David Copley: A colleague who does not deserve support

For the last decade, a computer science professor at the University of South Florida has allegedly been the treasurer of the worldwide Islamic Jihad movement. According to a government indictment released last week, Sami Al-Arian used his position as a tenured faculty member to obtain academic visas for terrorists, fundraise for Islamic Jihad and recruit additional terrorists to the university. Surely, one would think our nation's academics would express shock at Al-Arian's activities. One would be wrong. At first, I understood their support for Al-Arian. Shortly after Sept. 11, he was the victim of a digital lynching by Bill O'Reilly of the Fox News Network. O'Reilly forced the unsuspecting professor to stand trial on live television for using hate-filled rhetoric and maintaining links to violent terrorists. As though ordained by a higher power, O'Reilly acted as prosecutor, judge and jury as he single-handedly convicted the shell-shocked professor in front of millions. Subsequently, Al-Arian received death threats and his presence on campus became a major disruption. Citing security concerns, USF suspended and ultimately fired the tenured professor. Seizing the moment, Al-Arian proclaimed himself the "poster child" for the war to protect academic freedom. He argued with great conviction that his firing was politically motivated. His passionate rhetoric won him support from such well-known groups as the College Democrats, American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors. Two weeks ago, after 10 years of government surveillance, Al-Arian and seven co-conspirators were indicted by a federal grand jury. The indictment claims that Al-Arian used "the structure, facilities and academic environment of USF to conceal the activities of the [Palestinian Islamic Jihad]." According to the U.S. attorney general, there is a compelling combination of videotapes, wiretap recordings and faxes to support the government's case. The indictment leveled 51 different charges against Al-Arian, including providing material support for terrorists, conspiring to kill and maim persons abroad and extortion. Palestinian Islamic Jihad has been responsible for numerous homicide bombings in the State of Israel that have killed over 100 civilians, including two American teenagers. How could the poster child for academic freedom be associated with these gruesome acts of cowardice? Well, first let me acknowledge that Al-Arian must be presumed innocent of all charges until it is proven otherwise in a court of law. However, if the charges are proven (and they certainly seem backed up by evidence), it would appear that Al-Arian deceived the rest of the world by subscribing to the Clinton-esque art of hair-splitting. Clinton admitted he smoked pot, but claimed he didn't inhale. Al-Arian admitted he wrote a fundraising letter for terrorist groups, but claimed he never mailed it. Clinton's defense for having sex with an intern depended on a convoluted definition of the word "sex." Al-Arian's defense for being captured on videotape screaming, "Jihad is our path! Death to Israel," is based on his convoluted definition of the word "death." This is where the similarities between Al-Arian and Clinton end. Clinton knew when to come clean. Al-Arian continues to proclaim his innocence. He alleges he is the victim of a government conspiracy. Even more surprising, his influential supporters seem to be willing to go down with him. This week, the local chapter of the United Faculty of Florida stated that it would continue to "defend his rights related to his job on campus, as we do for all faculty members." Amazing! At a minimum, you'd think a group of our nation's leading academics would condemn the slaughter of innocent civilians. Or express concern that a professor had been using his position to obtain U.S. visas for Islamic Jihad members. One of Al-Arian's closest friends has already publicly condemned the professor after reading the indictment. In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Arthur Lowrie, a staunch Al-Arian supporter for the last 10 years, told the newspaper, "He duped people like me. I feel personally betrayed." Lowrie added, "It's just irrefutable. I don't think the government could fabricate all the wiretaps, all the telephone calls, all the faxes." Yet our nation's academic organizations remain largely silent. Their earlier statements of support for Al-Arian remain without qualification on their Web sites. These groups will doubtless be found guilty of poor judgment and reckless stupidity in the court of public opinion. Recognizing that taxpayers value common sense over legal semantics, I urge Al-Arian's supporters in higher education to fess up to their mistake. Express outrage at the cowardly slaughter of innocent civilians! Condemn Al-Arian's abuse of academic privilege. Finally, without parsing words, explain to the public how you plan to prevent and/or expose similar abuse in the future. David Copley is a Wharton sophomore concentrating in Real Estate and Finance from Bellevue, Wash.

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