His protector, Betty Castor, was the Florida Democratic candidate for the US Senate in the last election.
Betty Castor, FloriDUH's own Betty Boop, was even told by the FBI about Al-Arian's activities. But he came to 'her' university with irresistable qualifications - funding for an Islamic Studies Institute.
Not surprisingly, it was soon a hot spot for jihadi-whackos. But that bothered betty Boop - oops, Betty Castor, not in the least.