Demonstration demands release of Sami Al-Arian
Monday, April 23, 2007
By: Sunil Freeman
Washington, D.C.
On April 13, members of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) joined a demonstration and press conference in support of imprisoned Palestinian activist Dr. Sami Al-Arian. The demonstration, held at the U.S. Department of Justice building in downtown Washington, D.C., was organized by the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation.
In his opening remarks, Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the MAS Freedom Foundation, called for the immediate
release of Al-Arian and the resignation of attorney general Alberto Gonzalez, a demand repeated by several other speakers.
Dr. Al-Arian's wife, Nahla Al-Arian, spoke of the unjust imprisonment and threats against her husband, who has been incarcerated since Feb. 20, 2003—much of that time has been solitary confinement. When his case finally went to trial—lasting six months and costing approximately $50 million—the jury found Al-Arian not guilty. Prior to his imprisonment, Al-Arian was a professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, noted in his remarks that when vice president Dick Cheney was a Congressman from Wyoming in the 1980s, he called for the continued imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.
Because of his relentless struggle against the South African apartheid system, Mandela was considered a terrorist. Becker noted that a massive international people's movement—not the goodwill of political leaders—brought about his eventual release.
Other speakers at the program included Rev. Graylan Hagler, Sister Asma Hanif of the Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations, representatives of the Peace and Justice Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the Tampa Bay Friends of Human Rights.
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