DR. SAMI AL-ARIAN FASTING FOR LIES
Dr. Al-Arian started teaching computer science at
the University of South Florida in 1986 and received
awards for outstanding teaching. In 1990, he co-founded the World and
Islam Studies Enterprise to
promote dialogue between the Muslim and Western worlds. In 1997,
he co-founded the Tampa Bay
Coalition for Justice and Peace opposed to the unconstitutional use of
secret evidence and other civil
rights violations.
On February 20, 2003, after eight years of government harassment due to
his activities on behalf of
Palestine and for his stance on civil rights in America, Dr. Al-Arian
was charged with supporting
terrorism, specifically Islamic Jihad. He was held in solitary
confinement for two years until his trial.
After spending over $80 million dollars on the trial, in December 2005
the jury found Dr. al-Arian not
guilty of the worst eight of the seventeen charges against him,
including conspiracy to commit
racketeering, conspiracy to murder and maim people abroad, conspiracy
to support a foreign terrorist
organization, mail fraud and obstruction of justice.
Rather than go back to trial on the remaining seven charges, Dr.
al-Arian made a plea agreement with
the Federal prosecutors to plead guilty to one lesser charge in
exchange for being released and
deported. It was further agreed that he would no longer be required to
cooperate with federal
authorities and that they will ask the judge for a lenient sentence so
that he can be deported
immediately.
The judge refused the lenient charge and gave him another eleven months
in prison in addition to the
time he had served. In October 2006, U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg
asked a grand jury to
subpoena Professor al-Arian to testify in a case involving a Muslim
think-tank. Dr. al-Arian pointed out
that testifying was specifically deleted from the plea bargain. He
refused. His conditions in prison have
worsened.
To protest, Dr. al-Arian has been fasting since January 22, 2007. He
was recently transferred to a
medical prison. He faces an additional eighteen months for refusal to
testify. In the past, his testimony
had been twisted and used against him. He has no reason to believe that
this would not happen again.
He has also been lied to when he pled guilty to a lesser charge with
the understanding that he would no
longer have to deal with our legal system.
ACTIONS
1. February 21 is a day of action and fasting to
call for an end to Dr. al-Arian’s suffering and
imprisonment. Join Dr. al-Arian by fasting on Wednesday, February
21 (Ash Wednesday)
2. Write or fax the following persons and ask for an immediate end to
Dr. Al-Arian’s suffering:
Honorable Judge Gerald Lee
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
401 Courthouse Square
Alexandria, VA 22314
Fax: 703-299-3339
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Fax: 202-307-6777
Email:AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
2426 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Fax: 202-225-0072
Email: John.Conyers@mail.house.gov
Senator Patrick Leahy
433 Russell Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-4242 (fax)
email: senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
3. E-mail: tampaybayjustice@yahoo.com
to let them know what you are doing so that they can pass it
on to Dr. Al-Arian.
4. Write to Dr. Al-Arian at:
Dr. Sami Al-Arian
#40939-018
FMC Butner
Federal Medical Center
P.O. Box 1600
Butner, NC 27509