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The ACLU’s Egregiously Dishonest Attack on CAMERA for Exposing Georgetown Academics
In Washington, DC, on March 23, 2025, a group of Georgetown University students and community leaders protest against ICE, MPD, and other law enforcement agencies on the college campus and call for the release of the Georgetown scholar facing deportation by DHS. Photo: Andrew Thomas via Reuters Connect.
Double standards are anathema to civil liberties. Yet the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which claims to protect the latter, instead exemplifies the former. Consider its recent attacks on CAMERA.
The ACLU has been a leading voice advancing the narrative that the Jewish community uses charges of antisemitism to silence criticism of Israel. For example, in a 2023 letter, the ACLU wrote: “the clear objective behind the promotion of the IHRA definition [of antisemitism] is the suppression of non-violent protest, activism, and criticism of Israel and/or Zionism…”
Contrast this with the ACLU of Virginia’s defense strategy for its client Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University academic facing deportation. In short, the ACLU has resorted to accusations of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bigotry to suppress activism against and criticism of terrorism.
In court documents and public statements, the ACLU claims that Suri and his Palestinian-American wife, Mapheze Saleh, have been targeted because of their “Muslim religion” and Saleh’s “national origin.”[1] In this regard, the ACLU singles out CAMERA, calling it a “group that spreads misinformation and seeks to discredit American Muslims.” According to the ACLU, CAMERA was a leading player in the “racist and Islamophobic doxxing” and “smear campaigns” that led to Suri being detained by immigration authorities.
What is the ACLU’s evidence of CAMERA’s anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian motivations? None is provided.
Unable to contend with the evidence CAMERA uncovered regarding the histories of both Suri and Saleh, the ACLU resorted to a cynical — and exceedingly hypocritical — smear to misdirect both the court and the public.
To comprehend the level of the ACLU’s dishonesty, it’s worth exploring the other ways in which the once well-respected organization resorted to lies, omissions, and rhetorical sleights of hand to mislead both the court and the public.
In February, CAMERA exposed that Saleh, the daughter of a senior Hamas official, had herself worked with entities directly tied to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. Shortly after, another organization, Middle East Forum, exposed several reprehensible social media posts by her husband, Suri. In March, Suri, an Indian national, was detained by immigration authorities and now faces deportation. Further research by CAMERA uncovered evidence that Suri had participated in a 2010-2011 “convoy” organized by a terrorist organization, IHH[2], for the purpose of aiding Hamas. CAMERA also uncovered years of public statements by Saleh and Suri spreading hate-filled rhetoric and propaganda.
So how does the ACLU mislead?
Start with one of the more egregious sleights of hand. In its court filings, the ACLU almost never uses the word “Hamas,” instead referring to the “Gazan government.” This enables a series of deceptive claims, going beyond the obvious effort to sanitize the terrorist backgrounds of Suri’s family.
Consider, for example, its description of Saleh’s father, Ahmed Yousef: “Mr. Ahmed Yousef is an academic. Between 2006 and until he retired from civil service in 2010, he worked as a political advisor to the Prime Minister of Gaza and as deputy foreign minister in Gaza.” But it’s not Yousef’s affiliation with “civil service” that matters; it’s his affiliation with Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, of which the “Gazan government” is but one component. Notably avoided through this wording is whether Yousef is still a part of the US-designated terrorist organization.
In another case, the ACLU uses rhetorical sleight of hand to give the court both a lie and the truth in the same document. In a declaration to the court by Saleh, it states: “A website claimed falsely that my husband and I have ‘ties to Hamas.’” But CAMERA’s claim isn’t false, as Saleh’s own declaration proves. In it, she admits that she “was working in the Foreign Ministry of Gaza,” a Hamas entity, in 2011.
Regarding Suri, the ACLU describes his 2010-2011 terror convoy as simply a “humanitarian aid convoy.” Omitted is that the convoy was organized by another terrorist organization that was openly collaborating with Hamas for the express purpose of trying to help the latter “break the siege” (i.e., the blockade lawfully imposed on Gaza to halt the flow of weapons to Hamas, which had already launched over 5,000 rockets at Israel).
The ACLU uses the same misleading tactics to sanitize the extremist rhetoric of both Saleh and Suri.
Saleh, for example, is depicted as simply “express[ing] sorrow for the deaths of Gazan people.” Omitted is that she repeatedly expressed glee at the murder of Israelis. In one case, she approvingly reposted a Hamas propaganda video promising to murder Israeli civilian hostages.
Suri, too, is described simply as “an academic dedicated to ending wars and finding just and peaceful solutions to conflicts” and “expressing support for the Palestinian people.” But these descriptions are contradicted by Suri’s actual history. Recall that he engaged in a celebratory pose with Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas terrorist leader known for such “peaceful” rhetoric as: “we need the blood of women, children, and the elderly of Gaza so it awakens our revolutionary spirit!” and “we will never recognize Israel!” Suri himself has stated: “What Ismail Haniyeh is doing … is no different from what any national leader would do…”
Common sense dictates that people dedicated to peace and justice do not lionize senior terrorists who deliberately target civilians for murder.
But it’s worth highlighting that the ACLU’s focus on Suri and Saleh’s public expressions is itself misleading. CAMERA did not target Suri and Saleh for their speech; we targeted them for their conduct on behalf of and in support of a terrorist organization. It is this simple fact which the ACLU goes to such lengths to obfuscate. Working for and aiding terrorists is not a civil liberty. On the contrary, it is a very real threat to our freedoms.
The ACLU is entitled to zealously represent its client, Badar Khan Suri. But when it so casually resorts to dishonesty, the public is entitled to question the organization’s credibility. More fundamentally, when a “civil liberties” advocacy organization applies separate standards depending on a group’s religious identity or national origin, the public is entitled to question its fidelity to the cause.
David M. Litman is a Senior Higher Education Analyst at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA).
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Iran Says It Has Replaced Air Defenses Damaged in Israel War
The S-300 missile system is seen during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran has replaced air defenses damaged during last month’s conflict with Israel, Iran’s Defah Press news agency reported on Sunday quoting Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army’s deputy for operations.
During the conflict in June, Israel’s air force dominated Iran’s airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country’s air defenses while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory.
“Some of our air defenses were damaged, this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure,” Mousavi said.
Prior to the war, Iran had its own domestically-made long-range air defense system Bavar-373 in addition to the Russian-made S-300 system. The report by Defah Press did not mention any import of foreign-made air defense systems to Iran in past weeks.
Following limited Israeli strikes against Iranian missile factories last October, Iran later displayed Russian-made air defenses in a military exercise to show it recovered from the attack.
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Calm Reported in Syria’s Sweida, Damascus Says Truce Holding
Members of Internal Security Forces stand guard at an Internal Security Forces’ checkpoint working to prevent Bedouin fighters from advancing towards Sweida, following renewed fighting between Bedouin fighters and Druze gunmen, despite an announced truce, in Walgha, Sweida province, Syria, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Residents reported calm in Syria’s Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a US envoy signaled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented.
With hundreds reported killed, the Sweida bloodshed is a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes against government forces last week as it declared support for the Druze. Fighting continued on Saturday despite a ceasefire call.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday that internal security forces had managed to calm the situation and enforce the ceasefire, “paving the way for a prisoner exchange and the gradual return of stability throughout the governorate.”
Reuters images showed interior ministry forces near the city, blocking the road in front of members of tribes congregated there. The Interior Ministry said late on Saturday that Bedouin fighters had left the city.
US envoy Tom Barrack said the sides had “navigated to a pause and cessation of hostilities”. “The next foundation stone on a path to inclusion, and lasting de-escalation, is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are in process,” he wrote on X.
Kenan Azzam, a dentist, said there was an uneasy calm but the city’s residents were struggling with a lack of water and electricity. “The hospitals are a disaster and out of service, and there are still so many dead and wounded,” he said by phone.
Another resident, Raed Khazaal, said aid was urgently needed. “Houses are destroyed … The smell of corpses is spread throughout the national hospital,” he said in a voice message to Reuters from Sweida.
The Syrian state news agency said an aid convoy sent to the city by the government was refused entry while aid organized by the Syrian Red Crescent was let in. A source familiar with the situation said local factions in Sweida had turned back the government convoy.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that Israel sent urgent medical aid to the Druze in Sweida and the step was coordinated with Washington and Syria. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Ministry and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel and Lebanon who follow a religion that is an offshoot of a branch of Shi’ite Islam. Some hardline Sunnis deem their beliefs heretical.
The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against the Druze.
Residents of the predominantly Druze city said friends and neighbours were shot at close range in their homes or in the streets by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and insignia.
Sharaa on Thursday promised to protect the rights of Druze and to hold to account those who committed violations against “our Druze people.”
He has blamed the violence on “outlaw groups.”
While Sharaa has won US backing since meeting President Donald Trump in May, the violence has underscored the challenge he faces stitching back together a country shattered by 14 years of conflict, and added to pressures on its mosaic of sectarian and ethnic groups.
COASTAL VIOLENCE
After Israel bombed Syrian government forces in Sweida and hit the defense ministry in Damascus last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a policy demanding the demilitarization of territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida.
He also said Israel would protect the Druze.
The United States however said it did not support the Israeli strikes. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area for two days.
A Syrian security source told Reuters that internal security forces had taken up positions near Sweida, establishing checkpoints in western and eastern parts of the province where retreating tribal fighters had gathered.
On Sunday, Sharaa received the report of an inquiry into violence in Syria’s coastal region in March, where Reuters reported in June that Syrian forces killed 1,500 members of the Alawite minority following attacks on security forces.
The presidency said it would review the inquiry’s conclusions and ensure steps to “bring about justice” and prevent the recurrence of “such violations.” It called on the inquiry to hold a news conference on its findings – if appropriate – as soon as possible.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said on July 18 it had documented the deaths of at least 321 people in Sweida province since July 13. The preliminary toll included civilians, women, children, Bedouin fighters, members of local groups and members of the security forces, it said, and the dead included people killed in field executions by both sides.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another monitoring group, has reported a death toll of at least 940 people.
Reuters could not independently verify the tolls.
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Pope Leo Calls for End to ‘Barbarity of War’ After Strike on Gaza Church
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Pope Leo called for an end to the “barbarity of war” on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza.
Three people died and several were injured, including the parish priest, in the strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City on Thursday. Photos show its roof has been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and shattering windows.
Speaking after his Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed in the incident.
“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population,” he said.
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