Back in the Limelight

The national media is again interested in the story, just as the American Federation of Teachers announces that AFT CALLS FOR FAIR TREATMENT AND PROTECTION OF RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH IN FLORIDA ACADEMIC FREEDOM CASE. .

• On July 1, the Washington Times editorialized on Islamic Jihad and academic freedom.
• On July 1, Reuven Paz, of the Project for the Research of Islamic Movements, appeared on a short segment of *the O'Reilly Factor to discuss the long-defunct WISE claim that Al-Arian had a major role in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (although, unlike Loftus, Paz regards the PIJ is being ``quite a marginal group in the Palestinian society.''

• WEATHERFORD: But the FBI and the other United States intelligence forces have investigated Dr. Al-Arian thoroughly, and nobody has ever charged him with anything illegal. If they can prove that he did those things, they can line him up against the wall and shoot him for all I care. I certainly would never support terrorism. But what they can't do is deprive him of his rights as an American employee in the Florida University system ...

• On July 5, the Tampa Tribune runs a story on FBI Can Check Out Reading Habits (of people who check out books from libraries) in which the reporter mentioned Al-Arian as someone whose reading habits could be checked.
• On July 5, Tampa Tribune columnist Dan Ruth wrote a column on Facing The Facts Of Infidel Florida's Requirement --- which was about a Muslim lady's suit not to have to have her picture on her driver's license. The column did not mention Al-Arian.
• On July 13, the Tampa Tribune reported that Group Protests Tribune's Coverage Of Muslims, and that Pilar Saad of the United Muslim Association of Tampa Bay Women complained of Daniel Ruth's July 8 column; there were also complaints of the Tribune's coverage of Al-Arian (who was present). Tribune senior editor Pat Minarcin stood behind the coverage.
• On July 15, the Oracle reported that Group protests Tribune coverage, saying that the protest was organized by the Students for International Peace and Justice, and listed Dan Ruth and Michael Fechter as two reporters the protesters objected to.
• And the July 17 - 23 Weekly Planet reported in Free Speech in Action that Michael Fechter of the Tribune saw an inconsistency in the protesters' defense of Al-Arian's freedom while demanding that Fechter be pulled from stories on Muslims.

Summertime, and the pace slows. On July 18, the Oracle ran a retrospective on how August arrives, controversies boil over, with a lot of Al-Arian-related material.

• On July 23, the New York Times reported that A Professor's Activism Leads Investigators to Look Into Possible Terrorism Links. Al-Arian's brother-in-law, Mazen Al-Najjar, is in detention based on secret evidence. The Times reports that it has obtained some of the documentation on this secret evidence, and that this documentation expresses the suspicion that Al-Arian raised money for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• And on July 23, Foxnews interviewed *John Loftus, who said that Al-Arian ``is number two in the world of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group.''
• On July 28, the Tampa Tribune ran a retrospective, leading with an impatient headline Al-Arian Firing Likely At USF, but containing a statement by William Reece Smith, who conducted the 1996 investigation of Al-Arian, who said, ``Based on that which is publicly known at this time, his discharge by the university would almost certainly invite litigation that could subject the university to substantial legal liability.''
• On July 28, the Washington Post ran an interview with Al-Arian, and a retrospective, on Talking Out of School: Was an Islamic Professor Exercising His Freedom or Promoting Terror? Interviewer Richard Leiby calls this the most prominent academic freedom case since ``California Gov. Ronald Reagan sacked philosophy professor Angela Davis from UCLA, calling her a communist.'' Al-Arian said that, ``If I were in Iraq, I would have been shot a long time ago,'' and that during the 2000 election, he supported George W. Bush and delivered ``considerably more votes'' than the 536-vote margin.
• On July 28, the Police announced that they had completed 10 of 14 investigations into the threats made against the Al-Arian. BOT Chairman Richard Beard said that, ``the real reason [the BOT voted to dismiss] is he's a terrorist.''
  • The July 29 St. Petersburg Times said that Threats at USF more ugly than deadly, and quoted a from a few of the presumably more printable ones.
  • The July 29 Tampa Tribune ran an AP story that said that USF Investigating Threats About Al-Arian, and said that of the three remaining cases, one was being referred to the FBI.
• On July 29, the Houston Chronicle ran a blurb on how *FBI to probe threat against Fla. university.
• On July 30, Sarasota Herald-Tribune columnist Tom Lyons pounced on BOT Chairman Richard Beard's comment that, ``the real reason [the BOT voted to dismiss] is he's a terrorist,'' and claimed in a column *Trustee chairman said what USF president won't regarding al-Arian that the USF Administration's rationales for dismissal were ``obviously phony.''
• On Aug. 1, PR News reported that Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard fired a salvo at his Democratic opponent, Congressman David Bonior, complaining that Bonior had not returned a campaign contribution from Al-Arian. The headline read: *Bonior continues to keep money from terrorist sympathizer ....
• Also, on Aug. 3, the Tribune reported that five local Muslims visited the Tribune editorial office because *Tribune Stories On Middle East Called Biased. Among their complaints was that, ``the paper appears to be trying to make news about Al-Arian rather than cover news''; Executive Editor responded by saying that, ``the Al-Arian story is one that the newspaper believes is important to Tampa area residents and will not back away from.''

• On July 29, the Tampa Tribune announced that Al-Arian To Appear At Tiger Bay Club Meeting on Thursday, August 1.
  • On Aug. 1, the Associated Press reported that *Palestinian USF professor speaks out against potential firing, and that he said that, ``The university `buckled under the pressure because of the 9-11 hysteria.'''
  • On Aug. 2, the St. Petersburg Times reported that Al-Arian fires back at Tiger Bay questions, and that Al-Arian said, ``I never incited people to violence or murder. It never happened.''
  • On Aug. 2, the Tampa Tribune reported that Professor Defends Job, Views, and that Al-Arian said, ``I believe in freedom of speech now more than ever.''
  (On Aug. 11, the Tampa Tribune reported that FBI Asks Bay News 9 For Copy Of Public Address By Al-Arian: apparently there is a grand jury investigating ... something ... and a federal prosecutor thinks that what Al-Arian said to the Tiger Bay Club is evidence.)
• There is a movement in Europe to boycott Israeli academic institutions, and in response two Israeli academics were dismissed from the editorial board of a journal. At the Aug. 9 biweekly USF/UFF Chapter meeting, the Chapter approved a motion condemning the dismissal, stating, ``The USF chapter of the United Faculty of Florida opposes on principle the barring of individual academics from any intellectual forum on the basis of nationality or institutional affiliation ...''
• On Aug. 12, the St. Petersburg Times speculated that Al-Arian court battle is likely: A decision to fire the USF professor this month might lead to costly arbitration and a federal lawsuit. The Times reported that USF has paid $ 29,000 in legal fees thus far, which does not include the time that USF faculty and staff and administrators have put into it.
• On Aug. 15, the State University Presidents Association met with Governor bush to discuss new law and medical schools now opening, and to denounce to educational initiatives going before the voters. Before the meeting, USF President Genshaft met with Bush to update him on the Al-Arian case. Bush later said that the decision on whether to dismiss was ``her decision to make.'' This was reported in the Aug. 16 St. Petersburg Times and the Aug. 16 Tampa Tribune.
• On Aug. 17, the Associated Press published a long retrospective on how *Tampa professor accused of terrorist ties awaits firing decision. While BOT Chair Richard Beard said, ``There's no place for a terrorist at our university,'' USF Spokesman Michael Reich said, ``I don't know if he's guilty of terrorism, but I do know he's guilty of willfully disrupting the learning environment.'' On the other hand, USF Faculty Senator Harry Vanden warned, ``One can't sell academic freedom out and one certainly can't sell freedom of speech out ... When you lose that, you've lost the university.''
• On Aug. 18, the Tampa Tribune published a guest column by Al-Arian, A Worthy Struggle, reviewing the case and stating, ``I have never once in my life advocated the killing of innocent civilians,'' and concluding that ``This fight for academic freedom, free speech and preservation of tenure is indeed a worthy struggle.''

• The Aug. 20 St. Petersburg Times reported that Cannistraro said Al-Arian had roots in jihad, stating that Al-Arian had been a co-founder of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but that Al-Arian was no longer involved with the PIJ and had not engaged in any terrorist activity. (The Tampa Tribune would run their story Al-Arian's Role Called Political on Aug. 22.) Al-Arian denied co-founding the PIJ. To date, there has been little specificity on what being a `co-founder' of the PIJ entails.