What is Going On at the University of South Florida?
Fox News - O'Reilly Factor
By Bill O'Reilly
September 26, 2001
Partial transcript:
BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Now for the top story tonight. What is going on at the University of South Florida, a state-funded institution? Suspected terrorist Ramadan Abdullah Shallah actually taught classes there. He is now one of the leaders of the Palestinian Islamic jihad.
And the man who brought Shallah to the United States joins us now from Tampa. Dr. Sami Al-Arian is an associate professor of computer engineering at the University of South Florida.
All right. What say you, Professor? This guy is now a big shot in the Islamic jihad, they're taking credit for all kinds of terrorist activity, and you know him pretty well. Got an explanation here?
SAMI AL-ARIAN, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA PROFESSOR: Well, I mean, when he came here, he came as a volunteer. He was working in an intellectual think tank, and he taught at the university, and then he left. He said that his father was sick and he was going back to the occupied territories, and then six months later, we were shocked like everyone else in the world in which he became the leader of the jihad movement.
O'REILLY: You were shocked! You were -- you couldn't understand it. He never told you that his views -- political views were that extreme. You were just taken by surprise?
AL-ARIAN: Everyone was. Everyone who knew him here at the University of South Florida, everyone who knew him personally was extremely surprised.
O'REILLY: All right. You knew a man named Tariq Hamdi, correct? You know Tariq?
AL-ARIAN: Mr. Hamdi. Yeah.
O'REILLY: Yeah. You know him. Were you surprised that he set up an interview with ABC News with Usama bin Laden? Does that surprise you?
AL-ARIAN: I didn't know about that. I mean, Mr. Tariq Hamdi left us about eight, nine years ago. He became a journalist, and I'm not sure what kind of connections he has with whatever journalists are...
O'REILLY: OK. Were you surprised that he was implicated in the embassy bombings in Africa?
AL-ARIAN: Well, I understand he was never implicated.
O'REILLY: Yes, he was.
AL-ARIAN: My understanding is that the FBI has talked to him, they give him security clearance, and if the FBI gives someone security clearance, he must not be implicated.
O'REILLY: No. Right now, he's on the list of suspected terrorists. Did you know that?
AL-ARIAN: No. I'm not aware of that.
O'REILLY: All right. Does that surprise you?
AL-ARIAN: It -- I'll be -- I'll be shocked because this -- this guy has an American citizenship, he was given security clearance by the FBI. I can't imagine that he is...
O'REILLY: OK, but he is. So there's another shocker. So that's three.
In -- in 1988, you did a little speaking engagement in Cleveland, and you were quoted as saying, "Jihad is our path. Victory to Islam. Death to Israel. Revolution. Revolution until victory. Rolling to Jerusalem." Did you say that?
AL-ARIAN: Let me just put it into context. When resident Bush talked about crusade, we understand what he meant here. The Muslim world thought he is going to carry a cross and go invade the Muslim world and turn them into Christians. We have to understand the context. When you say "Death to Israel," you mean death to occupation, death to apartheid, death to oppression, death to...
O'REILLY: But not death to any human being?
AL-ARIAN: No, absolutely not. Absolutely not.
O'REILLY: No.
AL-ARIAN: Absolutely not.
O'REILLY: All right. So now what we have here is you saying death to Israel. You're bringing a guy over here who gets paid by the good citizens of Florida and then goes back and becomes one of the lieutenants or generals of the Islamic jihad, but you don't know nothing about it. Another guy sets up an interview with Osama bin Laden for ABC, and you don know anything about that.
You know, Doctor, it looks to me like there's something wrong down there at the University of South Florida. Am I getting -- am I getting the wrong impression here?
AL-ARIAN: You're getting completely wrong impression because you can pick and choose and interpret it, you know, different ways.
The fact of the matter is we have been involved in intellectual-type activity. We brought dozens of people. All of them are intellectual type. You're going to get the apple -- a bad apple or two, but that -- if you focus on them, you get one conclusion.
The fact of the matter is that we've been investigated by the FBI for many years...
O'REILLY: Correct.
AL-ARIAN: ...and there has been no wrongdoing whatsoever even suggested.
O'REILLY: Well, I don't know about that. Your -- your brother-in-law is going to be deported right now. I mean, it looks like he's going to get kicked out of the country, correct?
AL-ARIAN: It has nothing to do with this. His deportation...
O'REILLY: It doesn't have anything to do with it? Your brother-in-law is going to get kicked out of the country and it doesn't have anything to do with it?
AL-ARIAN: No. Absolutely not.
O'REILLY: Does that come as a shock to you that he's going to get kicked out of the country?
AL-ARIAN: It was absolutely. As a Palestinian refugee, he lost his visa. He -- his status was not adjusted. It has nothing to do with all that. His deportation had to do with the denial of asylum. It has nothing to do with any of the stuff we're talking about.
O'REILLY: Yeah. Well, Doctor, you know, with all due respect -- I appreciate you coming on the program, but if I was the CIA, I'd follow you wherever you went. I'd follow you 24 hours...
AL-ARIAN: Well, you don't know me. You don't know me. You do not...
O'REILLY: That doesn't matter. With all of this circumstantial evidence...
AL-ARIAN: If you don't know me, you can't judge me by...
O'REILLY: I'm not judging you.
AL-ARIAN: ... simply...
O'REILLY: I'm just saying...
AL-ARIAN: That's exactly what you're saying.
O'REILLY: I'm saying I'd be your shadow, Doctor.
AL-ARIAN: We've been -- we've been looked at, and a judge -- a judge has said that we are not a threat to national security.
O'REILLY: All right.
AL-ARIAN: Even the government itself said we're not.
O'REILLY: OK. All right, Doctor. I'd still shadow you. I'd go to Denny's with you, and I'd go everywhere you went. We appreciate you coming on.
Bush's Terrorist Buddy
Laura and George W. Bush (3rd and 4th from left) with Islamic
Jihad frontman Sami Al-Arian (third from right) and family
(son, Abdullah "Big Dude" Al-Arian, is on far left).
Bush's Terrorist Buddy - Part 2
"Let us damn America. Let us damn their allies until death. Why do we stop?"
Professor Sami Al-Arian - Source
Terrorists' Favorite Congressman - Professor Sami Al-Arian Loves Congressman David Bonior
Professor Sami Al-Arian Update
Factor Followup - Professor Sami Al-Arian
Union Opposes Firing of Professor Sami Al-Arian
Factor Followup - Professor Sami Al-Arian
A Factor Exclusive Makes News - Professor Sami Al-Arian
University Trustees Clear Way For Palestinian Professor Sami Al-Arian To Be Fired
What Is Going On At The University of South Florida
Palestinian Professor Al-Arian Put on Paid Leave After O'Reilly Appearance
Documents From Board of Trustees Meeting at University of South Florida - December 19, 2001 - Regarding Dr. Al Arian:
USF Board of Trustees Resolution
USF Timeline of Terrorist Activity of Professor Al-Arian
President's Report To Trustees
Legal Opinion To USF By Attorney Tom Gonzalez
Timeline of Professor Sami Al-Arian By USF Office of Public Affairs
January 22, 1986 - Sami Al-Arian is hired as an assistant professor by USF.
1991 - USF Middle Eastern Committee is formed to promote dialogue after Persian Gulf War.
1991 - Al-Arian founds the World and Islam Studies Enterprise Inc. as an Islamic think tank in Temple Terrace, Florida.
1992 - USF's Middle Eastern Committee signs an agreement with WISE to sponsor academic meetings and occasionally publish papers.
1992-94 - WISE brings Islamic speakers to campus.
November 1994 - A PBS documentary, "Jihad in America" alleges Al-Arian is the head of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group's domestic support network. The documentary was created by Steve Emerson.
1994-95 - Ramadan Abdullah Shallah teach Arabic during the spring semesters.
May 1995 - A two-part series in The Tampa Tribune questions ties among USF, WISE and the Islamic Committee for Palestine charity.
May 1995 - USF's inspector general issues a report that finds irregularities with WISE graduate students and the hiring of an Arabic instructor.
1995 - A second report says USF violated its own policy.
1995-96 - Al-Arian takes a one-year sabbatical.
October 1995 - Shallah appears in Damascus and is named head of the Islamic Jihad.
December 5, 1995 - USF Provost Thomas J. Tighe announces changes to USF's procedures for entering into agreements with outside entities. Agreements now require high-level review and approval.
November 1995 - Federal immigration officials search the WISE office and Al-Arian's home and office.
January 1996 - USF retains outside counsel William Reece Smith Jr. to look into USF's agreements with WISE.
March 1996 - The Oracle student newspaper receives a letter from a group claiming connections to the Islamic Jihad and neo-Nazis. The group threatens to bomb a USF building and kill a white female professor on April 29.
April 29, 1996 - USF closes most of campus due to the bomb threat. Final exams are moved one week later to accommodate the closing.
1996 - Federal agents say in unsealed court documents that they have probable cause to believe the think tank and the charity are fronts for international terrorists.
May 2, 1996 - Provost Thomas Tighe places Al-Arian on leave with pay, effective August 7, 1996, pending completion of the federal investigation.
August 7, 1996 - Al-Arian's paid leave takes effect.
February 24, 1998 - At the request of USF President Betty Castor, USF Associate General Counsel Hank Lavendera writes to the U.S. Department of Justice, asking for status of federal investigation.
March 6, 1998 - U.S. Attorney Charles R. Wilson responds to Lavendara's February 24 letter saying that the Department of Justice will not comment on its investigations.
April 6, 1998 - Engineering Dean Michael Kovac notifies Computer Science and Engineering Chairman Abraham Kandel that Al-Arian can resume his regular faculty duties in fall 1998.
August 1998 - Al-Arian resumes his regular faculty duties.
Sept. 26, 2001 - Sami Al-Arian appears on FOX News' O'Reilly Factor. Host Bill O'Reilly questions him about alleged ties to terrorism.
Sept. 27, 2001 - USF receives hundreds of angry phone calls and e-mails about Al-Arian, including calls and e-mails with threatening language about Al-Arian. In the afternoon, the Computer Science and Engineering Department receives a death threat to Al-Arian. The department closes for several hours. Provost David Stamps, Engineering Dean Louis Martin-Vega, USF President Judy Genshaft and University Police Chief Paul Uravich discuss safety issues related to Al-Arian's presence on campus. They determine Al-Arian should be placed on paid leave for his safety and the safety of the rest of the USF community. Stamps and Martin-Vega meet with Al-Arian off campus and tell him that the university is placing him on leave until it determines that it's safe for him to return to campus.
Oct. 5, 2001 - Al-Arian is present in the USF's Marshall Center in violation of the terms of the leave of absence.
Oct. 8, 2001 - USF Provost David Stamps sends Al-Arian a letter notifying him that his presence on USF's campus on Oct. 5 violated his leave of absence. The letter constitutes a final warning to Al-Arian not to appear on campus.
November 1, 2001 - At the request of a USF trustee, R.B. Friedlander, interim general counsel, asks Tom Gonzalez, an attorney with Thompson, Sizemore & Gonzalez, to determine whether Dr. Al-Arian's actions constitute conduct which would justify discipline up to and including termination.
November 1, 2001 - December 18, 2001 - Gonzalez reviews the situation, including documents submitted by USF regarding disruption to the orderly and efficient operation of the university. He determines Al-Arian's conduct could be grounds for termination. Gonzalez is in contact with USF President Judy Genshaft during the process.
December 18, 2001 - Genshaft relates Gonzalez's determination to Dick Beard, chairman of the USF Board of Trustees. Beard calls an emergency meeting of the board of trustees to be held Dec. 19 at 9 a.m.
THE UNIVERSITY CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK THEIR TERRORIST - HIS WEBPAGE AWAITS HIS RETURN
Coming To America - Islam is Peace - Right, and Bill Clinton is a Virgin
Panelist Becomes Terrorist - Ramadan Abdullah Shallah
"The speakers included a former U.S. attorney general, the Egyptian ambassador to the United States and some of the top scholars on the Middle East and Islam in the world. One of them was a University of South Florida professor, a Palestinian exile with a Ph.D. in economics who had lived in the United States since 1990."
He described the men as Arabic-looking, wearing red headbands
Muslims to pray in the White House
Bush Advisor is Holy Land Foundation Lawyer
The Holy Land Foundation, Hamas, and their allies in the U.S.
Israel evacuates embassies, Palestinians celebrate
Palestinians celebrate attacks with gunfire
Thousands of Palestinians Celebrate 9-11
U.S. law outlaws any scheme to kill, enslave, or extort money from U.S. citizens. Title 18 of the U.S. Code, section 241 states in relevant part:
If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory,Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same....
They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.
Islam is a criminal conspiracy under U.S. law
The Koran, which Muslims believe is "the very words of Allah," commands Muslims to make war on non-Muslims and allows Muslims to kill, enslave, or extort protection money called "Jizya" from non-Muslims. If you do not believe this, please take a look at the following four-part briefing on what Koran actually teaches:
The Koran Briefing
U.S. Muslims Push Stamp As Symbol of Acceptance
US May Become Centre Of Islamic Activities
Bush Celebrates Eid al-Fitr with Muslim Children in White House
Bush Commemorates Eid al-Adha
For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary February 21, 2002
I am pleased to send warm greetings to Muslims across the United States as you celebrate the Eid al-Adha holiday.
As you join in spirit with those gathered in Mecca to observe the traditions of one of your most sacred feasts, may you share joyful and reverent fellowship with family and friends.
During this special time, our Nation is reminded of the remarkable contributions of American Muslims to our history, culture, and way of life. Our spiritual foundation and common heritage will continue to guide us as we strive to strengthen our country and advance peace and goodness in our world.
Laura joins me in sending our best wishes for a joyous observance.
GEORGE W. BUSH
| Messages from the President |
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U.S. Encourages Immigration From Terror-Sponsor States
Human Events
By Joseph A. D'Agostino
The Week of October 1, 2001
The U.S. State Department runs a quota system designed to encourage immigration from all seven countries on the department’s own terrorist watch list.
The "Diversity Immigrant Visa Program" has the goal of issuing highly prized permanent residence visas to 50,000 foreign nationals from countries that send relatively few immigrants to the United States. These visas are specifically designed to increase the diversity of the U.S. immigrant pool and are in addition to the employment- and family-based permanent visas that are granted each year.
All seven of the nations listed by the State Department as "state sponsors of international terrorism"—Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea and Sudan—are included in the program. "This was a program created by Congress," said a State Department official, and "1995 was the first year we had it."
Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which requires the State Department to run the program, was sponsored by Sen. Teddy Kennedy (D.-Mass.) in 1990 and signed into law by President George Bush.
Countries that have sent 50,000 or more immigrants to the United States in the last five years, such as Britain, Canada, mainland China, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Pakistan, and the Philippines, are excluded from the program.
Applicants to the diversity program "still have to meet the same requirements as other applicants for permanent residence visas," a State Department official said. "Those requirements include copies of police records, interviews."
The application requirements, the official said, enable State to screen out dangerous people such as terrorists. "No one country may have more than 7% of the visas, but there is no minimum," she said. "No country is guaranteed to be able to have applicants approved under this program." Applicants enter a lottery each year, she said. Requirements include a high school diploma or a history of skilled work experience.
Thirteen million people filed applications for the 50,000 slots available next year. Of these, three million applications were ruled invalid. Of the ten million remaining, 1,703 people from Iran were awarded visas, 117 from Iraq, 67 from Syria, 26 from Libya, 757 from Cuba, none from North Korea, and 1,820 from Sudan.
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.), chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, had already introduced legislation to abolish the program before the September 11 attacks. Now he says he will include its abolition in the immigration reform package he plans to introduce after the House has passed the President’s anti-terrorism package. He said he expects that it will be difficult to get this reform package to the House floor.
Jack Martin, special projects director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), said he doubts that terrorists use the diversity immigrant visa program because obtaining permanent residence visas is such a long process that includes a more thorough background check than that involved in getting a temporary visa (for business, tourism, or study).
© Human Events, 2001
Let's repeat that. "After" the World Trade Center attack. "Between late October and December 1, the State Department granted nonimmigrant U.S. visas to at least 7,000 men from countries in which al Qaeda is active."
Preparing for The Next Pearl Harbor Attack (re: Homeland Security)