Jeromie Whalen is a public school teacher in Northampton and a PhD candidate in education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
When I learned that my friend Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, had been detained by federal agents in connection with his organization of protests demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, I thought about our conversations.
I looked at a picture Khalil had taken at Evergreen, a little bar in the heart of Beirut that we had frequented after long days teaching refugee children near the Lebanon border. I looked at his simple farewell text: “Jeromie, we already miss u bro. Hope u arrive safe; take care.”
In the summer of 2018, far from the classroom where I was a schoolteacher in Western Massachusetts, I took part in a volunteer mission to help educate children displaced by the war in Syria. The program was led by Jusoor, a nonprofit that provides refugee education, scholarships, entrepreneurship opportunities, and career development for displaced Syrians.
For several weeks, Khalil, I, and other volunteers drove three hours roundtrip from Beirut to Joub Jannine, Lebanon, an agricultural village not far from the border of Khalil’s homeland in Syria.
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There, Khalil and I prepared lesson plans, gathered materials, and taught classes to children whose lives had been torn apart by the horrors of their country’s civil conflict. Coming back to Beirut at night, we would sit in Evergreen, play darts, and reflect on our experiences.
This is where I got to know Khalil and learned about his life, his leadership, and his dreams.
Khalil was born in Syria to a Palestinian refugee family. In 2012, he was forced to flee to Lebanon as the war intensified. He worked as a laborer to survive and helped organize relief efforts through Jusoor.
His charitable efforts earned him a scholarship to a university in Lebanon, after which he pursued graduate studies at Columbia University. He remained in the United States legally on a green card, continuing the work that he loved. He and his wife are expecting a child next month. Khalil’s own life had been upended by war, so he worked to help others affected by it.
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In 2017, Khalil had also been part of a group of about two dozen young civic leaders from countries facing violent conflict who met with the Dalai Lama as part of a mentorship and training exchange program in Dharamshala, India, led by the United States Institute of Peace.
In his conversation with the Dalai Lama, Khalil confided that sometimes, when he woke up, he asked himself: “Why am I doing this?” He resolved that it was to prevent other refugees from losing hope and gravitating toward extreme groups.
During our time together in 2018, I came to know Khalil as a humble and compassionate man who took pride in helping others, even while facing his own challenges. He was a thoughtful leader who listened attentively, often with a warm smile and a nod of understanding. I witnessed firsthand how his dedication and empathy toward the children we taught reflected the true strength of his character. That is the same man I’ve stayed in touch with ever since.
But the Department of Homeland Security has alleged that Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” President Trump celebrated the detention of Khalil on Truth Social, calling him a “Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student.” These statements are slanderous; they do not describe the Khalil I know.
In the current polarized political landscape, it has become increasingly difficult to engage in civil dialogue. To have a differing opinion can result in being unfairly labeled a terrorist.
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However, I am a US citizen, and my right to free speech is unquestionable.
I can attest that Khalil embodies the core values of the American spirit far more than Trump or his lackeys in this administration. His compassion for others stands in stark contrast to actions by an authoritarian administration determined to impose its misguided agenda through force, trampling civil rights in the process.
Suppressing free speech and targeting individuals for their dissenting views are activities far more aligned with a terrorist organization than with democracy.
