Pino won’t acknowledge association with jihadist site

Julio Pino, associate professor of history, wouldn’t acknowledge any connection with an extremist blog that has attracted national attention.

He said the issue wasn’t the blog, but his right to a freedom of expression.

“The Web site is not the issue – freedom of speech is the issue,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Drudge Report, an international news Web site, posted a blog by Mike Adams, a criminology professor at the University of North Carolina. Within the blog, Adams alleges Pino runs the site “Global War,” which calls itself “a jihadist news service.” Postings on the “Global War” site supports al Qaida, the Taliban and militant Palestinians.

According to Adams’ blog, he says because of Pino’s decision to “‘provide battle dispatches, training manuals, and jihad videos to our (enemies) worldwide’ he deserves to be arrested and sent to an island off the coast of North American, stripped naked, interrogated, and, if necessary, tortured to ascertain the extent of his involvement in assisting our enemies.”

In his first in-depth interview on the subject, Pino said Adams went “beyond the limits of American citizens.”

“It all started because a man, or professor, from North Carolina, who knows nothing, made allegations that threaten me,” Pino said.

He said he would not comment on “Global War” or any association with the Web site because it has nothing to do with the issue.

“I have no comment,” Pino said. “It is something which I feel every American holds dear: The right to say things and not say things.”

Kent State has issued a statement emphasizing there is no connection between the university and the blog. It said Pino and Kent State have been subject to hate mail and threats.

Pino echoed the university’s statement.

“I don’t speak for the university,” Pino said. “And the university doesn’t speak for me or endorse my beliefs.”

View the Web site, “Global War,” here.

Editor’s note: As of Thursday evening, this site appeared to not be functioning correctly.

View the Kent State statement here.

View Adams’ blog here.