Democrats dump Arab-American candidate over terror comments
WAYNE PARRY, AP
3/25/06
TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) _ An Arab-American's candidacy for a county office was
squashed Saturday amid a furor over comments he made four years ago that some
interpreted as sympathetic to suicide bombers.
''I'm in shock, feeling betrayed,'' said Sami Merhi, a Lebanese-born
businessman. ''They should be ashamed of themselves.''
At issue are comments Merhi made at a September 2002 fundraiser for U.S.
Representative Bill Pascrell. In his remarks, Merhi condemned the Sept. 11
terrorists as ''cold-blooded murderers'' and ''crazy fanatics.'' When asked if
he would apply the same label to Palestinian suicide bombers who target
Israelis, Merhi said, ''I can't see the comparison.''
In an interview with The Associated Press earlier this week, Merhi said the
point he was trying to make was that while all murder is wrong, the World Trade
Center attack was mass murder on an unprecedented scale. It also was an attack
in which his godson was killed.
After narrowly losing out on the party's nod in 2004 because of the comments,
Merhi was endorsed by the party last week.
But after top Democrats, including Governor Jon S. Corzine and U.S. Senator
Robert Menendez weighed in, saying they opposed his candidacy, Passaic County
party leaders scheduled a meeting to reconsider their endorsement.
Merhi said he appealed to party leaders during Saturday's meeting to support him
and accept his explanation that his comments had been wrongly interpreted. He
said he opposes terrorism in all its forms, and that killing innocent people is
always wrong.
But he said party chairman John Currie told him, ''We love you. We all like you.
But this is about politics.''
Currie did not immediately return messages left at his office and home Saturday.
Aref Assaf, president of the Paterson, New Jersey-based American Arab
Forum and a friend of Merhi, said he appealed to
Currie as the chairman was walking into the meeting to support Merhi.
''He said, 'This isn't about justice; it's about politics. Sami made a political
mistake and he has to pay for it,''' Assaf recalled. ''I knew he was done right
then.''
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