Terrorism is one of the most ugly words in our modern lexicon. It conjures up images of civilian assassinations, bus skeletons, maimed families and for Americans especially, the devastation of two U.S. cities.
Since 9-11, Americans have gone through a torrent of emotions and have suggested many different ways to defeat this evil tactic of war. Our campus in particular is a microcosm of the larger debate. We're located 20 minutes away from the Pentagon, almost a dozen of our alums were lost and many of our friends and relatives were killed.
Naturally, since much of the war on terror is focused in the Middle East, our Arab, Iranian and Muslim students have faced greater scrutiny from their peers and our government. Accusations have been leveled, some true and some not; terrorist cells have been broken up and some Muslim charities are currently under investigation by the Senate.
One charity in particular, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, has particular relevance to AU. The Muslim chaplain, Fadel Soliman, is director of WAMY and has acknowledged that his charity is currently being investigated by the Senate for ties to Hamas, a terrorist group.
According to Soliman, WAMY has nothing to hide and he "doesn't know" why his charity is subject to scrutiny. He points out that WAMY is the largest Mulism youth charity in the world and has done relief work from the former Soviet republic of Georgia to sub-Saharan Africa and has set up youth camps in the U.S.
Soliman says, "We are a charitable organization. We have links to charity and that is it." He strongly denies that WAMY has any links to terrorist organizations and believes that people who say WAMY has links to terrorists have other motives, which he cannot explain. WAMY's Web site lists its mission, which includes to "Oppose terrorism and violence as means of solving disputes and encourage peaceful dialogue, mediation and arbitration."
While The Eagle does not want to hold a trial in its pages, there are many sources that strongly contradict Soliman and WAMY's words.
In an open letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft and Treasury Secretary John Snow on Sept. 17, 2003, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote that WAMY has hosted fundraisers where senior Hamas leader Khalid Mishal praised Saudi officials for funding Hamas through civilian and popular channels, despite American pressure.
It also said that WAMY "spends $2.7 million annually in support of the Palestinian intifada in addition to $70 million it has collected for this purpose as WAMY offices worldwide."
These are extremely serious charges. Support for terrorism is awful. Financial assistance to terrorism is absolutely unforgivable and completely illegal.
The Eagle reiterates that Soliman denies all of these charges and points to WAMY's humanitarian relief work with the United Nations, which has taken care of more than 24,000 orphans and has built more than 44 schools. All of these actions are good and are directly in line with AU's goals and ideals. The allegations of WAMY's support of terrorism, if true, are completely antagonistic to AU's goals.
In this investigation, no group of people will have a harder time than the Muslim community. Soliman and the administration must consider several things when reviewing this issue. Will the Muslim community be hurt or helped by a Senate investigation into an organization that the chaplain is the director of? If Soliman's organization is found guilty of financing terrorism, how will that reflect on AU and our Muslim community? If Soliman's organization is found innocent and all charges are baseless, then what will it say about the state of America and the zeal with which innocent Muslim groups are pursued?
If the Senate finds that WAMY supports terrorists, the administration must fire Soliman.
The Eagle is not asking Soliman to step down before the Senate Finance Committee finishes its investigation, as it may appear to many as an admission of guilt. However, he might consider distancing himself from the AU community as a way to protect the reputation of the AU Muslim community.
But until that day, The Eagle requests that the administration immediately start its own investigation with the Muslim Student Association to see if Soliman should stay in his post or leave AU. We also recommend the student body exercise extreme caution and remember that in America, people are innocent until proven guilty.
