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A Worthy Struggle
By: Sami A.
Al-Arian
The Tampa Tribune
Guest Column,
Commentary page 1
August 18, 2002
By now, much of America has heard of my case. Pick up any newspaper,
turn to any news channel or surf the internet and you're sure to learn
of the tenured University of South Florida engineering professor under
the threat of being fired from his position for controversy stemming
from activism for the Palestinian cause. Not only have many of these
media reports frequently misrepresented the facts, but they are to
a large extent responsible for my current predicament. Moreover, in
a number of ways my case is symbolic of the status of civil liberties
in post-9/11 America.
On September 26, I appeared on the FOX news program "The O'Reilly
Factor." I was told by its producer that I was to discuss the reaction
of the Florida Muslims to the nation's tragedy (she said because many
hijackers lived in Florida), as well as the purpose of establishing
an Islamic think tank in the early 90's (to counter Huntington's clash
of civilizations thesis).
I was to be introduced as the president of the National Coalition
to Protect Political Freedom. Instead, O'Reilly introduced me as a
University of South Florida professor, and he proceeded to assail
me with decade-old unsubstantiated allegations that had been laid
to rest long ago.
In the wake of the attacks against our country, it is conceivable
that public reaction to the misinformation would be frantic. It is
distressing, however, that many in this country seized the moment
of widespread fear to rehash accusations that a federal judge already
threw out of court.
In the case of my brother-in-law, Mazen Al-Najjar, who was detained
on the basis of secret evidence for nearly four years, INS Judge R.
Kevin McHugh ultimately ruled: "Although there were allegations that
the ICP and WISE [the two organizations in question] were fronts for
Palestinian political causes, there is no evidence before the Court
that demonstrates that either organization was a front for the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad. To the contrary, there is evidence in the record to
support the conclusion that WISE was a reputable and scholarly research
center and the ICP was highly regarded." (emphasis added).
This same ruling was upheld by a three-judge panel in Washington,
D.C., and then-Attorney General Janet Reno who all had access to the
secret evidence.
This did not stop irresponsible journalists from reaching their own
conclusions. Throughout this ordeal, among other things, my views
have been completely misrepresented.
I Abhor Terrorism
I have never once in my life advocated the killing of innocent civilians.
I abhor terrorism at all levels, against all people. I condemn all
violence against civilians -regardless of the faith of the perpetrators-
whether they are in Pizza parlors, bus stations or refugee camps.
It's wrong not only politically, but, more importantly, on religious,
moral and ethical grounds.
Following the Sept. 11 tragedy, I was one of the first Muslim leaders
to condemn the attacks and call for justice for the victims. Within
a few days, our mosque and the Islamic Community of Tampa Bay collected
more than $10,000 for the victims' fund in New York, and I led a blood
drive during which 75 local Muslims participated. In addition, I presided
over a 3-hour ecumenical service where all Abrahamic faiths were represented.
The Islamic teachings of cooperation, unity and tolerance for all
faith communities became visible during this painful time.
Throughout much of my last 25 years, I've given dozens of sermons
and speeches, as well as participated in many debates and panel discussions.
Coming from a world where political repression and authoritarian regimes
thrive, I've always appreciated the promise of the bill of rights
to the US constitution, particularly our first amendment rights. America's
promise was to give equal opportunity to all points of view, whether
popular or unpopular. As a stateless Palestinian refugee, I appreciated
the freedom and opportunity afforded to me to talk about the importance
of ending the injustices done to the Palestinians.
In the heat of the moments, one may not use the best expressions,
especially during impromptu presentations. I had such regrettable
moments. However, on many occasions, some of my speeches were mistranslated
or totally taken out of context.
Here, I'm reminded of the great Jewish philosopher Maimonides, who
wrote to his translator, Ibn Tibbon, in 1199. Ibn Tibbon was translating
the work of his teacher from Arabic to Hebrew and was seeking the
author's advice. This is part of what he said: "Let me premise one
rule. Whoever wishes to translate and aims at rendering each word
literally and at the same time adheres slavishly to the order of words
and sentences in the original will meet with much difficulty and his
rendering will be faulty and untrustworthy."
Throughout this saga, I have made my positions on various issues clear
to those who wish to know the truth. With regard to the Middle East
conflict, I have repeatedly stated that Israel must choose two out
of the following three points: maintaining its exclusively Jewish
character, being a democratic state, and controlling all the territories.
If it chooses the first two, then there would be a two-state solution,
which the Oslo process attempted but failed to achieve with the persistence
of the brutal occupation and constant expansion of illegal settlements.
This option is called the 78-22 solution, a Jewish state on 78% of
historical Palestine, and a Palestinian state on 22% of the land,
including the West Bank, Gaza and Arab East Jerusalem.
However, if Israel insists on maintaining control of the territories
and adhering to democratic ideals, this would mean the one-state solution,
which I've always preferred- a bi-national, non-sectarian state. Palestinians
would become full citizens and enjoy the same rights as Jews: one
person, one vote as happened in South Africa. In addition, this would
solve the right of return problem, as the one state would easily accommodate
the return of refugees as well as Jews, the world over.
The third alternative, with which we are now faced, is an exclusively
Jewish state that wishes to maintain illegal control of the territories
against the will of its native population. As I'm sure all would agree,
this situation has been untenable for some time, and will only grow
worse unless one of the other two options is pursued.
Here at home, I have prided myself on being a champion for civil liberties.
I arrived to the United States in 1975 and took my first civics course
in 1976. In it, the professor described what he called the two D's:
due process and dissent, cornerstones of the American democracy. I
found these concepts fascinating and appreciated the rights afforded
to all of us by the Constitution.
Over the years, I have constantly maintained the view that policy
changes must be achieved from within the system. When Mazen was denied
his right to a trial and illegally detained, our community formed
coalitions, lobbied Congress, and met with editorial boards and administration
officials to express our outrage at the use of secret evidence. By
the end, we had made it a national issue, garnering more than 130
supporters on a bill in Congress to ban the use of secret evidence.
During the presidential race, the use of secret evidence became a
national issue when then Gov. George Bush came out against this policy
during the second debate, giving him the support of Arab and Muslim
voters.
Punishing me for the reaction of others to speeches given years ago
not only is un-American, but also invites a great abuse to the long
established tradition on American campuses. Unpopular opinions, even
offensive ones, are part of American intellectual life.
Backlash Too Must Be Condemned Sept. 11 should not be used
in order to sacrifice this great tradition. In addition, the backlash
against the Arab-American and Muslim communities in the United States
in the aftermath of the horrible tragedy was wrong and must be condemned.
Similarly, to exploit the atmosphere of fear and insecurity in order
to silence me is also contrary to our values. Since 9/11 -and indeed,
long before- I have done or said nothing to justify the non-stop onslaught
on me.
Some people confuse nationalism with patriotism. The heart of patriotism
is to question government's actions at moments of crisis.
This fight for academic freedom, free speech and preservation of tenure
is indeed a worthy struggle. I will continue the struggle and I appreciate
the support I received from my family, friends and community, and
the many professors, students and countless others. We have no choice
but to continue defending these rights. As Edmund Burke once said:
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people
to do nothing." |
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