Accusations alone not grounds for loss of job

Since Sept. 11, many people have looked with suspicion to any person who looks of Middle-Eastern descent, but now University of Southern Florida administrators are taking it one step further.

If the USF administration has its way, a professor who has been accused of having terrorist ties will be fired.

Sami Al-Arian, who has lived in the United States since 1975, has never been charged with a crime and denies any connection to terrorists.

Al-Arian has been on paid leave since last fall when he was quizzed on Fox News Channel about tapes in which he said “Death to Israel” in Arabic.

Al-Arian is defending his words by saying he never advocated any violence, and it was a statement against Israeli occupation.

USF administrators are being ridiculous and paranoid in their attempts to fire Al-Arian. If it is proven that he has a connection to terrorists then he should be fired, but until then they have no right even to think about firing him.

Intolerance is running rampant in our country, and it is despicable that a university, a cradle of higher education, would contribute to this intolerance and ignorance.

While USF administrators defend their actions by saying they asked Al-Arian to leave for his own safety and that if he returned it would be disruptive to the campus, they are jumping to conclusions. They are attempting to end this man’s career.

A person is innocent until proven guilty in the United States. USF officials, however, are taking away this fundamental right by assuming the worst about Al-Arian. It is unacceptable that anyone should have to put up with this amount of intolerance and prejudice — especially at the hands of an educational institution.