The University of South Florida is afraid.
They are afraid of controversy. They are so afraid they will fire a professor for accusations with little supporting evidence.
The university is attempting to fire tenured Palestinian professor Sami Al-Arian, who has alleged terrorist ties. He has been on paid leave since an interview on Fox News Channel last fall about tapes in which he made the statement, "Death to Israel." The tapes were made in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Al-Arian has never been charged with a crime and denies any terrorist ties. He says he has never advocated violence. His words were meant to be a statement against Israeli occupation.
Dick Beard, chairman of the USF trustees accuses Al-Arian of being involved with terrorists for 15 years, and complains that people have begun calling the school "Jihad U" because of the professor.
Admittedly, the university is a business. If the court grants them the right, it can fire any employee who is not doing a job the way it wants. It is also true that despite a clean record, Al-Arian is under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office in Tampa, Fla.
But, Al-Arian is a tenured professor, and the fact that he is under investigation does not make him guilty. Does anyone remember innocent until proven otherwise?
Finally, the Associated Press mentions no significant change in enrollment and no loss of money in its report. The University of South Florida simply is trying to distance itself as much as possible from the War on Terrorism. No one can blame them for wanting to, but it shouldn't come at the expense of a person's job. There is no reason for his termination other than fear.
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