Georgetown professor faces backlash over Iran ‘symbolic strike’ comment

A professor at Georgetown University has found himself in the midst of controversy after making a social media post expressing his “hope” for Iran to carry out a “symbolic strike” on a U.S. military base. Dr. Jonathan Brown, who holds the Alwaleed bin Talal chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University, made the controversial post following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

In his post, Dr. Brown speculated on the ease with which Iran could obtain a nuclear bomb and expressed his desire for Iran to carry out a symbolic strike on a U.S. military base. He also made comments about the resilience of Iran in the face of attacks and the consequences of Israeli attacks on Iranian cities.

The post quickly sparked outrage on social media, with many interpreting it as a call for violence against U.S. soldiers. Conservative commentators and politicians were quick to condemn Dr. Brown’s words, with some calling for his dismissal from Georgetown University.

Of particular concern to critics was Dr. Brown’s connection to the Muslim Brotherhood through his wife, Laila Al-Arian, a journalist for Al Jazeera. Dr. Brown’s father-in-law, Sami Al-Arian, was deported from the U.S. in 2015 after pleading guilty to supporting the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Despite the backlash, Dr. Brown later deleted the post and clarified that he did not intend to incite violence. He explained that he was calling for de-escalation and was opposed to American involvement in foreign wars.

Georgetown University issued a statement expressing its disapproval of Dr. Brown’s post and stating that they were reviewing the matter to determine if further action was necessary. The university emphasized that the views expressed by Dr. Brown were his own and not representative of the institution.

The controversy comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s announcement of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The president warned Iran to make peace or face further attacks of greater magnitude.

As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen what consequences Dr. Brown may face for his controversial post and whether Georgetown University will take further action in response to the backlash.