A statement from the Presbytery of Atlanta

On May 21, 2003, The Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta received from the Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel a Request for Vindication. Mr. Paul Jensen had accused Rev. Abu-Akel of the offense of slander and bearing false witness.

Using the process outlined by the Book of Order in its section entitled the Book of Discipline, an Investigating Committee was appointed to determine whether or not to vindicate Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel. The Investigating Committee was comprised of Rev. Laura Mendenhall, Dr. Belle Miller McMaster and Rev. Keith Hill.

The following report by the Investigating Committee was received by the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, on July 8, 2003. The findings of the report vindicate the Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel.

Memorandum:

To: Rev. Ed Albright

From: The undersigned members of the Investigating Committee

RE: Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel

It is the conclusion of the Investigating Committee, formed on June 6, 2003 and composed of Belle Miller McMaster, Keith Hill, and myself, to investigate rumors and gossip concerning Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel that no charges should be filed:

Mr. Paul Rolf Jensen has alleged in a letter of April 4, 2003 and in a civil suit filed May 20, 2003 against Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel that Rev. Abu-Akel committed slander against Mr. Jensen in the speech to the GAC on April 4, 2003. Mr. Jensen alleges that Rev. Abu-Akel said that Mr. Jensen lied in the complaint in the case of Session, Westminster Presbyterian Church vs. Office of the Stated Clerk, et al. when he (Jensen) said "that you and others including the Stated Clerk 'have otherwise conspired together and acted contrary to the polity of the Presbyterian Church (USA).'" Rev. Abu-Akel has charged that Mr. Jensen, by taking this action, "has caused my integrity, honesty, and Christian character to be questioned."

In deciding not to file charges, The committee reached the following conclusions in its investigation:

1.  In the speech to the GAC, Rev. Abu-Akel described in one section of the speech his "experience about the called General Assembly" beginning with "After coming back from Sudan, if you remember, we were in this room in January experiencing the growth of the Presbyterian Church in that country and on January 14 receiving the signed 57 [person] petition from Dr. Alex Metherall." In the section directly relevant to this case, Rev. Abu-Akel said as follows:

"As your Moderator with a humble spirit, I do believe that no one is above the Constitution and all of us are accountable to one another in the body of Christ for our action. But this experience taught me about the power of media and the power of communication - how they can create a perception in the mind of people that is more powerful than the truth. The truth: your Moderator told you the steps that I am going to take and everything was on the table clear and I left Louisville. On January 18, I went to California and focused being Moderator by preaching and by communicating the love of Jesus Christ wherever I go and communicating the action of the General Assembly. My focus on Jesus and the church every day during that time was my salvation, because I did not allow the outside forces to overwhelm me. So when I read that the Moderator, the Stated Clerk and the staff in Louisville have a conspiracy, I became strong in the spirit because I knew that this statement was a lie and I realize that the truth is more powerful than the lie."
 

2.  The committee concludes from a review of the text of the speech that, in the section quoted above, the only one in the speech referring to the issue raised by Mr. Jensen, Rev. Abu-Akel refers to the power of the media and not to any specific individual including Mr. Jensen. In addition, Rev. Abu-Akel, in his letter of April 11, 2003 to Mr. Jensen, specifically stated, "I intended to say that I knew the factual allegations against me were untrue. They were. I was not speaking about the motivation of anyone who brought the complaint." Abu-Akel also stated in the interview with this committee that the GAC speech did not refer specifically to Mr. Jensen.

3.   The committee, therefore, concludes that Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel has not committed the offense of slander and bearing false witness against Mr. Paul Rolf Jensen.

Laura Mendenhall, Chair

Keith Hill

Belle Miller McMaster