 "Father of Indian scholar arrested in US over Hamas link says ‘false narrative’ built to connect dots")
The father of Indian scholar Badar Khan Suri who has been detained in the US has claimed that his son was falsely implicated by the Trump administration based on misleading narratives and connections. He also denied any link between his son and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
Speaking exclusively to Firstpost, Badar’s father said that the family has not spoken to him since his arrest and is relying on updates from his wife, who remains in touch with him through his legal team.
Suri’s father, Haji Shamshad Khan, dismissed the allegations on which his son was arrested as a fabricated narrative. Khan said, “He [Suri] has absolutely no connection to Hamas—not even 1 per cent. He has done nothing wrong. He used to say that Hamas was so insignificant that the US could crush it in seconds. He has never expressed any support for Hamas in any form.”
A retired government official living in the small town of Nakud in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, Khan said, “People often say that Muslims don’t prioritise education for their children, yet when they do, this is the reality they are forced to face. But is our only fault that we worked hard to educate our children despite difficult circumstances?”
“Badar has three children. His 10-year-old son breaks down whenever he thinks of his father, whom he hasn’t seen since the arrest. Just yesterday, I spoke to his daughter—she had a 102-degree fever. It’s heartbreaking to see our children suffering without their father,” Khan said.
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More ShortsSuri’s arrest over alleged Hamas link
Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, was arrested on 17 March from his home in Virginia.
Afterwards, a Department of Homeland Security official said Suri had “close links” with Hamas, the Palestinian group which has been at war with close US ally Israel as a fragile ceasefire agreement failed to enter its second phase last month. Suri faced deportation over charges of links with Hamas, a group proscribed by the US. However, Suri’s deportation was later blocked by a US court order.
Suri’s marriage to Mapheze Saleh, daughter of former Hamas adviser
Suri is married to Mapheze Saleh, a US citizen of Palestinian descent. Saleh previously worked for Al Jazeera and is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, who served as a senior political adviser to Hamas leadership.
While pursuing his PhD at Jamia Millia Islamia as a student of peace and conflict studies, Suri travelled to Gaza in 2010 as part of an international aid convoy, said his niece, who wished not to be named.
Suri’s Gaza visit
Suri’s niece told Firstpost that his 2010 trip to Gaza was for educational purposes as part of his research. It was during this trip that he met Saleh.
Later, a Palestinian ambassador to New Delhi recommended Suri to Saleh’s father for marriage, said Khan. He also said Saleh’s father was impressed with Suri’s affable personality and strong academic background and agreed for their marriage.
“Badar and I travelled to Gaza, Palestine, in 2011 for a week. We formally sought her [Saleh’s] hand for Badar from her parents. Since then, my son has never visited Gaza,” Khan said.
Khan said a ‘Vidaai Samaaroh’ (a ceremony marking the bride’s leaving of her parental home to husband’s) was organised at the Palestinian Embassy in New Delhi on 2 January 2014 after their wedding. The event was attended by their relatives, including Suri’s mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and other family members.
After completing his PhD at Jamia, he moved to Georgetown University in the United States, where he was engaged in both studying and teaching.
‘Trump administration framing Badar’: Father
When asked about the reason behind these allegations, Shamshad said, “His research during his post-doctorate was on peace and conflict. He has conducted extensive academic work on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“At one point, he tweeted that Hamas treated hostages well, unlike the Israelis. This led the Trump administration to assume he was a Hamas supporter, and now they are baselessly speculating that he is an adviser to Ismail Haniyeh. However, there is no possibility that he has met them or knows them personally,” Suri’s father said.
‘Contacted Indian embassy immediately’: Suri’s father
Khan, emphasising that the Indian government must actively engage to secure his release, said, “As soon as he was detained, my daughter-in-law promptly informed the Indian Embassy and kept them in the loop throughout.”
“We appeal to the Indian government to ensure justice is served. He is a true Indian and has never been anti-India, nor has he ever spoken against the United States. In fact, he often praised America as a great nation. I hope the Indian government will stand by him and support his cause,” he said.
Khan’s claims are, however, in contrast with what the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Suri’s case on March 21 in New Delhi. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “We are given to understand through media reports that this individual has been detained. Neither the US government nor the individual has approached us or the embassy.”
Family not in touch since his arrest
Suri’s father, reiterating that his son has done nothing wrong, said that he is incredibly intelligent, humble, and dedicated to his studies.
Khan stated that the family has not spoken to Suri since his arrest and that they are only getting updates through their daughter-in-law.
He said, “Since his arrest, he has been held in a detention camp, and we have not spoken to him even once. The only updates on his well-being come through our daughter-in-law, who stays in touch with him via his lawyers.
“My wife may not be highly educated and does not know much about this world, but today, her eyes are filled with tears. She worked incredibly hard to give Badar a good education. Both of us compromised on our daily needs to provide for our children’s education. We remain hopeful that he will regain his freedom.”
Suri and his in-laws in Gaza
When Firstpost asked Khan about his son’s relationship with his in-laws, who were former senior Hamas advisers, he responded, “Yes, his father-in-law was a Hamas advisor, and his wife’s family is connected to Yasser Arafat. But is being related to a former Hamas advisor a crime?”
Khan further stated that since moving to the United States, Suri has had no contact with his in-laws.
Not in the US for politics, but for studies: Father
Khan said, “He is not there to do politics or become a politician—he is there purely for his studies. He is also working on writing books. I once asked him, ‘Since you’ve done so well here, why go to the US?’”
His arrest comes amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants and pro-Palestinian protests accused of supporting Hamas, which the US considers a terrorist organisation.
Khan also expressed gratitude to Georgetown University, telling Firstpost that a panel is actively advocating for him.
“I have complete faith that he will be proven innocent and will continue to live there and complete the research and studies for which he went. We don’t want a true scholar like him to return home with such humiliation.”
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