Personal Statement of Dr. Abou El Fadl regarding October Magazine Excerpts 12.1.03

December 1, 2003

On November 26, 2003, The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) issued their Special Dispatch Series No. 616, which consisted of excerpts from an interview that I supposedly gave to October Magazine, an Egyptian government weekly. According to the MEMRI translated excerpts, I warn against the reelection of President Bush, I make numerous derogatory claims about the Bush administration and its policies in the Middle East, and I tout my own apparently hyper-inflated role within the administration. Specifically, I am cited as referring to President Bush and his administration as a group of Christian fundamentalists with colonialist policies toward the Middle East; as asserting that this administration will invade Syria and Iran if the president is reelected; and as playing an absurdly singular role in determining American military policy, including the deployment plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, among other claims. The quotes attributed to me are an outrageous fabrication and far exceed the limits of believability. I do not espouse these views, nor are they consistent with my published views as a matter of extensive public record. Some of the quotes are simply ridiculous and idiotic. I support President Bush and his efforts to build positive relations and democratic systems in the Middle East, and will continue to give my best efforts to ensure his success.

As an academic, my role is to provide critical analysis based on sound, balanced scholarship. I am no stranger to controversy, as my positions have not always towed the popular line. I speak my mind and my conscience, and no color, creed or political party is immune from my scrutiny. I have been accused by Zionist extremists as being a Muslim extremist, and accused by Muslim extremists as being a Zionist stooge. Even in the Egyptian Press, ironically, my appointment to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has been portrayed both as the result of an Israeli directive to President Bush, and also as a key source of hope for the future of Muslims. Most recently, I learned of a news story in the Egyptian Press in which I was portrayed as an American emissary who visited the president of Al-Azhar University and demanded to review the university curriculum to assess its propensity for spreading radicalism. Of course, no such exchange took place. I take the fact that I am criticized by all sides as a positive sign.

As a member of the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch, I work to protect human rights around the world. As an American lawyer, I regularly work with the U.S. government and private firms to prosecute terrorism cases against al-Qaeda and in support of the victims of 9/11. As an Islamic scholar, I have testified in court to defend the religious rights of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Baha’is, Jehovah’s Witnesses and many others. As a member of the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, I have extended my efforts to ensure the religious freedoms of those around the world. Finally, as a citizen who is proud to be American, I respect and believe in an individual’s right to speak his or her mind and conscience, and despite the often high personal cost of speaking out, as an American, I will continue to do so. I can only hope that people will have the integrity not to attribute to me what I do not say or believe.