The threatened firing of Al-Arian, a Palestinian, and longtime supporter of the fight for self-determination of the Palestinian people, was sparked by the September 26 television program "The O'Reilly Factor," on which he appeared. Host Bill O'Reilly charged Al-Arian with being responsible for USF being "a hotbed for Islamic militants," and said, "If I was the CIA I'd follow you wherever you went. I'm saying I'd be your shadow, doctor." The USF administration claims the interview sparked hostile e-mails and death threats.

On September 27 USF president Judy Genshaft suspended Al-Arian "for his own safety." Then on October 8 she sent him a "final warning" letter in which she banned the tenured professor from setting foot on campus. The USF Board of Trustees held an "emergency meeting" December 19 after students and faculty had gone on winter break, and without permitting Al-Arian to answer the charges being made against him, and recommended that he be fired from his job. University Provost David Stamps then immediately issued a "Notice of Intent to Terminate Dr. Sami A. Al-Arian."

The first week of the new semester was dominated by debate over the university's blatant attack on academic freedom and civil liberties. The Faculty Senate overwhelmingly rejected a motion to endorse Genshaft's action, and the faculty union, the United Faculty of Florida, voted to fully back Al-Arian in this fight. The Coalition of Progressive Student Organizations opposed the firing and is preparing protests. Florida governor John Bush, in contrast to his claim to be a defender of academic freedom when he spoke on campus last summer, backed the effort to fire Al-Arian because "he continues to make very provocative statements."

In addition to Al-Arian and his attorney Robert McKee, speakers at the January 14 conference included representatives of a range of organizations supporting this fight: Roy Weatherford, president of the United Faculty of Florida at USF; Eric Vickers, of the American Muslim Alliance; Ray Busch, of the American Muslim Council; Mike Pheneger, of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Tampa; Altaf Ali, of the Council on American Islamic Relations; Sarah Altantawi, of the Muslim Political Affairs Council; and David Jones, of the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality (HOPE).  
 
'Political discrimination'
Weatherford explained that the firing amounted to "political discrimination" with "trumped-up charges used as a pretext." Responding to Genshaft's claim that a drop in donations to the university necessitated the firing of Al-Arian, Weatherford emphasized that the union "will not sell our principles for an endowment," and is calling on the Florida Education Association, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers to give aid in this fight.

Vickers of the American Muslim Alliance said he flew into town for the press conference "to show support and solidarity" in the face of "the bigotry perpetrated against Sami Al-Arian and the entire Muslim community." Jones, speaking for HOPE, added that the firing of Al-Arian amounted to discrimination based on his Arab and Muslim background, and that he had "fallen victim to the good-old-boy network" that dominates politics and campus life. Vickers noted that he and the representatives of the largest Muslim organizations in the United States requested a meeting with USF president Genshaft, but that she had refused.

Attorney McKee distributed a letter in which he refuted the administration's arguments, and called on the Board of Trustees to hold a meeting at which Al-Arian could answer the charges against him. Board of Trustees Chairman Dick Beard rejected the proposal, telling the Tampa Tribune, "All we've done is make a recommendation. We've considered everything we need to consider."

In a prepared statement released to the media after the news conference, Genshaft said, "This is a unique case of how one person's activities outside the scope of his employment have resulted in harm to the legitimate interests of the university," and that she would soon make a final ruling.

Speaking for the Tampa ACLU, Pheneger pointed to the firing of Al-Arian as a violation of freedom of speech. "Speech is not very free," noted Pheneger, "if you are fired from your job the first time you use it." Sarah Altantawi of the Muslim Political Affairs Council linked the fight against this firing to the Palestinian cause. As a Palestinian, she said, she "comes from a country under occupation where my right to national sovereignty is denied." She explained that it is Al-Arian's commitment to his people's struggle for justice that makes him a target of the governor, the media, and the campus administration.

Al-Arian also spoke out against the brutal treatment of Mazzen Al-Najjar at the hands of government authorities. Al-Najjar was released from prison after being held for three-and-a-half years on suspicion of terrorism based on "secret evidence." Less than a year later the INS picked him up again and is threatening to deport him on charges of violating his visa. Al-Arian pointed out that Al-Najjar is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours a day, and "is subjected to humiliating conditions, including strip searches twice daily."

Supporters of the fight to stop the firing of Sami Al-Arian can contact the Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace at: 5901 E. 130th St., Tampa, FL 33617. Phone: (813) 300-9393. E-mail: tbcjp@yahoo.com.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home