Mr. Al-Marayati, like so many other American Muslim leaders, purveys an extremist political agenda... Here are three elements of his radicalism: First, he wraps the American flag around some of the least attractive features of Middle Eastern life. In 1993, he memorably asserted that "When Patrick Henry said, 'Give me liberty or give me death,' that statement epitomized jihad [Islamic holy war]." In 1996, he made the silly and inaccurate observation that "American freedom fighters hundreds of years ago were also regarded as terrorists by the British." Mr. Al-Marayati's intent here is obvious: to render jihad and terrorism acceptable to Americans.

Second, Mr. Al-Marayati apologizes for the most ghastly Middle Eastern regimes and draws moral equivalencies between them and America. In his view, Iraq is no better or worse than America: "Saddam Hussein's behavior in and around Iraq has been characterized as reckless. The same can be said about U.S. policy as a result of its reactionary mode." (How Mr. Al-Marayati can say such things is a mystery when, as the Los Angeles Times has reported, his cousin in Iraq "died of kidney disease a few years ago because he could not obtain medicine or proper surgical care; several other family members have been tortured and killed for opposing" Saddam's regime.)

Third, Mr. Al-Marayati turns a blind eye to terrorism if it is of a fundamentalist Muslim persuasion. Take the February 1996 incident when a Palestinian named Muhammad Hamida shouted the fundamentalist war cry, Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great), as he drove his car intentionally into a crowded bus stop in Jerusalem, killing one Israeli and injuring 23 others. Before he could escape or hurt anyone else, Hamida was shot dead. Commenting on the affair, Mr. Al-Marayati said not a word about Hamida's murderous rampage but instead focused on Hamida's death, which he called "a provocative act," and demanded the extradition of his executors to America "to be tried in a U.S. court" on terrorism charges."

Statements like this have correctly won Mr. Al-Marayati a reputation of being "pro-terrorist," as New York Daily News columnist Sidney Zion writes, and "an Israel-basher with disturbing sympathies for Islamic terrorists," according to a New York Post editorial.

I. Justifying Arab Terrorism and Calling Israel and its Supporters "the Real Terrorists":

Justified Future Terrorism Against Americans: In an April 4, 1997 article, "What Do We Expect?," distributed by the MPAC, Mr. Marayati justified future terrorist violence against American targets. He wrote: "Where Israel goes, our government follows...What is important is whether the American people are aware of and ready for the consequences...America is much more vulnerable than Israel and has much more to lose." He pointed to the fact that, unlike Israel, America has "greater investments" in the Arab and Muslim world, "from the oil in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, to the rubber industry in Malaysia," Marayati warned: "[W]hen people are pushed to despair and thrown over the edge of hate, anger and insecurity, one target [i.e. an American target] will be more accessible than the other [i.e. an Israeli target]."

Justifying a Hamas Suicide Bombing: After the March 1997 Hamas suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, in which three Israeli women were murdered, an MPAC press release on March 21, 1997, justified the violence, asserting: "The Prime Minister of Israel...bears the brunt of responsibility for the loss of innocent lives...Because the Palestinian people have no avenues to redress their grievances, some of them have been pushed beyond the margins of society and have adopted violent reactions to express their despair and suffering."

"Supporters of Israel Are the Real Terrorists": "Our pluralistic society has become prisoner to a country that follows racism and apartheid in its policies...The supporters of Israel have created a quiet reign of terror in the U.S. People cannot speak loudly against the apartheid policies of Israel." (Editorial in The Minaret, Vol.20, No. 5 [1998]; Salam al-Marayati is a member of the 6-man Editorial Board.)

"Israel was established by terrorism": "The establishment by force, violence, and terrorism of a Jewish state in Palestine in 1948 as well as the expansion of that state in succeeding years involved the unjust and illegal usurpation of Muslim and Christian lands and rights...A peaceful solution to the problem of Palestine requires a change in the racist, chauvinistic, and militaristic nature and attitude of the current regime." (Public statement signed by the MPAC, and nine other groups, September 17, 1993)

"Hezbollah Members are Freedom Fighters": "Hezbollah is fighting for freedom...This is legitimate." (MPAC Senior Advisor Maher Hathout, at the National Press Club, June 18, 1998.)

"The Only Thing They Can Do is Throw Bombs": "The only thing [Arab terrorists in Israel] can do is throw a bomb in a market or send somebody to suicide, we don't have enough ability to target real targets in Israel." (MPAC Senior Advisor Maher Hathout, in a Panel Discussion on Capitol Hill, June 18, 1998.)

Comparing Muslim Terrorists to America's Founding Fathers: "Most Islamic movements have been branded as terrorists as a result of the rising extremism from a handful of militants. American freedom fighters hundreds of years ago were also regarded as terrorists by the British." (MPAC president Salam al-Marayati, The Minaret, June 1996)

II. Denouncing the U.S., Accusing it of "Terrorism":

Comparing the U.S. to Saddam Hussein: "Saddam Hussein's behavior in and around Iraq has been characterized as reckless. The same can be said about U.S. policy as a result of its reactionary mode." (MPAC President Salam al-Marayati, "Perspective on Operation Desert Strike," MSA News, Sept. 5, 1996)

Condemning America for "Terrorism": In response to America's attack on terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Sudan in August 1998, MPAC Senior Advisor Maher Hathout said: "Our country is committing an act of terrorism. What we did is illegal, immoral, unhuman, unacceptable, stupid and un-American." He also said America's anti-terror action would be to blame for future hate crimes in the U.S.: "If our country commits hate crimes, why should we not expect the uneducated to do the same?" (Los Angeles Times, August 22, 1998)

Comparing Terrorist Bombings and America's Raids: The MPAC condemned America's attack on terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Sudan in August 1998, on the grounds that "violence emanating from a superpower, bypassing due process and legitimate international channels, against poor countries is illegal, immoral and illogical..." (MPAC press release, August 24, 1998)

III. Anti-Jewish Statements:

"Jewish Unlawfulness": "Jewish unlawfulness is tolerated because powerful brokers can dictate terms on Congress and the Administration." (MPAC president Salam al-Marayati, quoted in The Minaret, May-June 1994)

Comparing Israel's supporters to Hitler: "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." (MPAC president Salam al-Marayati, in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, June 1994)

Defending Holocaust-denier Roger Garaudy: After Garaudy was fined by a French court for denying the Holocaust: "Garaudy is not the first one to question the holocaust...As usual, Muslim organizations and leaders in the United States were silent on the sentence imposed on Garaudy. The exception was the Muslim Public Affairs Council that issued an immediate condemnation statement...to persecute him for his right to express his opinion and question some events is a clear violation of his basic human rights...Muslim organizations should have taken the case to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights." (Editorial in The Minaret, Vol.20, No.3 [1998]; Salam al-Marayati is a member of the 6-man Editorial Board.)

Accusing Israel of "Defaming Mohammed": "Israel created an environment of hate, and it bears responsibility for dehumanizing Muslims, defaming the Prophet [Mohammed], and supporting policies of Judaicizing [sic] the Holy Land." (MPAC president Salam al-Marayati, MPAC Action Alert, July 7, 1997)