As a US citizen I am most concerned about preserving the American way of life which, above all, includes rule of law and equal justice for all.

On Tuesday, December 6th, a Tampa, Florida jury acquitted Al-Arian of eight of the 17 counts against him, including a key charge of conspiring to maim and murder people overseas. The jury had deadlocked on other charges 10 to 2 in Al-Arians favor.

Two of Al-Arian's co-defendants were acquitted entirely, and a third was acquitted on most counts, with jurors deadlocked on several others.

In the end, not a single guilty verdict was returned after a ten year investigation and a six-month trial that included more than 80 witnesses and 400 transcripts of intercepted phone conversations and faxes.

A headline in the Washington Post, dated Dec 14, says it all: Ex-Professor Won Court Case but Not His Freedom.

I fully appreciate your efforts to keep America safe but it should not be at the expensive of equal justice for all.

I emphatically urge you to respect the verdict and to let Al-Arian become a living symbol of Americas open, pluralistic and justice-based society. Such a gesture will allow America to credibly advocate for the right to free speech in countries around the world that lack such freedoms.

This verdict has created a reservoir of goodwill for the United States. Many observers believe that this could have a global impact on winning the hearts and minds of Muslims by demonstrating that America is a nation in which the judiciary can be independent of political pressures, and citizens serving on juries can reach a verdict based on the evidence, not on fear or prejudice.

Please accept the verdict of the Florida court and set Prof Sami Al-Arian free.