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Jewish World Review July 6, 1999 / 22 Tamuz, 5759
(JTA) WASHINGTON ---- The appointment of a controversial
American Muslim leader to a counterterrorism commission has prompted a
strong rebuke from Jewish officials.
Recently, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) named
Salam Al-Marayati to serve on the newly created National Commission on
Terrorism, which will review policies aimed at preventing acts of terrorism
directed at the United States.
Al-Marayati heads the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, a
group that critics say has tried to gain legitimacy in American public life while
tacitly seeking to promote the interests of radical Islamic terrorism.
''It's really a question of propriety here and whether the commission will be
able to function, whether people will be able to feel free to talk in his
presence, after taking the kinds of positions he has taken," said Malcolm
Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents.
The 10-member commission, established by legislation passed last year,
includes terrorism experts appointed by President Clinton and congressional
leaders. They include former CIA director James Woolsey and retired Gen.
Wayne Downing. Former U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and New
York businessman Maurice Sonnenberg, both of whom are Jewish, were
also named to the panel.
The Zionist Organization of America said Al-Marayati's appointment is
tantamount to naming white supremacist David Duke to a civil rights task
force, while privately other Jewish groups have also expressed
apprehension.
Both Hoenlein and Morton Klein, president of the ZOA, emphasized that
they have nothing against an Arab representative serving on the commission.
But ''we don't want anyone on this group who condones terrorism and
praises terrorist groups as Al-Marayati and his top leaders have done," said
Klein, who has urged Gephardt to revoke the appointment.
Al-Marayati, reached by telephone in Los Angeles, took issue with the way
Jewish officials have characterized him and his views.
''Those people either don't know me or are putting words in my mouth.
They need to do more homework before coming up with statements like
that," he said.
''People look to our statements from a narrow point of view, and it's that
narrow-mindedness that is the cause of unwarranted apprehension," he said,
adding that ''Islam has no room for terrorism" and that his organization ''has
been on record as condemning terrorism."
While he acknowledged that his group has ''made several statements that to
many are controversial," he said ''that only further enhances the point that
we need more dialogue."
In addition to serving as executive director of MPAC, Al-Marayati has been
active in the Democratic Party and has participated in events at the White
House and State Department. He has also been involved in public service
projects and in working to forge greater interfaith ties with Christian and
Jewish groups, including the American Jewish Committee and the
Anti-Defamation League.
Many of his public comments, however, have provided Jewish officials with
a decidedly different perception. A March 1997 MPAC statement found on
the group's Web site asserts that Israel's prime minister ''bears the brunt of
responsibility for the loss of innocent lives.
''Because the Palestinian people have no avenues to redress their
grievances," the statement continued, ''some of them have been pushed
beyond the margins of society and have adopted violent reactions to express
their despair and suffering."
According to the Conference of Presidents, Al-Marayati once equated
supporters of Israel to the Nazis.
''Just as Hitler forged a conflict between Judaism and Christianity, apologists
for Israel crave for Islam to be at odds with both Judaism and Christianity,"
Al-Marayati reportedly said in a 1994 interview.
Sue Harvey, a spokeswoman for Gephardt, said Al-Marayati was named to
the commission at the request of House Minority Whip David Bonior
(D-Mich.), who cited his expertise in the field of terrorism and extensive
public service experience.
The minority leader's office was not aware of Al-Marayati's controversial
statements before the appointment, she said.
''My sole desire to serve on the National Commission on Terrorism is to
advance U.S. anti-terrorism efforts and the security of our nation and all of
its citizens, both at home and abroad," Al-Marayati's letter states.
Both the ADL and the AJCommittee have distanced themselves from
Al-Marayati, saying they see him as a supporter of radical Islamic
movements.
''There seems to be a political coloration to the analysis of terrorism that is
suggested by these statements, and that raises concerns, particularly when
you're looking for people who are going to be leading the battle against
terrorism" because ''terrorism needs to be viewed outside of the political
process," said Jess Hordes, director of the ADL's Washington office.
Despite the controversy, Al-Marayati told JTA he ''absolutely" plans to
serve on the commission, saying he intends to ''serve American interests and
not to be intimidated by special interests.''
Although appointments to the commission require no confirmation,
Al-Marayati and others still have to be vetted by the FBI in order to gain
security
Would David Duke be appointed to a civil rights task force? How about a pro-terrorist Muslim to a government-funded anti-terrorist council?
By Daniel Kurtzman
According to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, Al-Marayati has made statements justifying or condoning
terrorism, equating America's struggle for independence with Islamic
fundamentalism and calling for a renewed Arab economic boycott of Israel.
''We have since been made aware of these concerns and have received
assurance that he unequivocally opposes terrorism of any kind," she said,
citing a letter Al-Marayati wrote to Gephardt on Monday.
