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Conspiring
Against Joseph - Reflections of a Prisoner
of Conscience in a Federal Penitentiary
by Sami A. Al-Arian
Offering
an inside look into life in a federal penitentiary,
"Conspiring Against Joseph" is
a collection of 62 poems written by Professor
Sami Al-Arian, a Palestinian-American political
prisoner. His use of vivid imagery to describe
day-to-day life in the suffocating prison
will both astound and enrage readers who
have never pictured such abuses.
This beautiful
anthology offers insightful commentary on
subjects as diverse as the 56-year Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and the American dream before and
after 9/11. Al-Arian's unique, evocative
style places the reader in the heart of
the poem, whether set in 1948 Palestine
or America during the Revolutionary War.
At once, the writer displays wit, wisdom,
imagination, deep spirituality and awe-inspiring
perseverance.
Al-Arian,
who began writing poetry at the age of fifteen
while a refugee in Egypt, composed this
latest collection over a period of six months,
while awaiting trial in the solitary confinement
wing of Coleman Federal Penitentiary in
Florida. Above all, his writing demonstrates
survival in the face of oppression. Long
after this struggle for freedom and justice
is over, these words will serve as a haunting
reminder of the oppression suffered by one
advocate of freedom who spoke truth to power.
About the
Author
The son of
Palestinian refugees, Dr. Sami Al-Arian
came to the United States in 1975, where
he has since lived with his wife of 25 years,
Nahla, and his five American-born children.
Dr. Al-Arian
has been professor at the University of
South Florida, where he taught computer
science since 1986 and received two awards
for outstanding teaching. In 1990, he co-founded
the World and Islam Studies Enterprise (WISE),
a research and academic institution dedicated
to promoting dialogue between the Muslim
and Western worlds.
Dr. Al-Arian
has been a tireless voice for freedom and
justice at home and around the world. In
1997, he cofounded the Tampa Bay Coalition
for Justice and Peace, a local coalition
opposed to the unconstitutional use of secret
evidence and other civil rights violations,
as well as ongoing media attacks against
Arabs and Muslims. He also co-founded the
National Coalition to Protect Political
Freedom, the nation's leading coalition
challenging the use of secret evidence,
and was elected as its first president in
2000. Dr. Al Arian is the recipient of three
Civil Rights Awards from the American Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the
American Muslim Council (AMC), and American
Muslim Alliance (AMA).
Dr. Sami
Al-Arian was arrested by federal authorities
in February 2003 on spurious charges of
supporting terrorism. He still awaits his
trial.
Links
Free
Sami Al-Arian website
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