SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 22: American Muslim organizations have expressed concern over the arrest of Dr Sami al Arian, a computer science professor who has been under investigation for a number of years without any evidence of wrongdoing.

Prof Arian was arrested on Thursday along with three other Arabs accused of links with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an organization declared as a terrorist group by the US State Department.

The professor is accused of leading the North American arm of the Islamic Jihad.

American Muslim leaders fear that the charges against the Palestinian professor may have negative implications for Muslims living in the United States and will make American public even more suspicious of Muslims.

“The American Muslim community is deeply concerned about the context and the manner in which Prof Sami al Arian has been arrested. We strongly hope that Prof Sami al Arian will receive due process and equal justice and will be tried in an open court and not in camera and not on the basis of secret evidence,” said Dr Agha Saeed, National Chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, a leading organization with 94 chapters in 34 American states.

Prof Arian is a leading Palestinian intellectual and has long been a target of the pro-Israeli lobby in the United States since he played a pivotal role in exposing Israel’s oppressive actions against Palestinians, an AMA statement said.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), while expressing deep concern, pointed out that Prof Arian has been under investigation for many years, although so far no evidence has ever been presented suggesting his involvement with any illegal activity.

The ADC pointed out that since his appearance on the FoxNews programme, “The O’Reilly Factor” in 2001, and given the controversy regarding attempts by South Florida University to dismiss him in spite of his tenured status, Prof Al Arian’s case has become heavily politicized.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also expressed deep concern over the arrest of the intellectual. “We are very concerned that the government would bring charges after investigating an individual for many years without offering any evidence of criminal activity. This action could leave the impression that Al Arian’s arrest is based on political considerations, not legitimate national security concerns,” said the Council of American-Islamic Relations Chairman.

Prof Arian and his brother-in-law, Mr Mazen Al Najjar, founded the World and Islam Studies Enterprises, a now-defunct Islamic think tank at University of South Florida that was raided by the FBI in 1995.