Prominent Buddhist teachers and practitioners have signed a petition calling for an end to deportation proceedings against Palestinian activist and Buddhist practitioner Mohsen Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident of the United States and graduate student at Columbia University.
The petition, published by the Plum Village Solidarity Council, describes the proceedings against Mahdawi as an attack on his constitutional right to freedom of expression and calls on Buddhist communities to support him. Signatories include Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, Roshi Joan Halifax, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, Kaira Jewel Lingo, and monastics and teachers from Plum Village, Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen traditions. (Plum Village Solidarity Council)
“As Buddhist practitioners committed to the precept of upholding life and liberation for all beings, we stand with Mohsen and affirm his right to free speech, as well as his right to practice the religion of his choice, namely, Buddhism,” the petition states. (Plum Village Solidarity Council)
Mahdawi grew up in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the US in 2014. While an undergraduate at Columbia University, he served as president of the Columbia University Buddhist Association and co-founded Dar: the Palestinian Student Society. He became prominent during demonstrations against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023.
Mahdawi has said that Buddhism and meditation helped him work with trauma and difficult emotions after arriving in the US. In a 2025 interview, he described encountering the Buddhist teachings through the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Vermont before becoming increasingly involved in Buddhist practice.
The US immigration authorities arrested Mahdawi on 14 April 2025, when he attended a naturalization interview in Vermont. The Trump administration sought his removal under a provision of immigration law permitting deportation when the secretary of state determines that a noncitizen’s presence or activities could have serious adverse consequences for US foreign policy. Mahdawi and his lawyers have maintained that the action was retaliation for constitutionally protected pro-Palestinian speech.
On 30 April 2025, US District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered Mahdawi released while his habeas corpus challenge continued. Crawford wrote that the case arose during a period when lawful residents “not charged with crimes or misconduct” were being threatened with detention over political views, comparing the climate with the McCarthy era.
The legal proceedings have continued through 2026. An immigration judge initially terminated Mahdawi’s removal case in February after finding that the government had failed to properly authenticate a determination attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Board of Immigration Appeals subsequently reinstated the proceedings, and another immigration judge ordered Mahdawi’s removal in June. His challenge to that decision is pending before the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
On 21 July, a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit separately ruled that the Vermont federal court lacked jurisdiction to hear Mahdawi’s habeas challenge and vacated the order underlying his release. However, on 3 September, the Second Circuit granted rehearing en banc, allowing the full appeals court to reconsider that decision.
The Buddhist petition welcomed the decision to rehear the case and said Mahdawi’s activism reflected Buddhist commitments to nonviolence, compassion, and protection of life.
“I’m fighting for justice, to be able to speak my truth,” Mahdawi said in a statement, calling for “safety, freedom and equal rights” for Palestinians. (Plum Village Solidarity Council)
The campaign comes amid growing visibility for Buddhism in the US. Pew Research Center estimates that about 4.4 million Buddhists lived in the country in 2020, representing approximately 1.3 per cent of the population.
See more
Standing in Solidarity with Palestinian Buddhist Peace Activist Mohsen Mahdawi during the Ongoing Violation of His First Amendment Rights (2026) (Plum Village Solidarity Council)
‘A battle between fear and love’: Mohsen Mahdawi, GS ’25, SIPA ’27, on his detention, pro-Palestinian advocacy, and dialogue (Columbia Daily Spectator)
5 facts about Buddhists in the United States (Pew Research Center)
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