American Muslim leaders jump on the Sami al -Arian bandwagon

In spite of the overwhelming evidence of Sami al-Arian guilt and his status as Islamic Jihad's point man here in America, many so-called `loyal, peace-loving' Muslims are clamoring for his release. Admittedly,the Bush justice department's mishandling of the case is problematic, but the evidence of of al-Arian's guilt and the anti-Semitic and unAmerican statements he's made speak for themselves.
Muslim Leaders Gather To Speak Out On Al-Arian

The usual suspects are involved,including CAIR, the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation, and of course the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

On Dec. 6, Al-Arian was acquitted of eight terrorism-related charges, including conspiracy to murder or maim people abroad. The jury deadlocked on nine other charges.

A status conference scheduled for today is expected to determine the next legal steps. Al-Arian could and should be retried.

Here's a grim chuckle for you: Nihad Awad, executive director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, joined the Civil Rights Advisory Panel to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security in 1997. Talk about irony!