Senior Abdullah Al-Arian did not expect to make national headlines when he took a job with Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich., but that's exactly what happened when Secret Service agents suddenly removed the intern from a White House meeting June 28, spurring about two dozen Muslim leaders to leave in protest.
President George W. Bush and the Secret Service have issued apologies for the incident, which took place about 15 minutes into a briefing between Muslim officials and representatives from the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives.
"The security guard came, and he asked one of the people at the table to identify me, and then he asked me to leave without giving any reason," said Al-Arian, who is also a columnist for The Chronicle. "[When I asked why], he had no answer. He said he was following orders and that if I wanted to find out, I should call the office later."
Secret Service agents admitted after the incident that they had made a mistake, explaining that there had been a technical error within the security clearance process. Although the Secret Service refused to comment further, Bush issued an apology the following day.
"The president is very concerned that an action was taken that was wrong, inappropriate, and the president apologizes for it on behalf of the White House," Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said in a statement.
Al-Arian said he has no reason to doubt the Secret Service's sincerity and was glad to receive the apology. He added that White House officials offered him a tour of the West Wing and the Secret Service office; he has not decided whether to accept.
But Bonior and several Muslim leaders think the incident was more than a technical error.
"This is a pattern of discrimination and exclusion of American Muslims from the political process. It's un-American, and it's a violation of civil liberties of all people when those in the weakest positions politically are being used as scapegoats," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Muslim leaders also claim Al-Arian was singled out because of his connections with two pro-Palestinian activists: his father, Sam Al-Arian, who has campaigned against the use of secret evidence to detain political organizers, and his uncle, Mazen Al-Najjar, who was jailed in Florida for three years using such evidence.
"[President Bush] was against secret evidence. That was one of the reasons we endorsed him," said Aly Abuszaakouk, executive director of the American Muslim Council.
"Unfortunately, we have seen one of our young members defiled at the White House, and we have not yet met with the issue of revealing secret evidence."
Abuszaakouk said this was not an isolated incident, citing several other actions taken by American politicians that have upset the Muslim community. Most notably, Vice President Dick Cheney canceled his appearance at a meeting the week before the Al-Arian incident. Abuszaakouk said Muslim leaders want a meeting with Bush.
"We are requesting a meeting with the president. He's met with other faith groups... but he has not yet met with the Muslim Americans," Abuszaakouk said. "He has to meet with the American-Muslim community because that's a concern that needs to be addressed."
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