Whether hearing the chant “Death to Israel” and “Jihad is our path” boils your blood or gives you comfort, one thing is clear — such speech is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. But in the eyes of the University of South Florida, a speech made 10 years ago is enough to dismiss tenured professor of computer engineering Sami Al-Arian.
Al-Arian made the comments more than a decade ago, but they resurfaced two weeks following Sept. 11 on Fox News talk show “The O’Reilly Factor” featuring Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly questioned Al-Arian about an FBI investigation into possible past ties with international terrorist groups and his “Death to Israel” comment. That interview set off a torrent of phone calls and e-mails to USF. USF says Al-Arian is so disruptive to campus life that he must be fired from his post.
USF’s excuse is just a weak attempt to cloak USF’s unwillingness to protect Al-Arian’s right to voice his own opinion. Popularity of opinion must never overshadow, intimidate or unjustly influence the sanctity of the minority voice.
Universities are places where people are encouraged to nurture intellectual development. For this reason, it is puzzling how USF President Judy Genshaft pushed for the firing of a tenured professor for comments he made a decade ago. The reason may be rooted in the nation’s heightened sensitivities since Sept. 11.
Although the nation’s psyche is vastly different than it was just six months ago, there is no reason to create new standards on speech, especially in an academic environment. The USF Faculty Senate and Florida’s faculty union have come to the aid of Al-Arian, while USF’s Board of Trustees, student government, parent association and Republican Gov. Jeb Bush have offered Genshaft support for dismissal.
Puzzling enough, Al-Arian is a teacher of computer engineering, not international affairs. He also used no USF time in making his comments on the Middle East. Espousing beliefs on his own time, he is guilty of nothing but playing his role in the democratic dialogue this country must fight to celebrate. No free society is secure without the free exchange of ideas – even unpopular ones.
