College campuses in the United States have seen a troubling amount of anti-semitism, even and including when professors are the culprits. Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) is leading a letter with 10 of his colleagues to question US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Superintendent Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan about the content her employees publicly share on social media, in this case Professor Hesham Shaalan of Marine Engineering, who has been at the academy since 2005.
"Since October 7, 2023, when militant terrorists launched a coordinated attack on the State of Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, there has been an alarming increase in the incidents of antisemitism and hate speech on college campuses in the United States," Fry's letter points out, which Townhall received an exclusive of. "While freedom of speech is a foundational aspect of the U.S. Constitution, it must not be used to promote violence or hatred against people of certain religious beliefs, ancestry, or origin."
Although the professor's X account no longer exists, the StopAntisemitism captured a screenshot of an anti-semitic post he shared depicting various heads of news outlets with the Star of David. His post uses an anti-semitic trope suggesting that Jews control the major news outlets.
Among other information, Shaalan's bio mentioned "Free Palestine" and included the flag. His handle also included the Egyptian and Palestinian flags.
Another screenshot of Shaalan's post shows that the post had 3,700 views and a screenshot had 296,000 views. The reach didn't stop there, though. As Fry's letter explains, "this image has been widely shared on the internet by several antisemitic individuals and organizations," with the lawmakers going on to note that "[t]his blatant display of antisemitism, especially within our military institutions of higher education, cannot be tolerated."
We received an exclusive at @townhallcom of @RepRussellFry’s letter to the USMMA about anti-semitic posts from a professor there… here’s my latest! https://t.co/RfKsprbs6i pic.twitter.com/QuwcBJYWyp
— Rebecca Downs (@RebeccaRoseGold) November 3, 2023
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 30, 2023
The members are thus looking to hear back from Vice Admiral Nunan about what is being done to look into Shaalan's anti-semitic posts, and in social media policies and hate speech at the academy overall:
What social media policies at the USMMA apply to civilians and what other conditions of employment are in place for professors surrounding hate speech?
What steps has the USMMA taken to ensure that the academy does not condone hate speech?
Does the USMMA plan to conduct an investigation into Dr. Shaalan’s post from October 29, 2023?
"We are deeply concerned by the behavior of Dr. Shaalan, and it has no place in this country. We condemn antisemitism at all institutions of higher education and urge you to strongly reconsider the employment of Dr. Shaalan at the USMMA," the letter reads in its closing. The lawmakers are looking for an answer by November 17.
Republican Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ), Jim Banks (IN), Jeff Duncan (SC), Nancy Mace (SC), Chris Smith (NJ), Barry Moore (AL), Ralph Norman (SC), Randy Weber (TX), Byron Donalds (FL), and Anthony D'Esposito (NY) also signed onto the letter.
Fry and the other members in this letter joined with the vast majority of their House colleagues on Thursday to pass a resolution from House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) condemning anti-semitism on college campuses, specifically calling out "the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff."
Join the conversation as a VIP Member