 The Arab American National Museum
Survey: Arab and Jewish Americans Human Rights in the US | The rise and fall of Sami Merhi
Thursday, March 23, 2006
HERALD NEWS
Sami Merhi does not support terrorism. Merhi never said Sharon and Hitler are the same. And Merhi probably will not be a Democratic candidate for Passaic County freeholder this November. An injustice is being carried out and there is no way to stop it.
On Saturday, Merhi was chosen by a vote of 13 to 9 to be a Democratic candidate for freeholder. By Monday, his candidacy was questioned by local politicians and by Sen. Robert Menendez and Gov. Jon. S. Corzine.
Stories surfaced about a speech Merhi gave at a fundraiser in April 2002 for Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson. It has been reported that at the fundraiser, Merhi said Hitler and Ariel Sharon were equals and that Merhi justified Palestinian suicide bombers by saying there was no comparison between suicide bombers and Sept. 11 terrorists. According to Merhi, that is not accurate.
He did say there was no comparison between the two groups of terrorists, but he explained the reason was because the Sept. 11 bombers killed thousands of people in the United States, including his godson. Sept. 11 affected him personally; suicide attacks in the Middle East were not personal and did not kill on the scale of Sept. 11. He condemned all acts of terrorism in 2002. He reaffirms that position.
Merhi is not anti-Israel. Merhi's two business partners are Jews, one an Israeli. How this story has spun out of control is unclear, but it is out of control.
Politics is perception and, at this point, facts almost don't matter. Arab-American organizations nationally have taken notice of what is happening to Merhi. There could be political repercussions for Democrats beyond New Jersey.
Menendez's pre-emptive strike on the Merhi campaign may come back to haunt him. Menendez took a strong stand against possible terrorist attacks when a Dubai-owned company wanted control of operations at six U.S. ports. But Merhi is not a terrorist; he is a proud American. The senator did not speak to Merhi before sending a letter condemning him to Passaic County Democratic Party Chairman John Currie.
This weekend, county leadership is scheduled to discuss the Merhi candidacy. Currie is backed into a difficult corner unless Merhi chooses to withdraw.
In a post-Sept. 11 world, no one -- particularly a candidate for office -- wants to be perceived as weak on terrorism. The danger is that in an effort to sound more patriotic than the next candidate, good people -- good Americans -- are labeled as unpatriotic because of ethnicity or lack of understanding of what they actually have said. Would there be such a rush for judgment if Merhi was not Arab-American?
Merhi may not be the best choice for freeholder. Voters should make that decision. His comments at the Pascrell fundraiser were ill-advised; a would-be politician should have understood certain topics are best left untouched in public forums.
However, to assert that Merhi, whose godson died in the Sept. 11 attacks, whose business partners are Jews and who categorically denies equating Hitler and Sharon, supports terrorism and should be dumped from the Democratic ticket, is a disservice to the democratic process.
Merhi has been politically lynched; a mob has rushed to a conclusion ahead of fact finding. Have we, as Americans, reached a point where public discussion must be reduced to simple statements that require no thought and where provocative dialogue is instantly dismissed as unpatriotic?
Sami Merhi does not support terrorism: It would make a good lawn sign, if he still is running for office.
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