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Fw: [IAC] Statement on Dr. Sami Al-Arian's arrest
- Subject: Fw: [IAC] Statement on Dr. Sami Al-Arian's arrest
- From: "Stefano e Fabio" <ulliana at qnet.it>
- Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 11:46:17 +0100
----- Original Message ----- From: "Action Center" <ActionCenter.actgen at action-mail.org> To: <ActionCenter.actgen at action-mail.org> Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 5:26 AM Subject: [IAC] Statement on Dr. Sami Al-Arian's arrest > STOP BUSH & ASHCROFT'S POLITICAL TARGETING! > > A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition statement on the arrest of Florida > Professor Sami Al-Arian > > Early this morning, Thursday, February 20, 2003, FBI > agents in Tampa, Florida, arrested Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a > Palestinian professor from the University of South Florida > (USF). As he was led into the Tampa headquarters of the > FBI, Al-Arian told reporters: "It's all about politics." > > Dr. Al-Arian has gained widespread support over the last > year and a half after being placed on forced leave and > banned from the USF campus shortly after September 11. > Almost one year ago, on February 21, 2002, the United > States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Mac > Cauley, issued a statement acknowledging that Dr. Al-Arian > was under investigation. > > Today and for many years, Samia Al-Arian has been targeted > by the government, media and academic establishment > because he is a consistent and outspoken supporter of the > right of the Palestinian people to live free from > occupation, as well as a proponent of civil liberties and > civil rights. > > Dr. Al-Arian is among several others arrested by the FBI > today; there were other arrests in Florida and Illinois. > They are among thousands of people of Middle Eastern > decent and other immigrants who have been investigated, > arrested, interrogated, detained and/or deported since > September 11. > > Following Attorney General John Ashcroft's announcement of > the 100-count indictment that charges these men with > allegedly "financing, extolling and assisting acts of > terrorism," Dr. Al-Arian's attorney, Nicholas Matassini, > stated: "He's a political prisoner right now as we speak." > Matassini called Ashcroft's indictment "a work of > fiction." > > BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON SAMIA AL-ARIAN > > Shortly after September 11, 2001, Dr. Al-Arian appeared on > the fervently right-wing Fox TV's Bill O'Reilly Factor > show, where O'Reilly accused him of having "terrorist > connections." According to a document produced by USF > faculty entitled "The United Faculty of Florida defends > the Due Process rights, and Academic Freedom & Tenure > rights of USF Professor Sami Al-Arian," on September 27, > the USF administration suspended Dr. Al-Arian, and on > December 19 they sent him a letter of dismissal, then > modified this letter to state that he "wasn't fired so > much as subject to being fired." > > Since that time, Dr. Al-Arian and many supporters around > the country have been fighting to be reinstated at USF. On > April 25, 2002, the Executive Council and Delegate > Assembly of the Professional Staff Congress of the City > University of New York, American Federation of Teachers > Local 2334, passed a resolution in support of Dr. > Al-Arian, and on June 20, 2002, American Federation of > Teachers President Sandra Feldman sent a letter to USF > President Judy Genshaft in supporting his rights. > > On December 16, 2002, a federal district court judge > dismissed a case brought by USF which asked the court to > clarify the constitutional issues surrounding the firing. > USF brought the case in an attempt to bolster support and > confidence in proceeding with the firing, but the court > dismissed the case and left it to the USF administration > to either fire or reinstate Dr. Al-Arian. USF President > Genshaft said her plan was the former. > > According to the Academic Free Speech website, which is > devoted supporting Dr. Al-Arian in his struggle to resume > teaching at USF, Dr. Sami Al-Arian's family is from > Jerusalem and Jaffa, Palestine. He was born in Kuwait, > lived in Egypt, and then studied at Southern Illinois > University and North Carolina State University. He became > a professor at USF in 1986, has received tenure, several > teaching awards, and has over forty published works. > > Dr. Al-Arian has helped to establish several > organizations, including the Islamic Society of North > America (ISNA, est. 1981) and many affiliated > organizations. In 1990, he co-founded the World and Islam > Studies Enterprise (WISE), a research and academic > institution. In 1997, Dr. Al-Arian helped to found the > Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace, which has > fought against the arrest, imprisonment and deportation of > Dr. Mazen Al-Najjar; and in the same year co-founded the > National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom, which he > was elected the president of in 2000. Dr. Al-Najjar is Dr. > Al-Arian's brother-in-law, who in 2002 was deported after > being held in U.S. jails without charges for nearly five > years using "secret evidence." > > The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition joins the organizations and > individuals worldwide who are condemning Bush's and > Ashcroft's political targeting of Dr. Al-Arian. > > --------------------------------------- > > Email circulated by: > A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition > Act Now to Stop War & End Racism > > FOR MORE INFORMATION: > http://www.InternationalANSWER.org > http://www.VoteNoWar.org > info at internationalanswer.org > New York 212-633-6646 > Washington 202-544-3389 > Los Angeles 213-487-2368 > San Francisco 415-821-6545 > > To make a tax-deductible donation, go to > http://www.internationalanswer.org/donate.html > > Sign up to receive updates (low volume): > http://www.internationalanswer.org/subscribelist.html > > ------------------ > Send replies to iacenter at action-mail.org > > This is the IAC activist announcement > list. Anyone can subscribe by sending > any message to <ActionCenter.actgen-subscribe at action-mail.org> > To unsubscribe <ActionCenter.actgen-off at action-mail.org>
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