An Arizona State University professor was kicked out of Australia over his remarks at a rally outside a Sydney mosque held on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
ASU law professor and Muslim influencer Khaled Beydoun told a crowd of about 300 people that the anniversary of the terrorist attack was a “good day” worthy of celebration, prompting Australian officials to revoke his visa.
“[This is] not fully a day of mourning, today is also a day that marks considerable celebration, considerable progress, and considerable privilege,” said Beydoun. “I want to talk about some good things because it’s a good day, and we’ve got to mark some of the good news that comes about that we oftentimes neglect.”
Over 1,200 civilians — men, women, and children, including several dozen Americans — were killed in the Hamas surprise attack last year.
ASU defended Beydoun. A university spokesperson said in an official statement that Beydoun’s remarks were taken out of context.
“The university is aware of the professor’s remarks and is respectful of the First Amendment privileges associated with academic freedom and free speech,” said the spokesperson. “In this instance, regarding a topic that is emotionally charged and extremely sensitive, we believe the Australian media source and subsequent online comments misquote the professor and take his comments out of context.”
The university also said that Beydoun was too valuable as a constitutional law expert to dismiss. ASU also said that Beydoun’s remarks were constitutionally-protected speech.
“Professor Khaled Beydoun’s work as a constitutional law expert brings insight into the complexities involved in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and offer his own perspective on the situation which is constitutionally protected in the United States and independent of Arizona State University,” said ASU.
The university’s statement wasn’t considered sufficient by some among Arizona’s elected leaders.
Representative Matt Gress called for ASU to hold Beydoun accountable for his remarks. In a press release on Thursday, Gress announced that he had submitted a letter to the dean of ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law requesting a review of Beydoun’s conduct, as well as whether ASU covered Beydoun’s travel expenses to Australia.
“Professor Beydoun’s remarks cannot be ignored,” said Gress. “ASU must uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity among its faculty. His comments condoning acts of terror clearly violate those standards, and the university should hold him accountable.”
Last November, Beydoun made national news for posting fake anti-Muslim hate mail online, which went viral. Beydoun had pulled a similar stunt before to claim victimhood of Islamophobia. In 2019, Beydoun had another viral post in which he claimed a Delta Airlines captain grabbed him by the neck for issuing a complaint. Beydoun alleged in that also-deleted post that the captain’s actions were caused by supposed racial and ethnic tensions caused by then-President Donald Trump.
Delta Airlines later denied a physical altercation occurred. The company reported that Beydoun was upset because he had been relocated from a first-class seat.
The viral fake claim of Islamophobia called to question Beydoun’s hire by ASU, with the law professor criticized as a “Hamas propagandist” stoking tensions in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack.
Beydoun has been with ASU since last summer. Following the Hamas terrorist attack, Beydoun pledged all royalties from his book, “The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims,” to Gaza.
