Subject: 06-FEB-97
From: <Saved by Windows Internet Explorer 7>
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:50:31 +0800

For Immediate Release
February 6, 1997

Contact: Ghada Khouri
(202) 244-2990
[email-masked]

STATUE OF ARAB-AMERICAN PEACE ACTIVIST DESECRATED IN CALIFORNIA

--WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Arab-American community is outraged at a despicable act of vandalism committed against the Alex Odeh Memorial Statue in front of the Santa Ana Public Library in California. The statue commemorating Odeh, an Arab-American peace activist and a victim of terrorism, was discovered smeared with red paint this morning.

"The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is deeply concerned by this act of vandalism," ADC President Hala Maksoud said. "In light of today's act of violence against Alex's statue and memory, ADC feels that there is an urgent need to protect our community. To this day, some extremists continue to spread hatred against us and to desecrate the memory of a cherished, peace-loving individual who is survived by a young widow and three beautiful daughters."

Odeh, who was ADC's West Coast Regional Director, was assassinated by a bomb trip-wired to his office door in 1985. News reports indicated that the FBI had identified three suspects in his murder -- all three of whom are believed to be affiliated with the extremist Jewish Defense League (JDL). They reportedly fled to Israel at the time where they received safe haven. Last year, the FBI offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Odeh's killers. During a joint press conference by ADC and the FBI on August 27, 1996, a small group of hecklers screamed obscenities insulting Odeh and his family, condemning the FBI for attempting to resolve this 12-year-old case, and expressing their anger at the statue's presence.

ADC is particularly alarmed as the JDL continues to spread hatred against Odeh, even after his assassination, as evidenced by its website on the Internet, which describes Odeh as a "terrorism lover." The JDL webpage further encourages hostility against the statue itself by describing it as a "solid bronze monstrosity." It concludes with the following outrageous statement: "[P]erhaps the most appropriate response to the Odeh statue is made daily by the pigeon population of Santa Ana. So, if you're ever in the area, be sure to stop by the library, and don't forget to bring plenty of birdseed."

"Today's cowardly act of vandalism highlights the urgency to resolve this case as Alex's murderers are still at large," Maksoud stated. "We cannot rest until justice prevails and the Arab-American community will not be intimidated by such a hate-filled crime. ADC awaits assurances from law-enforcement agencies that a serious attempt will be made to protect the statue commemorating Alex's commitment to peace, and that threats against our community and its symbols be taken with the seriousness they deserve."

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(Note to Editors: ADC is the largest Arab American grassroots organization in the country. It is a non-sectarian, non-partisan service organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Americans of Arab descent and combatting anti-Arab racism, discrimination, and stereotyping.)