Esam S. Omeish, a Fairfax County surgeon and Muslim leader who resigned from a Virginia immigration commission after videotapes of him making controversial remarks surfaced on the Internet, said yesterday that he has never promoted violence and accused his critics of perpetrating a "smear campaign" against him. Surrounded by Christian and Muslim leaders as well as a prominent antiwar activist, Omeish said at a news conference that his remarks were taken out of context. Although he is a fierce critic of Israeli military force against Palestinian civilians in Lebanon and the occupied territories, Omeish said he has consistently pushed for...