Jonathan Brown, a tenured Georgetown University professor who came under fire last month for a social media post in which he called for Iran to conduct a “symbolic strike” on a U.S. military base, has been placed on leave and removed as chair of the school’s Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Georgetown University interim President Robert M. Groves said Tuesday at a congressional hearing. 

“Within minutes of our learning of that tweet, the dean contacted Professor Brown, the tweet was removed [and] we issued a statement condemning the tweet. Professor Brown is no longer chair of his department and he’s on leave, and we’re beginning a process of reviewing the case,” Groves said in response to a question from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) at a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on campus antisemitism. 

One day after the U.S. struck Iranian military targets in June, Brown posted on X: “I’m not an expert, but I assume Iran could still get a bomb easily. I hope Iran does some symbolic strike on a base, then everyone stops.” 

Last month, a university spokesperson said that Georgetown administrators were reviewing Brown’s conduct and that Georgetown was “appalled” by his comments. 

Brown, until recently the chair of the university’s Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies and Alwaleed bin Talal chair of Islamic civilization in the School of Foreign Service, has a lengthy history of anti-Israel commentary on social media. 

A profile listing Brown as chair of Islamic civilization was still active on Georgetown’s website during the hearing.