Georgetown prof sparks outrage after saying he hopes Iran carries out 'symbolic strike' on US: 'Fire him'

WASHINGTON, DC: A Georgetown University professor is under fire after a provocative social media post sparked outrage across the internet. 

Dr Jonathan Brown, a prominent scholar of Islamic Civilization, drew fierce criticism for saying he hoped Iran would launch a "symbolic strike" on a US military base in response to recent American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The post quickly ignited a storm of backlash, with conservative figures, GOP lawmakers, and media commentators accusing Brown of advocating violence against US troops and demanding his dismissal from the university.

Jonathan Brown sparks online controversy over post after US airstrikes on Iran

Dr Jonathan Brown, who holds the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, stirred controversy with a post on X (formerly Twitter) following US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday night, June 21.

In the post, 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. I’m surprised this is what these FDD/Hasbara people have been auto-erotically asphyxiating themselves for all these years. Ironically, the main takeaways (in my non-expert opinion, and I’m happy to be corrected) from all this have nothing to do with a US attack."

Brown argued that the main lessons from the situation had little to do with the US attack, offering three takeaways: “1) Iran can take a licking; 2) if Israel attacks Iranian cities, it gets f****d up pretty bad. I mean I’ve been shocked at the damage Iranian missiles caused; 3) despite his best efforts, Reza Pahlavi HVAC repair services still only third best in Nova."

Conservatives demand Jonathan Brown's termination after controversial post

The backlash to Dr Jonathan Brown’s post was swift and intense, particularly from conservative voices on social media, who interpreted his remarks as support for Iran attacking US troops. 

Commentator Sage Steele responded bluntly on X, writing, “Are you kidding me?” after the post was amplified by the conservative account LibsofTikTok.

GOP Representative Randy Fine also weighed in, tweeting, “A ‘Professor of Islamic Civilization’ at @Georgetown ‘hopes Iran does some symbolic strike’ on Americans. Some civilization." He added a stark warning: “The President of Georgetown will be before @EdWorkforceCmte soon. This demon had better be gone by then. We have a Muslim problem in America." 

Dr Sara Yael Hirschhorn of the Jewish People Policy Institute, who said she attended graduate school with Brown, expressed her dismay, “I went to graduate school with Jonathan Brown. I'm appalled to see him calling for Iran to attack US troops and his awe at attacks on Israeli civilians. @Georgetown- enough!"

Conservative influencer Laura Loomer echoed the outrage, posting, “These are the people teaching your kids at colleges and Universities. @Georgetown should fire him."

Dr Jonathan Brown addresses online backlash amid controversy over a misinterpreted post

In a follow-up post on Monday morning, Dr Jonathan Brown addressed the backlash by saying he had deleted his original tweet due to widespread misinterpretation, as per Fox News.

“I deleted my previous tweet because a lot of people were interpreting it as a call for violence,” he wrote on X. “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!"

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Brown clarified that his original comment was "meant something like right after Solimani was killed, with telegraphed warning and no American casualties and no one felt any further need for attacks. I was calling for de-escalation as I am very opposed to American involvement in foreign wars."

Who is Jonathan Brown?

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, took to X to criticize Dr Jonathan Brown, writing, “A Georgetown professor wants Iran to attack a US base.” 

He then turned attention to Brown’s personal ties, stating, “Brown is married to Laila Al-Arian, a journalist for the Muslim Brotherhood propaganda outlet Al Jazeera. Her father, Sami Al-Arian, was deported from the US to Turkey. He was accused of providing material support to the US-designated and Iran-backed terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad." 

According to Politico, Sami Al-Arian was deported in 2015 following a lengthy legal battle, during which he pleaded guilty to aiding the PIJ. A 2006 Department of Justice press release stated that Al-Arian admitted in his plea deal that he knew the PIJ employed violent tactics to achieve its goals. 

Despite this knowledge, he continued assisting the organization, submitting immigration paperwork for a PIJ associate, Bashir Nafi, and concealing the terrorist ties of multiple individuals connected to the group. 

The DOJ also noted that Al-Arian’s involvement with PIJ dated back to 1995, when he was a professor at the University of South Florida, and continued even after the group was designated a terrorist organization by President Bill Clinton.

Georgetown University condemns Jonathan Brown’s controversial post

A Georgetown University spokesperson expressed strong disapproval of Dr Jonathan Brown’s social media post in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling it "appalling."

“We are appalled that a faculty member would call for a ‘symbolic strike’ on a military base in a social media post,” the spokesperson said. “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 servicemember. We are reviewing this matter to see if further action is warranted.”

The university added that it is actively reviewing the situation: “We take our community’s concerns seriously and condemn language which is deeply inconsistent with Georgetown University’s values.

Social media roars after Jonathan Brown shares his views on Iran

Jonathan Brown’s comments about Iran’s possible response to US airstrikes sparked swift backlash from Facebook users.

One user wrote, "Wow I’m so surprised. I’m so surprised I will predict nothing much or anything will happen to this guy."

Another person said, "So why is he still allowed to teach? Could this be the reason the kids today don't understand patriotism? Any trach that publicly states this kind of crap needs to be fired."

A user said, "Some people are pathetic."

Another shared, "The devil has control of him."

One person added, "Throw him out of the USA..."

Another declared, "He is a traitor, guilty of treason to the USA."

A commenter quipped, "He needs to be fired and deported!"

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.