Muslims Express Pride in Justice System

[AMAT-ALLAH]

Muslims Express Pride In Justice System
By CHRIS ECHEGARAY cechegaray@tampatrib.com
Published: Dec 7, 2005

TAMPA - They were skeptical of the judicial system, in agony over the drawn-out trial of a friend and teacher.

Sami Al-Arian's verdict, they said, would be about more than him. It would be a reflection of U.S. views on Muslims and Middle Easterners.

So Tuesday, when Al-Arian was acquitted of eight of 17 counts against him and no verdict reached on the rest, it wasn't just the former professor's victory. E-mail crisscrossed the nation, the subject lines virtually shouting "Mubarak, Mubarak," which means congratulations in Arabic.

They had been vindicated despite it all: the backlash from Sept. 11, the government's pro-Israel stance and widespread anti-Muslim sentiment.

"Muslims can walk with their heads held high," said Pilar Saad, a friend of the Al-Arian family. "It was a resounding victory for Dr. Al-Arian, the defendants, the Muslim community and Muslims in America."

The case drew national attention as a Muslim university professor went on trial for charges of supporting terrorism. Some watching from elsewhere saw it as the best of America on display.

Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, said it demonstrated the "Martin Luther King America" that embraces fairness for all over the "McCarthy America" of suspicion and finger-pointing.

"That's the beauty of this country from our perspective," he said. "We have more faith in the people of America than in the government in these trying times.

"This is the real America."

In Temple Terrace, Abdulhafiz Atiyeh, 31, smiled as he delivered tea and hookah pipes at his Al-Aqsa coffee house on 56th Street. Through the six-month trial, Atiyeh maintained that it was a discriminatory attack against Al-Arian and, by extension, Muslims.

Atiyeh said the verdict moves Muslims closer to elusive goals.

"There are two things: Everybody wants peace and justice," Atiyeh said. "That's why I love this country. People are equal in this system. From the garbage man to a rich person. It's not one person deciding."

Naveed Kamal and Ambareen Ameenuddin, both 21 and seniors at the University of South Florida, sat at the coffee house preparing for final exams.

The students, members of the Muslim Student Association, knew what had happened just minutes after the partial verdict.

Now, like others, they want to know what will happen next for Al-Arian. He was a popular professor, although neither had him in class. They plan to submit an article about the case to The Oracle, USF's newspaper.

"The acquittal is the talk right now," Kamal said. "There's so many things. The large amount of legal fees - how will he support his family?"

Ameenuddin said the trial tarnished Al-Arian's image.

"He's innocent until proven guilty, but he was treated like he was guilty," she said. "It's not right."

Nearby at the Islamic Community of Tampa, which houses a school and mosque, Ziad Taha said the verdict fortifies American Muslims' belief in the judicial system.

"We are very proud of the American justice system," he said. "We never lost faith in it."

When allegations of terrorist links surfaced in the media more than a decade ago, Joumana Saad was a little girl who held protest signs against the news coverage of Al-Arian. On Tuesday, Pilar Saad's daughter spoke in soft tones of disbelief.

"I'm overwhelmed, honestly," she said. "I thought too many people, especially in Tampa, would be influenced by media coverage during the trial. I thought it would affect the final verdict, but they saw the evidence, and justice prevailed."