'No formal charges' against US Georgetown professor Badar Khan Suri detained in US

Over a month has passed since Georgetown University professor and peace studies scholar Badar Khan Suri was detained by the US President Donald Trump's administration. According to his wife, American-Palestinian Mapheze Saleh, no formal charges have been filed against him or her amid a wave of online threats and mounting personal risk.

In an exclusive interview with The New Arab's sister site, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Saleh described how her life has been upended since her husband’s arrest on 17 March.

"He was taken on his way home after breaking his Ramadan fast with students," she said. "Masked federal agents stopped him, told him his visa was cancelled, and arrested him."

Suri, who earned a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from India’s Jamia Millia Islamia in 2020, was a postdoctoral scholar teaching at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

The course focused on 'Majority and Minority Rights in South Asia'. Despite his academic profile and peaceful mission, he now wears the red prison uniform typically reserved for high-risk inmates.

"He keeps asking me why he’s being treated like a criminal when he’s committed no crime," said Saleh. She noted that his health has deteriorated in detention, with recent blood tests showing elevated cholesterol, likely due to a high-carb prison diet.

'This is a smear campaign'

Saleh has remained inside her home since the arrest. "I haven’t stepped out in more than a month. I fear for my safety and that of my children," she said. "We’ve received death threats online. There’s been a campaign to silence anyone who supports Palestine."

Although a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security accused Suri of "spreading Hamas propaganda" and "being connected to a known terrorist", no evidence has been presented publicly. Saleh believes these claims are part of a broader effort to target Palestinian voices.

Saleh, who holds American citizenship and is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef Saleh, a former adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, denies any affiliation with the group.

"This is a smear campaign," she said. "My husband never even attended the Gaza solidarity protests. He was focused on his academic research."

She believes her family’s political background and pro-Palestinian stance made them a target and, as they could not deport her for being a US national, they went after her Indian-national husband "to pressure her".

The legal status of Suri remains in limbo. The only official action to date has been an order for his deportation under a provision that allows for removal if an individual is classified as a risk to US diplomatic relations.

Despite the personal toll, Saleh insists their love for Palestine is not a crime. She added: "We’re not terrorists. We’re a family, two scholars raising three young kids. Badar has always believed in peace. He visited Gaza twice, once to break the siege, and later to ask for my hand in marriage."

Their children, including twin five-year-olds and a nine-year-old, are of Indian nationality. The family moved to the US after growing tensions in India toward Muslims.

Saleh said: "I still believe in justice. But this has changed our lives. My children miss their father. And I want the world to understand that loving Palestine should not mean losing your freedom.

"Speaking out about Gaza, about the massacres, is our duty. And that duty shouldn’t be punished."