Georgetown University in Washington said that it expects the legal system to "adjudicate fairly" after one of its post-doctoral research fellows was detained by immigration officials this week due to alleged connections to Hamas.
As of Thursday evening, a federal judge has ordered that research fellow "not be removed from the United States until the court issues a contrary order."
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen studying in the US, was recently detained by Department of Homeland Security agents at his home in Virginia. DHS said in a statement that Mr Suri "has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior adviser to Hamas", and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had determined that the scholar's activities "rendered him deportable".
In a statement provided to The National on Thursday, a Georgetown representative said that the university was not aware of Mr Suri engaging in any illegal activity.
He was granted a visa to enter the US to continue his doctoral research on building peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the statement. "We have not received a reason for his detention. We support our community members' rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable," the university said.
In a post on X, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin claimed that Mr Suri was "actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media".
Hassan Ahmad, Mr Khan's lawyer, said he spoke with his client after his arrest.
“Our government just abducted a man from his wife and children because one person didn’t like the fact that he acknowledged the humanity of Palestinians. That should shock every single American," he said in a statement to The National. "According to the immigration charging document, his presence in the United States is bad for foreign policy. If this is the guy our government thinks is a problem, then the problem is the government.”
On the BlueSky social media platform, Mr Ahmad reshared a message posted by another lawyer, which read: "Free Mahmoud Khalil, Free Badar Khan Suri."
Mr Suri's detention follows a series of arrests by immigration authorities of students involved in pro-Palestine activism, including Mr Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who has been active in protests against the Israel-Gaza war.
Politico reported that Mr Suri's legal team alluded in court to the "Palestinian heritage of his wife", Mapheze Saleh, a US citizen who is listed as a member of Georgetown's class of 2026.
"Mapheze, a first-year student from Gaza, earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and information at the Islamic University of Gaza, Palestine, and a master’s degree in conflict analysis and peace-building from the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, India," reads a biography of Ms Saleh on Georgtown's Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies website.
In February, the Israeli embassy in the US posted on X that Ms Saleh was "the daughter of a Hamas senior adviser".
Despite ample criticism, the US administration of President Donald Trump appears to be undeterred in efforts to increase deportations.
There are fears for due process and civil liberties over the increased scrutiny of people's social media presence, including photos they may have liked, and the various stories and posts they may have shared.
Helyeh Doutaghi, a Yale Law School scholar, claims the university wrongly suspended her after a website that uses artificial intelligence published a story accusing her of being a supporter of a US-designated terror group.
JewishOnliner, the site at the centre of that controversy, describes itself as “your online hub for insights, investigations, data and exposes about issues impacting the Jewish community", and says it is "empowered by AI capabilities".
Ms Doutaghi said that Yale Law School legal representatives either "knowingly relied on Al-fabricated claims or simply chose wilful ignorance" to expedite her suspension.
A Yale representative later said that it was following an appropriate process "to place an employee on a temporary administrative leave while a review is conducted to understand the facts of the matter".
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Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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