Efforts failed on Friday to ban the head of a pro-Islamic group from attending an anti-terrorism seminar in the Capitol.
Adam Soltani, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and others were able to watch the seminar from the House gallery, despite being told they could not attend the event being held in the chamber.
Soltani on Friday attempted to register and pay to attend the seminar, sponsored by the Oklahoma Counterterrorism Caucus, but was told the seminar was full.
Organizers initially put out a House press release saying the seminar was for law enforcement and open to the public, but later said that the notification regarding the public was in error.
Earlier in the week, Soltani had criticized the seminar, saying some of the speakers were anti-Muslim. He also questioned why police participants were able to get credit toward the required Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training continuing education.
After Soltani was turned away, he and others entered the House gallery to watch the proceedings.
Michael Hoehn, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney working with organizers, told reporters that the gallery had been closed. He later questioned Soltani in the gallery and entered the press gallery to quiz reporters about their attendance.
Joe Griffin, a spokesman for House Speaker T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, said Shannon granted a request to use the chamber for the event, but did not close the gallery, which is normally open to the public.
Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, is the chairman of the Counterterrorism Caucus. He said it was not his intent to close the gallery, nor did he direct anyone to attempt to close the gallery.
“My concern is that is law enforcement only and he (Soltani) is not a police officer and never has been, never been in the military, and he is not going to be in those places where he can make a direct impact for the betterment of Oklahoma with this knowledge,” Bennett said of the decision to deny attendance to Soltani.
However, Bennett said, “concerned citizens who wanted to be educated on what is going on” were invited to attend.
Following the morning session, Soltani said the content appeared to be skewed toward anti-Muslim bias and did not contain very much information of substance that could be beneficial to state law enforcement.