‘The Left has thrown its lot in for years now with Islamic fundamentalists ‘ says Emerson. ‘It’s such an evil alliance and they unite under anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism.’
Which makes Sami Al-Arian the perfect figure for these Wahhabi Marxists to rally around. International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) the driving force behind many large-scale anti-war protests is an acknowledged front for the Stalinist Workers World Party. ANSWER’s Steering Committee which includes far left fixtures like the Mexico Solidarity Network and Korea Truth Commission has vocally lent its support to Al-Arian releasing a statement saying ‘For many years Sami Al-Arian has been targeted by the government media and academic establishment because he is a consistent and outspoken supporter of the right of the Palestinian people to live free from occupation as well as a proponent of civil liberties and civil rights….The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition joins the organizations and individuals worldwide who are condemning Bush’s and Ashcroft’s political targeting of Dr. Al-Arian.’
ANSWER was joined in its outrage by fellow anti-war group Not In Our Name whose January ad in the New York Times condemning the Iraq War was signed by Martin Sheen Ed Asner and Al Sharpton among others. Not In Our Name has been a staunch supporter of convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal donating thousands of dollars to his defense and has enthusiastically backed Fidel Castro’s brutal Cuban regime. Not In Our Name also has close ties with the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO). IFCO is a long-running Leftist cabal whose offshoot the National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom until recently had Sami Al-Arian serving as its president.
Despite his vast array of defenders Sami Al-Arian today sits in a prison cell awaiting a trial that will surely bring out the worst of what the Left has to offer. What possesses these supposedly sane public figures to champion the North American leader of one of the most violent terrorist groups in the world? In a column in the New York Post titled ‘His Shameful Defenders ‘ John Podhoretz wrote ‘This is madness. ‘Academic freedom’ does not include the right to plan and execute a conspiracy to murder hundreds of people including two American citizens — not under any concept of academic freedom known to any rational being. What’s really going on here? Simple. A vast segment of liberal opinion is desperate to see the war on terrorism as a new explosion of McCarthyism. And they want to sign up to fight the evil government in its evil effort to torment poor innocent Muslims.’
In signing on to defend Sami Al-Arian the Left not only forfeited its credibility it also sacrificed its soul. That is what little soul it still possessed.
