Content warning: This piece discusses an act of Islamophobia.
Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR) have come under fire for an Islamophobic social media post where they wrote that “Muslims have no place in American society.” The message was posted Sunday night to X and deleted shortly after 10 p.m. on Tuesday.
GUCR’s comment was published as a repost of a tweet by @libsoftiktok, a popular right-wing social media account, regarding a recent attack in New York City (NYC). Two men, inspired by ISIS, threw a homemade bomb at an anti-Muslim protest outside Gracie Mansion, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of NYC, resides. In the post, GUCR wrote: “Let’s Be Honest: Muslims have no place in American society. Their religion is incompatible with our Christian Nation.”
“We affirm the First Amendment rights of all Americans and we are called to love everyone,” GUCR wrote in a statement to the Voice early Wednesday morning. “Our properly articulated position is that Sharia Law is incompatible with Western Civilization and American society as it seeks to oppress women and persecute religious minorities. This wasn’t expressed in the original tweet which is why it was promptly deleted.”
Ahmad Abuirshid (CAS ’26), the president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), said that Islamophobia being promoted by an on-campus group is “unacceptable,” and that he does not believe GUCR’s actions represent the university as a whole.
“I know Georgetown does not stand for that,” Abuirshid told the Voice Tuesday night. “I mean, I live and die for Georgetown. Georgetown is everything to me. And I know our values are not like this, so I’m kind of disappointed that they used Georgetown’s name in this way, because if someone else were to see that, they might think that Georgetown has these values as well.”
Islamophobic sentiment has been on the rise in the U.S. in recent years, compounding in recent weeks with the United States’ invasion of Iran. A study by the U.S. Center for the Study of Organized Hate found that from Feb. 28, the first day of the war, to March 5, Islamphobic remarks on X alone doubled.
On Monday, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) drew controversy for a very similar post that he wrote on X, posting that “Muslims don’t belong in American society.” Ogles recently announced that he plans to introduce a bill that would “prevent admission of aliens from a series of countries with predominantly Muslim populations” and other “U.S. adversaries,” specifically singling out Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Georgetown University College Democrats (GUCD) released a statement early Wednesday morning condemning the post, arguing that it goes against Georgetown’s mission. They are calling for other organizations to sign onto their statement.
“These un-American statements are an affront to the very fabric of our nation and university,” they wrote. “John Carroll founded Georgetown to be a place for religious tolerance and sanctuary. Georgetown’s Jesuit identity calls on all of us to be people for others and act in service to society. The messaging of these tweets is antithetical to everything that Georgetown University stands for.”
Abuirshid said that he has already talked to MSA’s faculty advisor about reporting GUCR to the university for their post, and thinks that their words should not be swept under the rug.
In a statement to the Voice Wednesday morning, a university spokesperson wrote that the administration is looking into the post.
“We are reviewing this matter through established university processes, and we take our community’s concerns seriously and condemn this language, which is deeply inconsistent with Georgetown University’s values,” the university spokesperson wrote. “All student groups with access to benefits are required to follow the Georgetown University Student Organization Standards and the Code of Student Conduct (and can be sanctioned for violations of those standards.”
“Georgetown University strongly condemns Islamophobia and hatred of any kind in our community. University policies expressly prohibit harassment, discrimination, intimidation and threats of harm,” the spokesperson added. “We encourage anyone who sees evidence of a bias- or hate-motivated incident to file a report through Georgetown’s Bias Related Incident Reporting process or to call GUPD.”
“I just think they should be held accountable,” he said. “I feel like some people think that [Muslims] are an easier target because sometimes we don’t fight back as much. And I think this is a good time where we actually should report them and make sure that it’s unacceptable for them to make a comment like this, especially using Georgetown’s name.”
Abuirshid encourages students to “report them, speak to their club advisors if they’re on board, email the president, do whatever they can, fill out anonymous reports.”
According to Georgetown’s Division of Student Affairs, a group is not eligible for access to university benefits, such as university funding or access to campus spaces, if “in its mission or practices” it “fosters hatred or intolerance of others.” Further, Student Affairs’ student organization standards specifically list race and religion as protected characteristics.
If student organizations are found in violation of these standards, they can lose their access to university benefits.
Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) president Darius Wagner (CAS ’27) said that GUSA is currently speaking with administrators to address the issue and hold the individuals involved accountable.
“I want the student body to know that we are actively reaching out to admin currently, utilizing the channels that we have already established, to ensure the situation gets properly addressed,” Wagner told the Voice early Wednesday morning. “GUSA currently encourages students to fill out a bias report. And additionally, if any students are in need of additional help, know that there is [Counseling and Psychiatric Services] and [Health Education Services]. Please utilize your services and know that we stand with our community at this moment, it is just incredibly shameful and disgusting that a group could come after another like that.”
In an Instagram story, the GUSA senate also denounced GUCR’s post.
“Hate speech in any form should not be tolerated, especially coming from school-funded student organizations using the Georgetown name. We are awaiting more information on the recent events,” they wrote.
GUCD also encouraged students to report GUCR to the university, and shared a step-by-step guide to file a report on their Instagram.
“We call on Georgetown University to investigate the Georgetown University College Republicans, remove their access to benefits, and bar the club from using the university’s name,” they wrote. “We hope all Georgetown students reject these statements from GUCR, and encourage all Hoyas to file a bias report and/or an [Office of Student Conduct] incident report against GUCR for this hate speech.”
Abuirshid also said he’s trying to look with a “glass half full” and is hoping the post was sent out by a singular individual and not approved by the entire club.
“I hope it wasn’t approved by their board,” he added. “But I really hope it was just a one time thing. And I’m not sure if this is something that it’s a pattern for them. I hope it doesn’t become a pattern.”
To support Muslim students on campus, Abuirshid said that speaking to your peers and learning more about Islam can help break stigmas around the religion and decrease Islamophobia, especially during Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar that is expected to run through March 19.
“What people can do at Georgetown is, just talk to your fellow Muslims, talk to any of your Muslim friends,” he said. “Ramadan’s a good time to learn about Islam. [Despite how] some organizations on campus like [GUCR], and some media outlets like to paint us, we’re actually a very peaceful religion, like many other religions.”
This article was updated to include comment from Georgetown University College Republicans and a university spokesperson
