Thursday, April 28, 2005
Call for Fair Trial Sami Al Arian
April 27, 2005
First United Church (UCC) of Tampa, Florida
7308 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33617 www.ucctampabay.org
Dear fellow religious and community leaders:
The Church Council of First United Church (UCC) of Tampa voted unanimously on April 24 to call for a fair trial for Dr. Sami Al Arian and two co-defendants. We have been following this case closely for two years, and have come to believe that to receive a trial by a fair and impartial jury of ones peers, the trial needs to be moved from Tampa, Florida. We are calling upon churches, organizations, church bodies, religious leaders and individuals to join us in calling for a change of venue should the lawyers of the defendants request it. We believe the timing for such a change of venue is quite soon.
Below find:
> Background information page, and call for a fair trial. Please fill this out and e-mail to ucctampa@juno.org, our churchs e-mail address.
> Our churchs letter to the judge overseeing the trials.
We hope that you will seriously consider joining in a call for a fair trial.
In Jesus call for justice and peace,
Pastor Warren Clark
Dr. Sami Al Arian: Background:
On February 20, 2003, former University of South Florida professor Dr. Sami Al-Arian was arrested at his home in a pre-dawn raid by federal agents. Since 1995, Dr. Al-Arian had been the subject of a federal investigation stemming from his views in support of Palestinian human rights. Before being imprisoned, Dr. Al-Arian worked as an advocate for the Muslim community, as well as a voice for freedom and justice at home and around the world. In 1990, he co-founded the World and Islam Studies Enterprise (WISE), a research and academic institution dedicated to promoting dialogue between the Muslim and Western worlds. Newsweek magazine named him the premier civil rights activist in America for his efforts to repeal the use of secret evidence. Dr. Al-Arian attended briefings at the White House and Justice Department, advised several members of Congress, and met both Presidents Clinton and Bush.
For almost two years, Dr. Al Arian was held in a small concrete box room in a Federal prison, isolated from everyone but his co-defendant. Contact with his attorneys to prepare for the trial was often severely limited.
As the trial nears, polls of potential jurors in the Tampa area indicate high percentages of strong bias against Muslims, and against Dr. Al Arian in particular. This is in part due to over ten years of heavily slanted reporting by a major area newspaper, and the use of Dr. Al Arians case in massive campaign ads by a major party candidate for US Senate to attack the other candidate. In America, the rule of law calls for a trial by a fair and impartial jury of ones peers. This may not be possible in Tampa, Florida.
Call for a Fair Trial:
I am concerned about the unusual handling of his case from the outset. I am concerned about the harsh and unusual conditions of his pre-trial imprisonment. I urge Judge Moody who is overseeing this trial to order a change of venue to another location outside the state of Florida where polls of potential jurors would indicate lower levels of bias. More than anything else, I want there to be a fair trial. This is crucial for the confidence of the American people in the impartiality of the justice system.
Name of Individual or Organization:
Address:
E-Mail:
Contact person (if organization):
Date:
Please copy call for a fair trial and reply to: ucctampa@juno.com
First United Churchs Letter to the Judge April 24, 2005
The Policy Statement on Civil Liberties of First United Church (UCC) of Tampa, Florida, affirms our support for those persons who are being denied their constitutional rights under the guise of threats to our security. A key constitutional right is that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty, and that they receive fair trials. Recent polls of potential Hillsborough County (Tampa) jurors in the trials of Dr. Sami Al Arian and co-defendants indicate deeply held bias against Muslims, and against Dr. Sami Al Arian in particular. This may be due to over a decade of slanted media coverage by one of the areas leading newspapers, and widespread political campaign ads by a major party candidate for US Senate that used accusations against Dr. Al Arian to attack the other candidate.
In alignment with our congregations Policy on Civil Liberties, and public statements by the United Church of Christ, we call upon the judge in charge of these trials to change their venues to another federal judicial district such as Atlanta, GA, where polls of potential jurors indicate a lower level of bias. We believe that this change of venue is crucial to a trial by a fair and impartial jury of ones peers for Dr. Al Arian and his co-defendants. Without a fair trial , the people of our area will never know for sure if the defendants are guilty or innocent. Of equal importance, the people will not know if their government has conducted this investigation and prosecution in a manner that seeks above all else to determine actual guilt or innocence of those accused.
We also call upon other congregations, organizations, church bodies and individuals to join us in this call for a change of venue.
Jim Christison, Moderator Dr. Warren Clark, Pastor
First United Church (UCC) of Tampa, Florida
7308 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33617 www.ucctampabay.org
Dear fellow religious and community leaders:
The Church Council of First United Church (UCC) of Tampa voted unanimously on April 24 to call for a fair trial for Dr. Sami Al Arian and two co-defendants. We have been following this case closely for two years, and have come to believe that to receive a trial by a fair and impartial jury of ones peers, the trial needs to be moved from Tampa, Florida. We are calling upon churches, organizations, church bodies, religious leaders and individuals to join us in calling for a change of venue should the lawyers of the defendants request it. We believe the timing for such a change of venue is quite soon.
Below find:
> Background information page, and call for a fair trial. Please fill this out and e-mail to ucctampa@juno.org, our churchs e-mail address.
> Our churchs letter to the judge overseeing the trials.
We hope that you will seriously consider joining in a call for a fair trial.
In Jesus call for justice and peace,
Pastor Warren Clark
Dr. Sami Al Arian: Background:
On February 20, 2003, former University of South Florida professor Dr. Sami Al-Arian was arrested at his home in a pre-dawn raid by federal agents. Since 1995, Dr. Al-Arian had been the subject of a federal investigation stemming from his views in support of Palestinian human rights. Before being imprisoned, Dr. Al-Arian worked as an advocate for the Muslim community, as well as a voice for freedom and justice at home and around the world. In 1990, he co-founded the World and Islam Studies Enterprise (WISE), a research and academic institution dedicated to promoting dialogue between the Muslim and Western worlds. Newsweek magazine named him the premier civil rights activist in America for his efforts to repeal the use of secret evidence. Dr. Al-Arian attended briefings at the White House and Justice Department, advised several members of Congress, and met both Presidents Clinton and Bush.
For almost two years, Dr. Al Arian was held in a small concrete box room in a Federal prison, isolated from everyone but his co-defendant. Contact with his attorneys to prepare for the trial was often severely limited.
As the trial nears, polls of potential jurors in the Tampa area indicate high percentages of strong bias against Muslims, and against Dr. Al Arian in particular. This is in part due to over ten years of heavily slanted reporting by a major area newspaper, and the use of Dr. Al Arians case in massive campaign ads by a major party candidate for US Senate to attack the other candidate. In America, the rule of law calls for a trial by a fair and impartial jury of ones peers. This may not be possible in Tampa, Florida.
Call for a Fair Trial:
I am concerned about the unusual handling of his case from the outset. I am concerned about the harsh and unusual conditions of his pre-trial imprisonment. I urge Judge Moody who is overseeing this trial to order a change of venue to another location outside the state of Florida where polls of potential jurors would indicate lower levels of bias. More than anything else, I want there to be a fair trial. This is crucial for the confidence of the American people in the impartiality of the justice system.
Name of Individual or Organization:
Address:
E-Mail:
Contact person (if organization):
Date:
Please copy call for a fair trial and reply to: ucctampa@juno.com
First United Churchs Letter to the Judge April 24, 2005
The Policy Statement on Civil Liberties of First United Church (UCC) of Tampa, Florida, affirms our support for those persons who are being denied their constitutional rights under the guise of threats to our security. A key constitutional right is that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty, and that they receive fair trials. Recent polls of potential Hillsborough County (Tampa) jurors in the trials of Dr. Sami Al Arian and co-defendants indicate deeply held bias against Muslims, and against Dr. Sami Al Arian in particular. This may be due to over a decade of slanted media coverage by one of the areas leading newspapers, and widespread political campaign ads by a major party candidate for US Senate that used accusations against Dr. Al Arian to attack the other candidate.
In alignment with our congregations Policy on Civil Liberties, and public statements by the United Church of Christ, we call upon the judge in charge of these trials to change their venues to another federal judicial district such as Atlanta, GA, where polls of potential jurors indicate a lower level of bias. We believe that this change of venue is crucial to a trial by a fair and impartial jury of ones peers for Dr. Al Arian and his co-defendants. Without a fair trial , the people of our area will never know for sure if the defendants are guilty or innocent. Of equal importance, the people will not know if their government has conducted this investigation and prosecution in a manner that seeks above all else to determine actual guilt or innocence of those accused.
We also call upon other congregations, organizations, church bodies and individuals to join us in this call for a change of venue.
Jim Christison, Moderator Dr. Warren Clark, Pastor
