Terror Indictments

Al-Arian backers: Rights imperiled

TAMPA -- Supporters of Sami Al-Arian said Friday the indicted University of South Florida professor deserves due process, a fair trial and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

"As Muslims, we do not ask for special treatment, but equal treatment under the law," said Aliyah O'Keeffe, vice president of USF's Muslim Students Association.

O'Keeffe was among five speakers at a news conference at USF, all of whom called for Al-Arian and co-defendants Sameeh Hammoudeh and Hatem Naji Fariz to "stay strong."

Sean Kinane, chairman of USF's Alliance of Concerned Students, called for a repeal of the Patriot Act, which he termed "unconstitutional."

The act, passed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, greatly expanded the government's ability to conduct domestic surveillance.

"I've heard George Bush say, 'They hate our freedom,' " Kinane said. "The only 'they' I can think of is (Attorney General) John Ashcroft and the U.S. justice system."

Omali Yeshitela of the Florida Alliance for Peace and Justice said the Patriot Act leaves too much open to interpretation.

"Who determines who the terrorists are?" he asked. "This arrest is the most recent duct tape and plastic scheme that the government has come up with to try to terrorize people."

Al-Arian's wife, Nahla, stood silently during the series of brief statements. Then she held her own question-and-answer session with a group of reporters.

"The indictment is not evidence," she said. "It's going to be a long fight. I'll do what my husband taught me and be courageous."

Nahla Al-Arian said she heard through her husband's lawyer that her husband was going on a hunger strike to protest his arrest.

She isn't happy about it. "I hope he will eat, that he will take care of himself," she said.

Leena Al-Arian, her 17-year-old daughter, said, "I just want my dad to know we are with him 100 percent."

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