The deportation of Indian post-doctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri, who was detained by US authorities on Monday (17th March), has been halted by a US court. US District Judge Patricia Giles issued a temporary order in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday (20th March) stopping Suri’s removal from the country. Suri is detained in Louisiana for having links to the terrorist group Hamas.

Suri’s lawyer Hassan Ahmad reportedly welcomed the court’s order saying, “the first bit of due process Dr. Khan Suri has received since he was snatched from his family Monday night”. Ahmad had criticised his detention alleging that he was being targeted for expressing support for Palestinian rights. Notably, Suri is married to the daughter of a senior Hamas leader. His wife Mapheze Saleh, a Journalism graduate from the Islamic University of Gaza, is a US citizen. She also holds a master’s degree from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. She has reportedly worked for pro-Hamas Al Jazeera in the past.

Badar Khan Suri and his wife Mapheze Saleh (via X)

The DHS accused Suri of spreading Hamas propaganda

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleged that Suri posed a risk to the US foreign policy by spreading Hamas propaganda on social media. Hamas has been designated by the US as a terrorist organisation.

Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant DHS secretary, said that Suri was actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media. In a post on X on 20 March, she wrote, “Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media. Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).”

McLaughlin was responding to a Politico report claiming that Suri is being deported for the pro-Palestine views of his wife who is a US citizen. She made it clear that Suri is deportable under US laws for his own actions, and not for his wife’s activities.

Following the news of Suri’s detention and anticipated deportation, some X users highlighted his old posts revealing his contempt for Hindus and India. In one of his posts, Suri said that Hindus had a habit of dancing in front of mosques and churches to please their inferiority complex.

Another X user shared a screenshot of Suri’s post on X in which he reposted a post alleging that the remains of a missile found in Gaza were made in India. In his post, Suri called India an ‘enabler of Genocide’. Commenting on the post Suri wrote, “From being an ally of Palestinians, to an enabler of a genocide. What a disgrace for Made in India, to supply missiles to Israel so that Palestinian children can be butchered. Change of values for blood money. Shame.”

One X user shared a photo of Suri in which he can be seen celebrating with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

One X user shared a report of the Middle East Forum alleging that Suri posted a video of Israeli children held captive by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 (2023) terrorist attack on Israel. He reportedly captioned the video, “This is how Hamas men dealt with kids on Oct 7”.

The report also claimed that Suri’s father-in-law, Ahmed Yousef, is the founder of the United Association for Studies and Research (a Hamas-affiliated think tank) which has links to officials at Georgetown University and its Alwaleed Centre where Suri teaches on a student visa.

Suri has apparently deleted all his old posts on X as none of the posts whose screenshots have been posted by these X users are available on his X account.

Who is Badar Khan Suri?

Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi in 2020. His doctoral thesis was entitled ‘Transitional Democracy, Divided Societies and Prospects for Peace: A Study of State Building in Afghanistan and Iraq’. Suri is said to have conducted considerable research in conflict zones including Pakistan, Balochistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine.

Badar Khan Suri holds a position at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Center for Christian and Muslim Understanding, which is funded by Saudi tycoon Alwaleed bin Talal. He has repeatedly endorsed Hamas activities and actively spread its propaganda while claiming to specialize in “peace processes in the Middle East”.

Suri’s ties to Hamas were first exposed by Jewish News Syndicate in February this year, which cited several of his social media posts showing support for Hamas and its terror activities. Most of these posts are now deleted.

He is an active supporter of Hamas and has openly denied the atrocities done on innocent Israelis by Hamas terrorists in the 7 October attack. He had posted on Facebook, “Three lies by Israeli occupation, no proof whatsoever of babies beheaded, rapes or mass killings at carnival”.

In another Facebook post, he wrote, “This is how Hamas men dealt with kids on Oct. 7,” posting a video showing Hamas terrorists holding Israeli child hostages. Instead of condemning the abduction of children by terrorists, he defended it and even praised Hamas for ‘treating hostages well’.

“How can Georgetown continue to employ someone who not only has familial ties to Hamas but also openly spreads its propaganda and defends its barbaric attacks?” Jewish News Syndicate questioned while exposing his Hamas links.

Suri’s wife Mapheze Saleh is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a senior Hamas advisor. Reportedly, Ahmed Yousef was an advisor to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel. Yousef was also associated with the United Association for Studies and Research in 1989, a Hamas-affiliated think tank that closed down in 2004. It was established by Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook and served as a front for Hamas activities in the United States, which included spreading propaganda and raising funds.

According to a Hindustan Times report in 2018,  Badar Khan Suri met Mapheze Saleh when he was part of an international humanitarian convoy to Gaza in 2011. Suri was pursuing a PhD in peace and conflict studies at Jamia Millia at that time. He said that Mapheze worked as a translator for the group visiting Gaza, which led to the relationship between the two, as they kept in touch over the phone and social media after he returned to India.

At first Mapheze’s father said that his daughter would marry only a Palestinian. But after Suri along with his father visited Gaza again in 2013 to meet her father, he agreed to the marriage which took place in December 2013. The wedding was to take place in Gaza, but Suri’s family could not visit due to deteriorating political situation in the region, and later the wedding took place in Delhi.

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