Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2003

Action Alert: Free Dr. Al-Arian

The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace asks concerned citizens to take a stance against the unjust detention of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, Sameeh Hammoudeh and Hatim Fariz.

Attorney General John Ashcroft is using their case as precedent to pass new legislation, the Patriot II, which will further strip away our rights and freedoms.

Dr. Sami Al-Arian is a respectable university professor and has been an outspoken activist on human rights for Palestinians, as well as civil liberties in the United States. We owe it to Dr. Al-Arian to demand a fair trial free of foreign intelligence, secret evidence, and illegal surveillance information. This case is clearly political in nature, stemming from the current climate of hysteria and xenophobia. Our public officials have taken advantage of that fear and anger to subsequently strip away at our freedoms and paint many respectable leaders and individuals with the brush of terrorism.

Many concerned groups and individuals would like to protest the unjust, unconstitutional and un-American detention of Al-Arian, Hammoudeh and Fariz. We must not stay silent during a critical time when the civil liberties of all are being threatened. Below are THREE important steps to take to show support:

1- Donate to Dr. Al-Arian’s legal defense fund: The court battle against the forces of prejudice, exclusion and intolerance will be an expensive one. We need your help. Please contact tampabayjustice@yahoo.com.

2-Write letters to the editor and op-eds to national and local newspapers: With incendiary and sensationalistic comments, many in the media have already convicted Dr. Al-Arian before his trial. We encourage you to stress the following important points when giving a more balanced picture of the case:

(1)The importance of the presumption of innocence:

We live in the United States of America, where individuals are supposed to be considered “innocent until proven guilty.” The burden of proof is on the government to present concrete evidence; it is NOT on the defendents to prove their innocence, a standard that is frequently applied to Arabs and Muslims.

(2)The right to a fair trial:

The U.S. Constitution guarantees Dr. Al-Arian, Hammoudeh, and Fariz the right to a fair trial. Is this possible for Muslims and Arabs in America, living amidst the post-Sept. 11 fear and hysteria that many members of the Justice Department are constantly exploiting to push their extremist agendas?

(3)The right to hold views different from the government’s.

(4)Aspects of the Patriot Act that are unconstitutional and secret evidence must not be used during the trial.

(5)This case is an important one because it is a test-case that will affect the entire Muslim community specifically and every American more generally. It will provide precendent for further assaults on our civil liberties.

Send your letters to:  The Washington Post letters@washpost.com and

The New York Times letters@nytimes.com

Op-eds (600-700 words)oped@washpost.com oped@nytimes.com

3- Organize community and campus educational forums about the Patriot Act: We can only affect change through education. Unfortunately, most Americans are in the dark about the danger and unconstitutionality of the Patriot Act. Unle! ss concerned citizens lobby their representatives about these unprecedented assaults on our precious civil liberties, Congress and the Bush administration will feel at liberty to continue eroding our rights. Please inform others about Dr. Al-Arian’s case and the Patriot Act in general by setting up forums, panels and teach-ins. For help finding speakers, please contact tampabayjustice@yahoo.com

For more information about Dr. Sami Al-Arian, please visit: www.academicfreespeech.com