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tampabaycoalitionforjusticeandpeace-owner@yahoogroups.com<br><br>
<br>
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace<br>
March 23, 2007<br><br>
Dr. Sami Al-Arian Suspends Hunger Strike <br><br>
TAMPA— At the urging of his family, Dr. Sami Al-Arian has decided to
<br>
suspend his 60-day water-only hunger strike for justice to begin a <br>
liquid-only fast. Dr. Al-Arian's wife, Nahla, and his two youngest <br>
children, are visiting him in a federal medical facility in Butner, <br>
North Carolina, where Dr. Al-Arian has been held for five weeks.
<br><br>
"I saw Sami yesterday, and with the help of my younger children, I
<br>
pleaded with him to suspend his hunger strike, and he agreed," said
<br>
Nahla Al-Arian. "We really need his love and support, and we want to
<br>
make sure his health does not suffer more than it already
has."<br><br>
Said Dr. Al-Arian's attorney, Linda Moreno: "Sami Al-Arian is not in
<br>
search of death, but is seeking an opportunity for a dignified life.
<br>
He understands he needs to regain his strength to assist in the <br>
fight to release him from federal custody as a result of the <br>
violation of the plea agreement by the Justice Department that is <br>
responsible for his current incarceration."<br><br>
During his two-month hunger strike, Dr. Al-Arian lost 55 pounds and <br>
his ability to walk. After visiting him last weekend, his family was
<br>
alarmed at his physical state and deteriorating health. "I was <br>
shocked when I saw my husband," Nahla Al-Arian said at the time.
"He <br>
is rail thin."<br><br>
This week was especially critical and dangerous for Dr. Al-Arian's <br>
health. Medical experts say the average person can last about 60 <br>
days without eating, and doctors consulted about the hunger strike <br>
cautioned that it could potentially cause permanent damage. <br><br>
During the hunger strike, Dr. Al-Arian and his family received <br>
hundreds of letter and emails from around the country and across the
<br>
world urging him to end the fast for the sake of his health. <br>
Supporters have vowed to continue the worldwide campaign to free Dr.
<br>
Al-Arian, and to specifically ask U.S. officials to keep their <br>
promise and release him on April 13. <br>
<br>
"Given Dr. Sami Al-Arian's health considerations, we are deeply
<br>
relieved that he has decided to suspend his 60 day fast for justice.
<br>
However, we are deeply troubled by the abuses of the legal process <br>
that contributed to his current predicament," said Mahdi Bray, <br>
executive director of the MAS Freedom Foundation. <br>
<br>
"Dr. Al-Arian was never convicted by an American jury of his peers
<br>
of any wrongdoing or crime. It is time that our government respects <br>
the jury's verdict and release him. The sacrifice that Dr. Al-Arian <br>
and his family have made in the cause of justice compels us at the <br>
Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation to work more <br>
intensely for his unconditional release, so that he can be reunited <br>
with his family," Bray continued.<br><br>
"Dr. Sami Al-Arian's heroic struggle for justice and freedom <br>
symbolizes that higher aspect of human spirit, which William <br>
Faulkner had observed, shall not only endure but prevail," said Agha
<br>
Saeed, chair of the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and <br>
Elections (AMT).<br><br>
Community leaders, supporters and people of conscience welcomed Dr. <br>
Al-Arian's decision to end his hunger strike. "I give thanks to God
<br>
that Dr. Al Arian has suspended his fast for justice, because we <br>
need him in this world in good health," said Pastor Warren Clark of
<br>
Tampa. "Dr. Sami Al Arian is a real asset to our world and to his
<br>
family. He is a clear articulate voice for a peace with justice <br>
settlement in Israel-Palestine. That is why Muslims and Christians <br>
are working side by side to call for his freedom, and will continue <br>
to do so." <br><br>
Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-<br>
Islamic Relations (CAIR) stated: "We welcome this positive <br>
development, and hope that the coming days will bring the justice <br>
that is so long overdue to Dr. Al-Arian and his family. We continue <br>
to appeal to the Department of Justice and the Attorney General to <br>
end Dr. Al-Arian's suffering by honoring his original plea <br>
agreement."<br><br>
Said Dr. John Arnaldi of the Tampa-based Friends of Human <br>
Rights: "Mr. Attorney General, it is time to end the miscarriage of
<br>
justice that has been inflicted upon Sami Al-Arian by your policies <br>
and return to the rule of law. Honor the plea agreement and release <br>
Sami Al-Arian."<br><br>
Rev. Marcia Free, of the United Church of Christ in Knoxville, TN. <br>
will visit with Dr. Al-Arian today. She said: "In this Lenten season
<br>
of my faith, when we include fasting as a spiritual discipline, <br>
supporting our prayers for justice for all people, I am grateful to <br>
God for my Muslim brother Dr. Sami Al-Arian's willingness to fast <br>
for justice. I believe God will answer our prayers, restoring Sami <br>
to his wife and children and that his sacrifice will further the <br>
cause of justice."<br>
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