Academics Denounce Al-Arian Firing TAMPA (WUSF) - When he was contacted Thursday, Al-Arian declined to say if he will appeal the firing. But an open letter from the Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace -- which he heads -- calls President Genshaft's action "an affront to principles of free speech and academic freedom."

It also says the firing is a "blatant abuse of the power and authority that the academic community entrusts in a university president."

The letter goes on to say, "If there is any institution that must be protected from political influence or pressure, it is the university campus. Hence, this wrong decision will have a huge negative effect on the academic community as well as an enormous impact in chilling free speech."

Genshaft fired Al-Arian because of the continuing threat to the school's students, faculty and staff. He has been the subject of death threats because of his support for anti-Israeli interests and long-running suspicions he helped support terrorist groups.

Al-Arian's World and Islam Studies Enterprise at USF was closed in 1995 after a raid by the FBI. Federal agents say the think tank and a related charity Al-Arian ran were fronts for the terrorist group Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian has never been charged with a crime.

No professor has been fired for something they've said in at least a decade, according to the American Association of University Professors. The group was set up in 1915 to protect academic freedom. Mary Burgan is the group's general secretary.

BURGAN: I think for speaking on a television program and having unpopular views, that we have not had a case of for 10 years that I can think of. Over 10 years.

Al-Arian was put on leave after death threats were sent to the university following his appearance on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" in September. During that show, he was questioned about his links to possible terrorists.

Burgan says her group is in the process of composing a letter voicing its concerns to Genshaft. They investigate violations of academic freedoms if they believe a professor's rights have been violated and campuses can be censured by the group.

BURGAN: I have heard of professors getting a leave of absence without pay if they are under threat. But, ordinarily, in plain old common sense, the person to go after for a death threat is the death threater, not the threatened one. The professor can't be held responsible for the bad actions of people who listen and respond violently. It's their violence that's at issue.

Burgan said on most campuses, free speech has not been infringed upon since Sept. 11.

BURGAN: We've seen a lot criticism, a lot of heat, but we have not seen retaliation, certainly to the extent of dismissal taking place across America. We think free speech is deeply imbedded in our notions of higher education.

Former Florida Senator and trustee Connie Mack said after Wednesday's meeting he had reservations about voting to recommend Al-Arian be fired. But he says trustees must focus on the safety of people on the campus.

MACK: I was worried that, would the board take the same action with a person that we agreed with? And the attorney said, focus on the disruption. The point there is if someone we agreed with made statements that we agreed with that disrupted the university, we should take exactly the same action that we did.

Roy Weatherford is a philosophy professor who is president of the university's United Faculty of Florida chapter. He appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" Wednesday night, and said the trustees should have let Al-Arian teach classes from his home by television. That would have removed the security threat to faculty and students. Earlier that day, he said he believes Al-Arian has no choice but to appeal his firing.

WEATHERFORD: In civilized societies, the death penalty has an automatic appeal all the way through to make sure that it's conducted properly. This is an academic death penalty and we take it very seriously.

Al-Arian has ten days to respond.
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