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Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace - April 10, 2004
Media report on Dr. Al-Arian inaccurate
On April 5, 2004, an Associated Press article appeared in several newspapers under the headline "Government filing says Al-Arian was briefly FBI informant." The article's first sentence states, "Federal prosecutors say a former professor was briefly an FBI informant, according to newly filed court documents." This assertion has since been repeated in various media outlets, from the local newspapers in Tampa, Florida, to CNN, and the Arab press.
The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace would like to correct this egregious inaccuracy. Dr. Sami Al-Arian has never been an informant for the FBI or any other government body. In fact, the government does not maintain that Dr. Al-Arian has ever been an informant. The media assertions are based purely on the statement of government prosecutors in court documents that claim that Dr. Al- Arian "was a source of information for a brief period of time." Nowhere in that or any other document is he referred to as having been an "informant." That label, a creation of a reporter, has since been used by other media outlets.
It must be emphasized that Dr. Al-Arian's extent of involvement with the federal officials entails providing them with reading materials about Islam for the education and sensitivity training of the FBI, to help in the Bureau's future dealings with the community.
During the three decades in which he has lived in the United States, Dr. Sami Al-Arian has enjoyed the utmost trust and confidence of the American Muslim community, climbing to the top ranks of its leadership as an outspoken advocate of civil rights for all. He has maintained an impeccable record as an honest and trustworthy leader who believes strongly in upright citizenship and public service.
We ask that reporters diligently fact-check their articles before making such assumptions publicly. Otherwise, these recent media reports may be construed as part of a concerted effort to dent Dr.
Al-Arian's credibility, thereby stemming the enormous outpouring of support that he has received from Americans of all backgrounds since his unjust incarceration fourteen months ago.
The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace urges all concerned citizens to demand a retraction from media outlets that have printed such inaccuracies. The media should be held accountable for misleading coverage.
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