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Johns Hopkins doctor placed on leave amid mass outrage over alleged anti-Palestinian posts

While Dr Darren Klugman's original tweets have been deleted, screenshots of his comments have been making rounds on social media

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: Dr Darren Klugman, the director of pediatric cardiac critical care at Johns Hopkins University, has been placed on leave after making disturbing statements about Palestinians on social media.

According to reports, he referred to them as "bloodthirsty morally depraved animals" following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.

The offensive remarks, posted on X (formerly Twitter) have since been deleted, along with his account @DrKlugs, but screenshots circulating online capture Klugman's comments. A day after the attack, he allegedly wrote, "These are the Palestinians. Bloodthirsty morally depraved animals who want nothing short of every inch of Israel and all Jews dead."

He further expressed a stance against peace, stating, "Israel has no peace partner w the Palestinians. Barbaric animals w no concern for life," per the New York Post. The Baltimore Banner reported that Klugman also commented on a post about a "large-scale slaughter" of Palestinians with a response of "G-d willing."

Johns Hopkins takes action against Darren Klugman

In response to the controversy, Johns Hopkins Medicine's vice president of communications, Kim Hoppe, issued a statement via email to The Baltimore Banner, saying, "We at Johns Hopkins share the concern of many about the deeply disturbing social media posts made by a faculty member in the School of Medicine regarding the ongoing crisis in the Middle East."

“The faculty member who made these statements has been placed on leave, and thus will have no interaction with students or patients while we conduct a thorough investigation under our policies and procedures,” Hoppe continued.

“Statements that explicitly threaten or extol violence against groups or individuals on the basis of national origin, race, or religion violate our policies and do not represent our values,” she added.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has filed a complaint against Klugman with the Maryland Board of Physicians. CAIR expressed concern that a doctor with such views cannot be trusted to uphold ethical and moral obligations in serving the medical needs of the patient population.

“A doctor who harbors views that any ethnic group is less than human and expresses support for their extermination cannot be trusted to diligently uphold their ethical and moral obligation to serve the medical needs of their patient population to the best of their ability,” the Zainab Chaudry, CAIR's Maryland Direction, said in a release.

Calls for revoking medical license

Zainab Chaudry, director of CAIR's Maryland office, urged the Maryland Board of Physicians to revoke Klugman's medical license if the authenticity of the posts is confirmed.

In response to the mounting criticism, Klugman issued an apology to his colleagues, acknowledging that he wrote "regrettable, hurtful messages" on social media, per the New York Post.

“I wrote a series of regrettable, hurtful messages on X (formerly Twitter). These messages in no way reflect my beliefs, me as a person, a physician, a friend, or colleague,” he wrote. “I cannot undo the harm and hurt that those messages have caused, and I am devastated by the impact it has had on my Hopkins family and others."

“Other than my family, there is nothing I value more than my job and the privilege of taking care of the sickest patients and most vulnerable families,” Klugman said, adding that he is “fully committed to repairing the damage.”

Dr Klugman receives backlash on social media backlash

Social media has been flooded with calls to terminate Klugman's position immediately.

"What would happen if he had a Palestinian patient?" a person questioned as Stop Zionist Hate shared screenshots of Klugman's statement.

"@HopkinsMedicine what a fall for a prestigious institution. Fire him as soon as possible. May the sanity prevail," someone else added.

"There is no way Johns Hopkins has these types of people. Wow," another reacted in shock. "Are these a sane person's comments? Does his mentality make him a fit for working in a hospital?! Fire Darren Klugman!" one posted on X (formerly Twitter), commenting on an unrelated post by Johns Hopkins.

The Maryland Board of Physicians has not disclosed whether Klugman is under investigation, citing confidentiality laws regarding complaints and subsequent investigations, the New York Post reported.