Does Anyone Remember Sami Al-Arian?

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He was the Florida college professor that was arrested for allegedly being a terrorist abetter. Well check out what is happening with this guy.

As Health Deteriorates, Jailed Palestinian Professor Sami Al-Arian Enters 54th Day of Hunger Strike to Protest Indefinite Imprisonment

Democracy Now!
Friday, March 16th, 2007

Sami Al-Arian has spent the past four years in jail despite a jury's failure over a year ago to return a single guilty verdict on any of the 17 charges brought against him. He eventually signed a plea deal with the government in exchange for being released and deported.

This past January, with just three months left before his scheduled release, a judge found him in contempt after he refused to testify before a Virginia grand jury. The date of his release could now be extended by a year and a half. On January 22nd, Al-Arian - who is a diabetic - stopped eating in protest. Last month he was transferred to the Federal Medical facility in Butner Virginia as his health deteriorated. A week before his transfer, we spoke with Sami Al-Arian from prison in his first broadcast interview since his 2003 arrest. He explained why he was on hunger strike.

Also from the article:

JUAN GONZALEZ: Throughout this long ordeal, what's your sense or your opinion about why your husband has been targeted in this way by the federal government?

NAHLA AL-ARIAN: Well, I feel, first of all, because he was very effective in talking about the Palestinian cause and in establishing ties with the larger society and in empowering the Muslim community, making them integrate into the larger society and exercise their political rights. Sami was very good in talking to everybody, helping and working with everybody, and what made things worse --

AMY GOODMAN: Also very good in supporting President Bush in his first run for office. The pictures of him and President Bush as they campaign through Florida -- as Bush campaigned through Florida, Sami was with him.

NAHLA AL-ARIAN: Because Bush deceived us. Bush lied to the Muslim community. Bush gave us a picture of a compassionate person, and that's completely the opposite. Later on, unfortunately, we found out. Al Gore was so arrogant, and he rejected talking to the Muslim community and addressing the issues that the Muslim community was worried about, such as the use of secret evidence against Muslims and Arabs. So that's why, you know, we went to support Bush, because he’s the one who, in the second debate, came out and said we should support or we should stop the use of secret evidence and we should stop profiling Muslims and Arabs, so he was very outspoken. And that was unfortunately, you know, a very deceitful act. It wasn't coming from his heart, as we found out later.

That's truly f'd up.

http://www.democracynow.org/article....=thread&tid=25