Tampa Tribune Series Exposed USF Ties To Terrorism (Sami al-Arian

Tampa Tribune ^ | 1995 | Tampa Tribune

[Catspaw]

Tribune Series Exposed USF Ties To Terrorism
TAMPA - In 1995, The Tampa Tribune published a series about "a nonprofit organization that helps raise money in the name of two groups that claim responsibility for bombings that have killed hundreds in Israel and around the world." The head of that organization? USF professor Sami Al-Arian. Read the 1995 series below.
Ties To Terrorists
Terror Law Cuts Rights, Arabs Say
Extremist Groups Agree On Goals
Terms Don't Separate Religion, Politics
Academic Freedom Or Poor Security
Mosque Bears Martyr's Name

[Catspaw]

Ya know, Grampa Dave, I rarely post articles (I'm getting better) so I don't have a ping list, but boy, I'm glad I know people who do.

[aristeides]

I have read a few pages further into the indictment. How come the Iranians had authority over how PIJ's money was to be spent? Were they providing a lot of it?

[Bahbah]

Really good stuff. I can't figure out why Sami didn't hightail it along time ago.

[Inspectorette]

Howlin, thanks for the ping.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I have room to add more names to the Jihad List WE set up!

I don't know if these guys did any acts over here as of yet, but it is a world wide Jihad now!

The Factor (O'Reilly) will be talking about this indictment on his show on FoxNews Channel tonight!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This is a great post!

We need more people posting articles!

[Lady Jag]

Thanks for the ping. I was amazed to wake up and find out that that Florida prof of O'Reilly's was arrested this AM.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

I can't figure out why Sami didn't hightail it along time ago.

He was probably torn between the MAJOR university promotion that he would get based on this vs. the possible jail time. Those university liberals can be pretty convincing...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

How come the Iranians had authority over how PIJ's money was to be spent? Were they providing a lot of it?

Well, that is just real interesting!

[Catspaw]

I think Sami thought he could brazen it out. He thought he couldn't be touched and used the USF as a cloak of protection. He has/had one newspaper in town very sympathetic towards him, he had Reno drop the charges against his brother, he figured they weren't keeping track of him and he had the whole faculty (as well as the national union) behind him, plus CAIR & other Muslim groups supporting him. He thought he was untouchable.

[BushCountry]

Just seen the President of USF say on a tv news program in Florida, "I don't think that the indictment will change our policy about paid leave for the professor. We don't feel we have grounds to fire him."

She is lucky that she was on tv, if she was in arm's reach I might of strangle her!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Watching a replay of the Q&A of Ashcroft on C-SPAN.

Ashcroft did not answer question regarding how many other organizations like this exist here in the US!

On again at 8 pm EST tonight

[Catspaw]

Yup, the Iranians supplied a lot of the funding. You'll get into the part about money transfers and bank accounts anon. Sami's brother, for example, got a some substantial transfers into his account--and wait until you get to the part about $2 million missing and their fighting about accounting.

[Catspaw]

Don't strangle her. She may be bound by law to pay his salary until he's convicted. She doesn't want a Sami lawsuit on her hands.

[Palladin]

Thanks for the links, Catspaw. I am bookmarking, to read in depth later on.

[arasina]

My question is...what is UP with USF?? How could they have been so STUPID? The newspaper does an investigative series on al-Arian's connections to terrorism in 1995 and he gets to stay on staff? Makes me wonder if there aren't some bigger hands pulling the puppet's strings. What is the culpability of USF? They may as well be considered accessories to murder.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Federal agents lead Palestinian professor Sami Al-Arian through the federal building in Tampa, Florida, February 20, 2003 after he and three others were arrested in a case about the alleged financing of terrorism, in Tampa, Florida February 20, 2003. In Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the arrest of the four alleged members of Islamic Jihad, branded by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist group, for racketeering, conspiring to kill more than 100 people abroad and other charges. REUTERS/St. Petersburg Times Photo by Ken Helle

Behind Al-Arian's facade (founded the World and Islam Studies Enterprise at USF a decade ago)*** In 1995, after a suicide bombing operation carried out by Palestinian Islamic Jihad killed 21 Israeli soldiers, University of South Florida computer science professor Sami Al-Arian wrote a fund-raising letter in which he "call(s) upon you to try to extend true support to the jihad effort in Palestine so that operations such as these can continue." Many of Al-Arian's past statements and associations have raised suspicions that he was involved with terrorist organizations based in the Middle East. However, the fund-raising letter signed by al-Arian, shown during the Oct. 28 telecast of NBC's Dateline, is direct evidence of his active support for terrorism.

As usual, Al-Arian dismissed the story as old news and impugned the integrity of his critics. The videotapes and letters speak for themselves. When Al-Arian is seen and heard saying "let us damn America" and calling Jews "monkeys and pigs," no one needs to rely on his critics to interpret his remarks. And when he puts his signature on a letter soliciting funds for terrorist operations, his involvement isn't subject to misunderstanding.

Al-Arian claims he only "raised funds for the orphans" of suicide bombers. Please. It's no wonder he thinks he can get away with insulting people's intelligence. He has been playing his American hosts for fools for years, presenting a benign face to the general public while spewing the most hateful sort of venom in the company of fellow Islamic extremists. ***

[BushCountry]

The history of her not firing him goes way back. He has been on paid leave for months and months (he was a danger to the campus so they would not let him spew his hatred of America). They went to court to ask a judge to see if they had grounds to fire him. The judge said, "Don't get me involved."

She has been a coward! She should have fired him, it was the right thing to do and taken her chances in court. People get fired all the time for much less then paying for the deaths of hundreds of people!

Even now she refuses to fire him!!!

[Grampa Dave]

The fact that he shilled for the money here, was their auditor and their head American liar, makes it Jihad in America.

[aristeides]

There's further evidence later in the indictment that Iran had been supporting PIJ financially.