Thursday, February 24, 2005
Islamic leader sues WFXT for defamation
The suit, filed in Suffolk Superior court by Dr. Yousef Abou-Allaban, 41, a Syrian-born psychiatrist who is a US citizen, alleges that he was defamed by a November 2004 story and promotional spots describing him as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a violent terrorist group with links to Al Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas.
The suit names Channel 25, its parent company, Fox Television Stations Inc., reporter Michael Beaudet, and producer Jonathan Wells as defendants.
"I felt I was victimized," Abou-Allaban said in an interview. "There have been many people in the Muslim community who have been demonized and lost their businesses. I felt my reputation had been tarnished. . . . I felt I became a walking criminal associated with a criminal like Osama bin Laden."
Abou-Allaban said he began to recognize the potential impact of the story when a longtime patient told him: "I never expected you to be an Al Qaeda member."
A spokeswoman for WFXT said the station had not seen the suit, and refused comment. Wells and Beaudet also declined comment. A spokeswoman for Fox Television Stations Inc. said she could not talk about a pending lawsuit.
In the suit, the plaintiff says that the sole source for the assertion that Abou-Allaban is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood is Dr. Ahmed Elkadi, a man "purported to have been the president of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States prior to 1995," and who "is totally and permanently disabled" and whose "neurological status is that of severe impairment."
Abou-Allaban's lawyer, Harvey Schwartz, said that for the purposes of the suit, his client is likely to be considered a public figure. This means he will have to show not only that the WFXT report was false and defamatory, but also that it was broadcast with reckless disregard for the truth. Asked about that high burden of proof, Schwartz said: "Obviously, it's not insurmountable," referring to the verdict Friday in which a Suffolk County jury awarded Judge Ernest B. Murphy $2.09 million in his libel suit against the Boston Herald...
FOX-25 has been the only local media outlet covering the issues behind the construction of the new Boston Mosque in a serious manner. Did they do their homework before broadcasting this particular report? I guess we'll see. I seriously doubt this will damper their enthusiasm for pursuing the story, though.
Hat Tip: Miss Kelley
"Abou-Allaban's lawyer, Harvey Schwartz, said..."
Well, at least this case shows Muslims and Jews can work together toward a common goal.
Yup, that's hiring some pretty big guns. Is this the same Harvey Schwartz who was a lawyer for the village of Skokie, IL in the case involving the Nazi Party demonstration some years ago?
The Chicago Tribune did an in-depth story on Elbadi and the Muslim Brotherhood in September 2004, link here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-0409190261sep19,1,7870150,print.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=2&cset=true
At that time, the authors noted that "Earlier this year he (Elbadi) was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that affects motor skills, speech and memory. He often has difficulty expressing himself and seldom speaks more than two sentences at a time.....But on many days his memory is clear, and his statements about the major events of the U.S. Brotherhood have been confirmed by others associated with the group."
Doesn't sound like someone who is "is totally and permanently disabled" and whose "neurological status is that of severe impairment."