Dear friends in Buddhist communities:
For many of us, there are numerous areas of deep concern related to what is happening in the United States at this time. I would like to draw your attention to a deportation case involving a fellow Buddhist practitioner, Mohsen Mahdawi, and invite you to consider supporting him in one or more of a number of ways.
A student at Columbia University due to graduate in May, Mahdawi came from the West Bank and had held a green card for the past 10 years. He had been active in supporting Palestinian rights, but stepped back from student organizing in March 2024, before the Columbia encampments or the takeover of a campus building took place. He had become a practicing Buddhist several years earlier, was the President of the Columbia University Buddhist Association in 2022 and 2023, and was a strong advocate of nonviolence, seeking a future of peaceful co-existence between Israeli Jews and Palestinians.
His Israeli friend and co-worker Mikey Baratz says of him “He has every reason to be angry and want violence. And he doesn’t.” In an interview in December 2023 for 60 Minutes, he stated: “To be antisemitic is unjust. And the fight for the freedom of Palestine and the fight against antisemitism go hand in hand, because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Very much in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom he had quoted in speaking about injustice, he worked actively to bring Israeli Jews and Palestinians together in dialogue and sharing.
He was arrested at what he thought was his hearing to become a naturalized citizen. Presently, he is being held in Vermont, a judge having issued a temporary restraining order that prevents his removal from that state.
According to the The Guardian from April 15 (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/15/mohsen-mahdawi-columbia-detained), the Trump Administration, through a memo by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, claimed that Maldawi “had undermined the Middle East peace process and threatened the US goal to ‘peacefully' resolve conflict in Israel and Gaza.”
You can get further details on what has happened and his background through these sources:
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Christopher Browning, a scholar of the Holocaust, in “Trump, Antisemitism & Academia” (https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/04/10/trump-antisemitism-academia-christopher-browning/) gives a cogent background analysis.
Thich Nhat Hanh maintained that “a religious community should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice.” Let us reflect on Mohsen’s situation and possible responses that we might have, individually and collectively.
Some of us might contact our Senators or House Rep. As few as 20 letters landing on a congressperson’s desk can be enough to tilt their propensity to action. Here are links for contacting one’s Senators or House Reps, if one is in the U.S.: For Senators (https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) and for House Reps (https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email).
One can also contact the Vermont Senators, Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch; see https://www.senate.gov/states/VT/intro.htm. Thank them for taking action and speaking out.
The Action Network has a petition contacting one’s representatives: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-free-mahmoud-khalil/ (it’s for Mohsen Mahdawi as an “update” to the original petition).
Other ways of responding could include carrying a sign, writing a letter to the editor, or spreading the word to your personal network, to increase public awareness. Some may choose simply to offer metta to Mohsen and other people of varied beliefs who have been wrongfully imprisoned or held hostage.
Thank you for considering what seems like a wise, compassionate, and skillful response. Let us stay in touch, sharing our responses.
I want to thank very much Carol Cavanaugh who first let me know about Mohsen’s Buddhist practice and provided a first draft of this letter.
With best wishes, in the dharma,
Donald Rothberg, Home Communities: Spirit Rock, East Bay Meditation Center, Marin Sangha