Muslim held on secret evidence is released

Christian Century, Jan 3, 2001

A Palestinian professor who has spent the last three years in jail on secret-evidence charges was freed in mid-December after heavy lobbying from members of Congress and Muslim communities.

Mazen Al-Najjar spent 1,307 days in jail because of suspected links to terrorist organizations in the Middle East. Neither he nor his lawyers were allowed to see the evidence against him--a legal move that is allowed under 1996 antiterrorism legislation. Al-Najjar's release had become a top public-policy goal for the U.S. Muslim community, which feels that the secret-evidence law unfairly targets immigrants and Muslims.

The government had tried to keep Al-Najjar detained, but an immigration judge ordered his release in early December. Attorney General Janet Reno put a hold on his release until she could review his case and gave approval for him to be released December 15.

Al-Najjar's family broke into tears when he walked out of the doors of the Manatee County (Florida) Detention Center. "It's a great day for justice and a sad day for arrogance and oppression," the 43-year-old professor said upon his release, according to the Associated Press. Still, Al-Najjar's legal nightmare might not be over. In a statement issued before his release, Reno said Justice Department officials "anticipate he could be deported from the United States soon."

Al-Najjar, who has lived in the U.S. since 1981, has been in the country illegally for several years since his student visa expired. He has been teaching at the University of South Florida, and government officials allege that the Islamic Committee for Palestine at the school has ties to the Islamic Jihad, which has sponsored numerous terrorist attacks in the Middle East.-RNS