U of So. Florida President: Palestinian Prof Has Terrorist Ties and Should Be Fired

AP ^ | Published: Aug 21, 2002 | By Rachel La Corte

[Bad~Rodeo]

TAMPA (AP) - University of South Florida officials filed a complaint Wednesday asking a court if it can fire a tenured Palestinian professor accused of having terrorist ties.

The professor, Sami Al-Arian, who has lived in the United States since 1975, has never been charged with a crime and denies any connection to terrorists. He has been on paid leave since last fall when he was quizzed on Fox News Channel about tapes from the late 1980s and early 1990s in which he said "Death to Israel," in Arabic.

The university complaint asks a federal court for a "declaratory release" that it can fire Al-Arian without violating his rights to free speech, USF President Judy Genshaft told reporters.

"This is a very difficult situation for the university and everyone in it," Genshaft said. She refused to take questions.

Al-Arian said he never advocated violence and that his words were a statement against Israeli occupation.

"It's still a case of academic freedom," Al-Arian said Wednesday. "It's just an indication of how politicized the university has become."

The American Association of University Professors has threatened to censure the school if it fires Al-Arian.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Tampa has acknowledged since February that Al-Arian has been under investigation.

School officials initially said he was put on leave for his own safety, but have recently said his return would be disruptive to the campus.

"The reality is, this guy's been associated with terrorists for the last 15 years," said Dick Beard, chairman of the USF trustees. "The university has been called Jihad U. It's time we take action and effectively cut this cancer out."

Al-Arian and his brother-in-law, Mazen Al-Najjar, founded a now-defunct Islamic think tank and charity, and Al-Najjar was jailed for three years, beginning in 1997, on secret evidence that he used the organizations to support terrorists.

Al-Najjar, 45, was again detained in November on a deportation order for overstaying his visa, which was issued 20 years ago. He was to be released this week and deported to a Middle Eastern country, his attorneys said. He has also consistently denied any connection to terrorists.

[Travis McGee]

"The university has been called Jihad U. It's time we take action and effectively cut this cancer out."

Radical Islam is an insane murder cult, "moderate" islam is its Trojan Horse in the West.

[Coop]

Well said.

[1bigdictator]

< "The American Association of University Professors has threatened to censure the school if it fires Al-Arian."

The AAUP is a elitist anti-capitalism group which encourages pro-Arab propaganda to be taught in American Universities; it is not suprising they sympathize with a known Palestinian terrorist.

[Mixer]

He has also consistently denied any connection to terrorists.

Just to be sure let's deport him.

[livius]

I'm glad the University is not backing down on this one. The guy clearly has terrorist connections and sympathies, and has travelled throughout Florida (and probably other places in the South) setting up "Islamic institutes" as a cover.

BTW, I live in Gainesville, FL, home of the University of Florida, and after Sept. 11, our local "Islamic Institute" went from a shabby building on a downtown street near the University to a large complex at the edge of town.

[Sacajaweau]

Frankly, a college should be able to hire and fire who it wishes.

Tenure is just another word for "ha ha, now try and get rid of me".

Sac

[beckett]

For two years al-Arian sponsored a guy for a part-time faculty position at USF. After he left the university, the next time he popped up he was the number 2 man in Islamic Jihad, one of the bloodiest groups in the Middle East.

That's all you need to know about al-Arian.

[Bad~Rodeo]

Sounds a little like Ted Kenn-eety, ehh? Term Limits!

[Digger]

Let's give O'Reilly a little credit here for being on this story.

[Blue Screen of Death]

"It's still a case of academic freedom,"

Had he made a statement critical of one of our protected minorities they would be saying "Intolerence and critisism of diversity objectives is not Academeic Freedom."

[101st-Eagle]

Ship this piece of camel dung back to Sand Land on a rail.

USF Alum talkin here. I want him out of my school.

Now!

[PetroniDE]

Simple. Tell them NO MORE DONATIONS until he is gone. Call ALL of your fellow alumni, tell them to do the same.... Money Talks..

[PetroniDE]

Simple. Tell them NO MORE DONATIONS until he is gone. Call ALL of your fellow alumni, tell them to do the same.... Money Talks..

[Redbob]

"Al-Arian said he never advocated violence and that his words were a statement against Israeli occupation."

Only in a twisted Arab mind would calling for someone's death NOT be "advocating violence"!

[Orual]

Interesting question/answer article with a publication date of 8/22/02 from the Tampa Tribune:

Al-Arian History Linked To USF Since 1986

[general_re]

Why is Al-Arian suspected of supporting terrorism?

In their search of WISE offices and Al-Arian's home, federal agents found a letter he wrote to a Kuwaiti in February 1995, 10 days after Islamic Jihad suicide bombers killed 18 Israelis. In it he sought ``support to the jihad effort in Palestine so that operations such as these can continue.'' They also found videotape of a rally in which Al- Arian accepts an introduction as president of ``the active arm of the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine'' and in which the host imam, or pastor, later solicits directly for the Islamic Jihad.

Hard to believe that there are people out there who find this sort of thing suspicious. So he helps raise money for terrorists - that's not really "supporting terrorism", is it?

[jpl]

More than just a little credit. Just like with the initial 9-11 charity abomination, O'Reilly broke this story, and was pretty much the only journalist who really pursued it vigorously.

[knighthawk]

He denies links to terrorists, but they don't see Hamas as terrorists either. Killing Jews is no terrorism in islam, mohammed did it himself to the Jews living in Medina:

From the hadith:

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 362:
Narrated Ibn Umar:
Bani An-Nadir and Bani Quraiza fought (against the Prophet violating their peace treaty), so the Prophet exiled Bani An-Nadir and allowed Bani Quraiza to remain at their places (in Medina) taking nothing from them till they fought against the Prophet again) . He then killed their men and distributed their women, children and property among the Muslims, but some of them came to the Prophet and he granted them safety, and they embraced Islam. He exiled all the Jews from Medina. They were the Jews of Bani Qainuqa', the tribe of 'Abdullah bin Salam and the Jews of Bani Haritha and all the other Jews of Medina.

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 447:
The Prophet said to Sa'd,:
The Bani Quraiza have agreed to accept your verdict" Sa’d said, "Kill all their men and take their women and children as slaves" The Prophet replied, "You have judged according to God's Judgment"

[doug from upland]

áÇ íÊÑß ÇáÈÇÈ ÖÑÈ ÍãÇÑß ÎÇÑÌ

I went through an internet translation program for the above. "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."