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Why Deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh Is Justified
Demonstration in support of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Rhode Island State Capitol Building. Green banner on right with white Arabic lettering reads, “From Gaza to Beirut, the Intifada Will Never Die!” Photo: Screenshot
The US Department of Homeland Security on Monday issued a simple statement of the “commonsense security” considerations that led to the deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant nephrologist in Brown University’s Division of Kidney Disease.
“Last month, Rasha Alawieh traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to attend the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah — a brutal terrorist who led Hezbollah, responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade terror spree,” the statement read. “Alawieh openly admitted to this to CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) officers, as well as her support of Nasrallah. A visa is a privilege, not a right — glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied. This is commonsense security.”
Multiple media outlets that were given access to Alawieh’s immigration proceeding documents have elaborated on her fawning admiration of Nasrallah — the long-time leader of the Iran-backed, Lebanon-based jihad terrorist group Hezbollah who called for the annihilation of Jews — as a “spiritual leader.” Alawieh, a Shiite Muslim, reportedly declared, “If you listen to one of his [Nasrallah’s] sermons, you would know what I mean. He is a religious, spiritual person … His teachings are about spirituality and morality.”
I was a very active clinical kidney transplantation researcher who worked for almost 20 years in the Brown University Division of Kidney Disease. Moreover, as a recognized scholar of jihadism and Islamic antisemitism, I have studied Nasrallah’s alleged “spirituality and morality” and, understatedly, found it wanting.
Invoking antisemitic references from the Qur’an, Nasrallah characterized Jews as “apes and pigs” (Qur’an 5:60) and as “Allah’s most cowardly and greedy creatures” (Qur’an 2:96; 4:53; 59:13–14). He elaborated these themes into an annihilationist animus against all Jews, not merely Israelis”
Anyone who reads the Qur’an and the holy writings of the monotheistic religions sees what they did to the prophets, and what acts of madness and slaughter the Jews carried out throughout history … Anyone who reads these texts cannot think of co-existence with them, of peace with them, or about accepting their presence, not only in Palestine of 1948 but even in a small village in Palestine, because they are a cancer which is liable to spread again at any moment … There is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel … If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice, I do not say the Israeli … [I]f they [the Jews] all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide [emphasis mine].
Nasrallah’s recent funeral in Beirut — which Alawieh attended, in reverence — was punctuated by the enormous throng of tens of thousands bellowing “death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
The Department of Homeland Security acted appropriately in deporting Alawieh, and I wholeheartedly endorse that decision. Particularly as a non-citizen visa holder, there is no place for Alawieh’s support of a vicious advocate of jihad terror, and mass-murdering Jew-hatred, in the US, let alone in American medicine.
I also denounce those feckless, morally blind medical “academics” who are seeking Alawieh’s return to the US and reinstatement at Brown University. A scene pathognomonic of their willful ignorance unfolded Monday evening, on the steps of Rhode Island’s State Capitol building. While Alawieh’s supporters including, sadly, former colleagues, stood enraptured facing the speaker’s location, adjacent to it, a group of women in hijabs held a green banner with white Arabic lettering that read, “From Gaza to Beirut, the Intifada Will Never Die!” The “Intifada” is synonymous with lethal jihad violence that targets non-combatant Israeli Jews, in fulfillment of Nasrallah’s “spiritual” Shiite Islamic religious ideology.
Finally, I am thoroughly disgusted with a recently retired colleague of 30 years, and former chief of the Brown Division of Kidney Disease, Dr. Douglas Shemin, who hired Alawieh and would not state categorically he would not have hired her had he known she was a disciple of Nasrallah!
Andrew G. Bostom, MD, MS, is a retired Brown University academic internist and clinical epidemiologist, who is also the author of The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred Texts to Solemn History, Sharia versus Freedom: The Legacy of Islamic Totalitarianism, and other books and essays on Islam. His non-medical research focus has been on the impact of Islamic conquest, colonization, and governance on non-Muslims.
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Israeli Officials, Jewish Groups Congratulate New Pope Leo XIV
American cardinal Robert Prevost, now known as Leo XIV, has been elected a new pope by the cardinal electors on the second day of the conclave. On May 8, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect
Israeli officials and Jewish groups offered congratulations on Thursday following the naming of the new leader of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the name Leo XIV.
The announcement from the Vatican was met with joyous celebration and surprise, with spectators noting Leo’s trailblazing status as the first ever pope from the United States. Individuals and organizations tied to both Israel and the Jewish community expressed hope that Leo would help foster positive relations between Jews and Christians.
Isaac Herzog, the [resident of Israel, posted a statement on X/Twitter, saying that he hopes to work alongside the pope to strengthen the friendship between Jews and Christians.
“We look forward to enhancing the relationship between Israel and the Holy See, and strengthening the friendship between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land and around the world,” Herzog wrote.
“May your papacy be one of building bridges and understanding between all faiths and peoples. May we see the immediate and safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza, and a new era of peace in our region and around the world,” Herzog continued.
The Israel Foreign Ministry also issued a congratulatory post on X/Twitter, saying that the organization hopes to forge a strong relationship with the new Catholic leader.
“We congratulate Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV — the first American Pope — and Catholics around the world,” the ministry said. “We look forward to working together to further strengthen the relationship between the Jewish state and the Holy See. We hope to welcome you soon to the Holy Land.”
Jewish groups around the world expressed similarly optimistic sentiments about the new pope.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC), an organization that advocates on behalf of the Jewish community in the US, also acknowledged the naming of the new pope.
“We look forward to a close relationship with Pope Leo XIV as we continue to advance positive Catholic-Jewish relations for the benefit of Catholics, Jews, and all of humanity,” the AJC said.
The European Jewish Congress (EJC), an organization that advocates on behalf of the Jewish community within Europe, also expressed hope that the new pope would lead with “strength, wisdom, and compassion.”
“We extend our heartfelt wishes for strength, wisdom and compassion as he begins his mission as Supreme Pontiff,” the EJC added. “In an era that calls for moral leadership and unity across communities, we look forward to continuing and deepening the Catholic-Jewish dialogue, based on the Nostra Aetate declaration of 1965, rooted in mutual respect and shared values.”
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) similarly congratulated Leo.
“The WJC’s relationship with the Holy See spans decades and is grounded in a deep, ongoing commitment to interfaith dialogue. This partnership has centered on shared concerns such as the welfare of Jewish and Catholic communities, the fight against antisemitism and hatred, and the defense of religious freedom around the world,” WJC President Ronald Lauder said in a statement. “The WJC looks forward to continuing and deepening this essential dialogue under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV. At a time of global crisis, the importance of this relationship is only heightened.”
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also extended congratulations to the pope, expressing optimism that the new Catholic leader could foster “reconciliation among all faiths.”
“Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic community worldwide. I wish the first Pope from the United States success in fostering hope and reconciliation among all faiths,” Netanyahu said.
Leo XIV has not publicly expressed his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the ongoing war in Gaza. Relations between Israel and Leo XIV’s predecessor, Pope Francis, became increasingly tense in the months following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, an attack that started the war in Gaza.
In December, Francis unveiled a nativity scene which featured a depiction of an infant Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh — a traditional Arab headdress that has been repurposed after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel to signal support for the anti-Israel activist movement. Some observers suggested that the scene in St. Peter’s Square — which was titled “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024” and designed by two artists from Bethlehem, Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi — effectively erased Jesus’s Jewish roots. Francis also accused Israel, without evidence, of inflicting a “famine” in Gaza and suggested that the Jewish state’s military tactics could be tantamount to a “genocide.”
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Iran, US to Resume Nuclear Talks on Sunday After Postponement
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran has agreed to hold a fourth round of nuclear talks with the United States on Sunday in Oman, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday, adding that the negotiations were advancing.
US President Donald Trump, who withdrew Washington from a 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers meant to curb its nuclear activity, has threatened to bomb Iran if no new deal is reached to resolve the long unresolved dispute.
Western countries say Iran‘s nuclear program, which Tehran accelerated after the US walkout from the now moribund 2015 accord, is geared toward producing weapons, whereas Iran insists it is purely for civilian purposes.
“The negotiations are moving forward, and naturally, the further we go, the more consultations and reviews are needed,” Araqchi said in remarks carried by Iranian state media.
“The delegations require more time to examine the issues that are raised. But what is important is that we are on a forward-moving path and gradually entering into the details.”
The fourth round of indirect negotiations, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, was postponed, with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons.”
Araqchi said his planned visit to Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Saturday was in line with “continuous consultations” with neighboring countries to “address their concerns and mutual interests” about the nuclear issue.
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Israel Intercepts Missile Launched From Yemen, Houthis Claim Responsibility
A Houthi fighter mans a machine gun mounted on a truck during a parade for people who attended Houthi military training as part of a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, Dec. 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Israel‘s military said on Friday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, an attack for which Yemen‘s Houthi forces claimed responsibility.
The incident came days after Oman said it mediated a ceasefire deal between the US and the Houthis, with the Yemeni rebel group saying the accord did not include close US ally Israel.
The Iran-backed militia, an internationally designated terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack, saying it fired a ballistic missile towards Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, according to the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said after the military reported the missile launch that Israel would respond forcefully in Yemen and “wherever necessary,” describing the Houthi missiles as “Iranian.”
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the US would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen as the group had agreed to stop attacking US ships.
But the Houthis have continued to fire missiles and drones towards Israel, most of which the Israeli military says it has intercepted, without casualties or serious damage occurring.
The Houthis have attacked numerous vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade, in a campaign that they say is aimed at showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has been fighting a war in Gaza since a deadly raid by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas into southern Israel in October 2023.
The Houthis are part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” against Israeli and US interests in the Middle East, a group also including Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Israel has weakened those groups by assassinating top leaders and destroying military infrastructure since the Gaza war began, though Houthi capabilities appear largely intact.
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