Muslim Leaders Gather To Speak Out On Al-Arian

By CHRIS ECHEGARAY cechegaray@tampatrib.com

Published: Jan 6, 2006

TAMPA - For the first time, some of the nation's most prominent Muslim leaders will visit Tampa en masse to jump into the Sami Al-Arian fray.

They'll gather today at the federal courthouse downtown to express their frustration over Al-Arian's treatment and rally for a resolution.

Despite support for Al-Arian, many shied away from the routine protests surrounding the case. Now, the "demonizing and criminalization" of Muslims has united organizations, said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation in Washington. The Muslim religion is decentralized, with no top leader or worldwide council.

On Dec. 6, Al-Arian was acquitted of eight terrorism-related charges, including conspiracy to murder or maim people abroad. The jury deadlocked on nine other charges.

A status conference scheduled for today is expected to determine the next legal steps. Al-Arian could be retried.

Two other defendants, Sameeh Hammoudeh and Ghassan Ballut, were acquitted of all charges. A fourth defendant, Hatim Fariz, was acquitted of 25 charges, but no verdict was issued on eight other counts. Hammoudeh will be deported as part of a sentence in an unrelated case.

Arrested in February 2003, Al-Arian got support from local Muslims, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, academics and activists who championed civil rights.

Ahmed Younis, national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and speaker at today's rally and media conference, said his organization does not get involved in cases that are pending but is interested in policy and broader issues.

"That's been our stance," Younis said. "We don't defend individuals and get into the nitty-gritty. Here, the government presented its case, and there was an acquittal by a jury of his peers. This is more of a seminal case about the Patriot Act and diplomacy issues."

Nihad Awad, who founded the Council on American-Islamic Relations 11 years ago, said Thursday the jury's verdict should be a clear statement to the government, but prejudice may be in the way of releasing Al-Arian.

"The government should just let it go," he said. "We all waited to see what would happen. He was innocent until proven guilty. The verdicts were made, and there is no reason to hold him."

TODAY'S SPEAKERS

Speakers at today's Sami Al-Arian media conference will include:

•Ahmed Younis, national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington. Before joining MPAC, he interned with the Office of the Legal Counsel at the United Nations.

•Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation. Bray, a Muslim convert, is a human rights activist in Washington and president of the Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations.

•Nihad Awad, executive director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, in Washington. Awad helped found CAIR in June 1994. He joined the Civil Rights Advisory Panel to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security in 1997.