Anger over USF teacher continues

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 11, 2001

Professor Sami Al-Arian won't return to the University of South Florida campus soon; the university continues to receive angry e-mails regarding his links to alleged terrorists.

USF president Judy Genshaft said Wednesday that the number of e-mails "isn't subsiding, and the death threats are not subsiding either. Some people have made this their crusade."

Because of that, Genshaft still thinks Al-Arian's presence would compromise campus security.

The threats and e-mails began late last month after Al-Arian appeared on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor. Host Bill O'Reilly grilled Al-Arian on his founding of a now-defunct Islamic think tank and ties to men who later were linked to Palestinian terrorists and Osama bin Laden.

At one point, O'Reilly exclaimed, "You know, Doctor, it looks to me like there's something wrong down there at the University of South Florida. Am I getting the wrong impression here?"

After the show, Genshaft was quick to point out that Al-Arian, a professor of computer sciences, does not speak for the university, and that the Islamic think tank no longer exists. Once the e-mails and threats started, she placed Al-Arian on paid leave due to safety concerns.

That didn't end the controversy.

For several days, O'Reilly continued to mention Al-Arian, showing clips of the Sept. 26 show and reading letters and e-mails from viewers. The university kept receiving hostile calls and e-mails.

"People can't get to him, so we're the target, unfortunately," Genshaft said.

USF received more than 600 e-mails and calls on one of the days right after The O'Reilly Factor. The university recorded about 100 on Monday, said USF spokesman Michael Reich.

In one of the Monday e-mails, a Longboat Key man urged USF to "Cut him loose. Boot him out. Get the stench of his politics of death as far from USF as possible." An e-mail received Saturday said, "You are harboring a criminal and aiding and abetting terrorism in our nation! You should be held accountable for this idiocy!"

Al-Arian agreed with Genshaft's decision to place him on leave, but he made it clear that he hoped it would be brief.

"I hope it does not continue indefinitely," Al-Arian said.

"I would like to go back to the classroom."

When told that Genshaft was postponing his return because USF continued to receive threats, Al-Arian said, "These people who want to keep me off campus could continue making threats. It's a crime for people to make threats. If we have all these people committing crimes and nothing is done, I don't understand."

-- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story.

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