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American Morning

American Citizen Supporting Palestinian Cause Family Receiving Death Threats

Aired April 04, 2002 - 08:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A disturbing development this week for the family of Adam Shapiro, an American citizen living in Ramallah and supporting the Palestinian cause. His parents and brother in New York City are receiving death threats, accusing Adam of being a traitor. Shapiro, you might remember, was holed up inside Yasser Arafat's compound during the height of last week's shelling by the Israeli military. When he was released, he was hailed for courage under fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM SHAPIRO, VOLUNTEER, INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT: I'm a volunteer, we're all volunteers, and we currently have about 100 international people here from all over the world with the International Solidarity Movement and the Grassroots International Protection for the Palestinian people. We are here trying to protect the Palestinian people and do what we can to deliver humanitarian aid, and intervene, if we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: But not everyone agreed he was courageous. Adam's family is now receiving police protection. His parents have gone into hiding, and his brother, Noah Shapiro, joins us this morning.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Tell me about these death threats? Who's calling you?

NOAH SHAPIRO, ADAM'S BROTHER: People purporting themselves to be -- quote, unquote -- "good Jews" are calling on behalf of the Jewish community of New York, threatening our family, that we're going to burn in hell, they'll take us there, they want to take my brother to a village square and beat him to a pulp, and so on and so forth. They get worse and worse as you hear them.

ZAHN: So now you have police protection. Your parents have actually gone into hiding?

SHAPIRO: Actually gone into hiding. I mean, I told them just to go to a friend's house out of state, just stay there a while. Let this die down and let me handle the protection of my family and my brother. ZAHN: Let's talk a little about something you discovered, which is that the Jewish Defense Organization actually has a recorded message on its answering machine that is actively encouraging protests.

Let's listen to that audiotape.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Adam Shapiro is the walker of the Jewish Community. And remember, what he did is treason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: What do they want?

SHAPIRO: I don't know what they want. These ignorant people actually put the wrong address down. They found another Adam Shapiro, and this poor family of this boy is receiving I guess marches and calls on his house, because they're ignorant people. The comparisons to John Walker are stupid, they're ignorant, they're based on baseless facts. My brother is all about non-violence and peace in the region and coexistence, peaceful coexistence. And what they want is to stir something up. And in fact, they are the terrorists, because the definition of terrorism is promote fear and incite violence, and that's what they are doing. They are the terrorists.

ZAHN: But it's not just these people that have bothered your family with these phone calls and assaulted. You have newspaper columnists -- we're going to put up on the screen right now some of the comparisons that also were made between him and John Walker Lindh.

SHAPIRO: That article that you're showing now was written by Andrea Peyser (ph), and every fact in that article is untrue. She never interviewed anyone in my family. She made up every single fact. She made up a childhood friend of my brother's to support her claim. She made up things about my brother studying in Yemen that weren't true, and this is just to support these reporters' political agendas. So they figure, let's use this person as our face of hate, and the reason is, because it's easier to hate someone than to love them, because to love them, you actually have to get to know them.

ZAHN: Here's another headline. "Aid Worker: I Am No Traitor." How is Adam holding up, and he is aware of this hot button that he's pressed?

SHAPIRO: He's aware of it to the extent that we tell him. You know, he's involved there. He's still riding on ambulances and acting as a human shield so innocent civilians can be helped out. He stands in front of Palestinian children so they can go get milk. If the Israeli army will shoot someone, they will shoot him first. That's bravery at its highest.

He's aware of the death threats. He thinks it's ignorance. I told him I will handle the death threats of my family. And if he wants to go on TV and talk about his political beliefs, he can do that.

ZAHN: Do you think that some of these people were also incited because they found out he was engaged to a Palestinian?

SHAPIRO: We've received calls that because she's of Palestinian descent, he's a terrorist, we're terrorists -- everybody's a terrorists. It's this ignorance that all Palestinian people are terrorists. They're not. The suicide bombings should be condemned, but there's very innocent Palestinians civilians that he wants to protect, and that you can disagree with his political beliefs, but to wish us death and to make death threats upon us and call marches on our home is irresponsible.

And I question for one second, where is the Jewish authority in our community. Where is Senator Schumer to condemn and ask the death threats be stopped? He can surely ask and question my brother's motives and his beliefs. But we're his constituents, and he can not, and he's refused to come out and condemn this, and I think that's reprehensible.

ZAHN: What about the other senator in New York, Hillary Clinton? Has she responded at all?

SHAPIRO: I couldn't get in touch with her office. And I know she received -- when she kissed Yasser Arafat's wife, I'm sure she doesn't want to step into the middle of this fray. But Senator Schumer, as a Jewish moral authority in our community, which he purports himself to be, has done nothing.

ZAHN: All right, we're going to have to leave it there this morning. I know this is a very tough time for your family. Thank you for telling your family's side of the story.

SHAPIRO: Thank you.

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