Future physicians must support ‘the resistance’ or find another career field, first-year med student Nicole Olakkengil says
(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
At Georgetown University Medical School, a flurry of social media posts from future medical professionals justifying Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre is raising a troubling question: Can doctors support terrorism?
An array of Georgetown Med students since the attack have taken to Instagram to praise the “Palestinian resistance” and argue that violence against innocent civilians is “inevitable” given Israel’s “apartheid” and “settler colonialism,” screenshots obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show. One student, Nicole Olakkengil, even urged her classmates who refuse to “stand … with the resistance” to “maybe try entering a different field,” as “medicine is inherently political.” In some cases, those students are already working in Washington, D.C.-area hospitals.
The students’ willingness to justify, defend, and even praise the worst attack against Jews since the Holocaust raises questions as to how those students will treat Jewish patients when they become doctors—and whether doctors can support terrorism while staying within the bounds of medical ethics.
Georgetown Med itself compels students to recite the Hippocratic Oath at its annual white coat ceremony. That oath calls on doctors to remember that they “remain a member of society, with special obligations to all fellow human beings.” At the school’s 2023 ceremony, held in August, Professor Stephen Ray Mitchell also urged students to practice medicine in a way that is “more inclusive for our patients.”
“These students have disqualified themselves from a career in medicine. No Jewish patient can have confidence that they will treat them consistent with the Hippocratic Oath,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, former University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine associate dean and father of Free Beacon chairman Michael Goldfarb. ”There was a long and unfortunate history of physicians in the Nazi regime acting in the most vile and barbarous manner to support that hateful ideology. These students are mimicking that vileness. If I were still acting as an associate Dean and were in that medical school, I would call for their dismissal from the school.”
Included among the school’s Hamas sympathizers is first-year student Yusra Rafeeqi, who shared an Instagram post that defended Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack as “Palestinian resistance” and argued that “radical change requires radical moves.” Olakkengil, a fellow first-year student, similarly contended that “violent retribution is inevitable in the struggle for resistance.”
“So many of you going into medicine have been quiet or outright supporting genocide,” she wrote on Instagram. “Medicine is inherently political and we have to stand with the oppressed and for the resistance. If not, re-evaluate why you’re going into medicine and maybe try entering a different field.”
Other Georgetown Med students, including second-year Badr Abdullah and first-year Rhea Shetty, publicly disparaged supporters of the Jewish state. Abdullah in an Instagram post mocked “loser racist z*on*st bums,” while Shetty said ”pro Israeli people … cannot critically think.”
“I’m sorry but just know that when I look you in the eyes, I don’t have a single drop of respect for you,” she added.
Rafeeqi, Olakkengil, Abdullah, and Shetty did not respond to requests for comment. Abdullah works as a research assistant at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C.’s largest private hospital, according to his LinkedIn. Rafeeqi is a volunteer at the Hoya Clinic, Georgetown’s student-run clinic that serves D.C. residents.
The four students are far from the only Georgetown Med doctors-in-training to endorse Hamas’s terror attack on Israel. Second-year Anita Kuang in an Instagram post blamed Hamas’s attack on Israeli “apartheid/settler colonialism,” arguing that there is “little to nothing else” for Palestinians to do to enact change besides killing Jews.
“To try to say ‘there’s violence on both sides’ is wack when it is an asymmetrical relationship to begin with where one side continually enacts systemic violence,” Kuang said of Israel.
Another Georgetown Med student, Mominah Subhan, shared an Instagram post arguing that those who support Palestinians must support Hamas.
“If you support Palestine understand that necessitates supporting our right to defend ourselves and liberate our homeland by any means necessary,” the post said. “You cannot claim to stand with Palestine if you’d prefer us to be slaughtered without fighting back. Freedom has only ever been achieved through resistance.”
For second-year student Niyat Esaias, meanwhile, it may be unfair to call Hamas fighters “terrorists,” given that ”they are fighting against oppression.”
“Call Palestinians whatever you want in the moment,” Esaias said in an Instagram post, “but without a doubt history will always show that they are the oppressed battling against their oppressors.”
Kuang, Subhan, and Esaias did not respond to requests for comment. It’s unclear how—if at all—Georgetown Med will address the rampant anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric espoused by its students. The university did not return a request for comment.
Still, at least one doctor-to-be at the school, Olakkengil, believes Georgetown Med students should be held accountable for their views—though she applies that belief only to her classmates who support Israel.
“How are so many of you … actively supporting genocide right now? And SO many of you are in public service jobs, including health care,” she said in an Instagram post. “Like let’s bring back name and shame because some of you deserve to be @’d for your abominable actions.”
What are the potential consequences of these students justifying violence and supporting terrorism for their impartiality, empathy, and commitment to patient care?
Colonialism” and stated that “violence is only inevitable when peaceful means have failed.” Another second-year student, Maria Lopez, defended Hamas’s actions as a response to Israeli “oppression.”
These disturbing social media posts raise serious concerns about the future of medical professionals and their ability to uphold their ethical responsibilities. Medicine, as Nicole Olakkengil pointed out, is indeed a political field. However, it is essential for future physicians to understand that supporting terrorism and justifying violence against innocent civilians goes against the very principles of medicine and the Hippocratic Oath.
The Hippocratic Oath is a solemn pledge taken by medical professionals, including those at Georgetown University Medical School. It emphasizes the duty of doctors to treat all fellow human beings and places special obligations on them as members of society. By justifying violent acts and sympathizing with Hamas, these students have shown a clear disregard for these fundamental principles.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a former associate dean at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, articulates the concern that these students cannot be trusted to provide unbiased and compassionate care, particularly to Jewish patients. He draws attention to the disturbing history of physicians in the Nazi regime who supported hateful ideologies and highlights the risk of these students mimicking such vileness.
It is not just a matter of personal opinions or political beliefs; these students’ public endorsement of terrorism raises questions about their impartiality, empathy, and commitment to patient care. Can they truly provide unbiased treatment to individuals they label as oppressors? Can they separate their personal biases from their professional responsibilities?
Georgetown University Medical School must take these concerns seriously and thoroughly investigate the actions of these students. The school has a responsibility to ensure that its future physicians uphold the highest standards of medical ethics and prioritize the well-being of all patients, regardless of their race, religion, or nationality.
Furthermore, this case underscores the broader issue of political polarization infiltrating various professional fields. It is essential to recognize that personal political beliefs must not compromise professional integrity. In the healthcare field, where trust, empathy, and respect for human life are paramount, physicians must approach their work with impartiality, compassion, and a commitment to the well-being of all individuals.
If these four students continue to hold their extremist views and maintain their support for terrorism, appropriate actions must be taken to protect the reputation and integrity of Georgetown University Medical School. Dismissing them from the program, as suggested by Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, may be necessary to restore confidence in the school’s commitment to patient care and medical ethics.
In conclusion, the recent social media posts by future medical professionals at Georgetown University Medical School, endorsing terrorism and justifying violence, raise serious concerns about their ability to fulfill their ethical obligations as physicians. Supporting terrorism is incompatible with the principles of medicine and the Hippocratic Oath. Georgetown must address these concerns and take appropriate action to ensure that its future physicians prioritize the well-being of all patients and maintain the highest standards of medical ethics.
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