuses on interfaith cooperation, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused him of "actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media." DHS claimed Suri had "close connections to a known or suspected terrorist," a senior Hamas advisor, and cited a March 2025 determination by the Secretary of State that rendered him deportable.
However, no evidence was provided to substantiate the allegations.
Similarly, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, green card holder and Columbia University graduate, was detained after reporting threats to his safety to university administrators. Khalil was later arrested by federal authorities, placed in detention in Louisiana and had her F-1 student visa revoked before leaving the U.S. using a self-deportation app. (Related: Columbia University student self-deports following visa revocation over pro-Hamas protests.)
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