Issue date: 9/5/02 Section: Opinion

When Dr. Sami Al-Arian earned his tenure at the University of South Florida (USF), he may have thought any chance of him being fired had vanished. However, problems arose when his terrorist ties were discovered at a time when a lack of sympathy exists for anyone who has a history of supporting Muslim activist organizations. Although not convicted of any crimes thus far, Al-Arian has a past filled with terrorist connections, according to a letter explaining the reasons behind his firing issued by USF. These offenses included membership in the controversial Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group that may be partly responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, according to CNN.

In 1991, he used the university's name in booking a conference where money was raised for causes later associated with terrorist activities. In addition, USF claims Al-Arian wrote a letter asking for financial support for suicide bombers in 1995. The event that eventually caused enough public attention for USF to take legal action occurred shortly after Sept. 11. Al- Arian appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News, where he was questioned about known terrorists, as well as tapes filmed years before, on which he was recorded saying "Death to Israel" in Islamic.

Al-Arian maintains he is merely professing his political beliefs and should not be punished for expressing them. However, Judy Genshaft, president of USF, did not see it as a situation of free speech but of security and political safety. This presents a problem because Al-Arian has been on staff for a number of years and has earned his tenure.

If Al-Arian had been a member of another professions, the issue of his firing would most likely have been of little consequence; a small price to pay for ensuring American security. However, since dismissing a professor who is tenured is a difficult process, Al-Arian stayed on paid leave. In fact, Al-Arian is still being paid for causing bad publicity for the school. It has come to the point that Genshaft and the university are suing for the rights to fire the professor.

Currently, the professor holds too much power over the institution. The condition has become a situation where the employer, USF, has to seek legal approval to pick and chose its own staff. USF not only has the right to fire Al-Arian, but it should be allowed to do so without having to answer questions from outsiders. Instead of claiming this to be an issue of free speech, the focus should be the threat of terrorists. The investigation of Al-Arian's terrorist activities should be the legal debate of utmost importance, instead of the university's firing. Even if the university sued him for having terrorist links and operating under the name of the school, that legal battle would make more sense than the one going on. This is not a matter of racial or religious prejudices. This is national security. This is an effort to remove further problems in the future and protect the general public. If the allegations are only accusations, it still would have been worth the remote possibility that the connections between him and the terrorists were true and security had been increased.

Instead, Muslim and Palestinian groups are objecting, and the university must fight for its legal right to terminate the employment of someone they chose to hire in the first place. The reason behind this is simply that the professor had been at the university long enough to establish his tenure, and thus became untouchable. Hopefully, the impending trial will prove Al-Arian is not as invincible as his title might imply.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools