WASHINGTON—The failed nomination of a Muslim to a counterrorism task force is producing a political "showdown"in Washington between Arab-Americans, Muslim organizations and pro-Israel lobbyists. The withdrawal of the nomination also shows who really controls public policy in Washington-the pro-Israel lobby, Islamic and Arab-American groups add.

Arab–American and Muslim leaders are outraged over House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt’s recent decision to withdraw the nomination of Salam Al-Marayati, a Muslim, to sit on a national terrorism committee.

The leaders charge Rep. Gephardt withdrew the nomination after pressure from American Jewish organizations and pro-Israel groups. They accuse Jewish groups of working feverishly to block the nomination, and applying a double standard when it comes in U.S. policies. Mr. Al-Marayati is executive director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Committee.

"American Muslims and Arab- Americans are deeply troubled by the decision of the House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt to withdraw his appointment of Mr. Salam Al-Marayati to the Congressional Commission on Counterterrorism," read a joint statement issued by nine Muslim organizations at July 12 press conference.

"Additionally, we are appalled by the McCarthyite tactics applied by extremists seeking to sabotage this appointment and muzzle our communities’ authentic voices in order to monopolize the discussion.

"Mr. Al-Marayati was targeted by a series of outrages and slanderous attacks. These attacks emanated from extremist Zionist and other groups who expressly fear the participation of our communities in American life," said the group.

Mr. Al-Marayati was falsely accused by U.S.-based pro-Israel groups of being "anti-Israel" and "an apologist" for Middle East terrorists.

"I think the whole question is that our community, the American Muslim community, has really not been included in the public policy arena, and people who represent American Muslims political participation, like Mr. Salaam Al Maryati, and others deserve to be represented on many of these national commissions and national policy councils," said Aly Abuzaakouk, executive director of the Washington-based American Muslim Council.

"When someone like Mr. Marayati is nominated, our adversaries like the Zionist Organization of America and other groups like it want to make them a litmus test. The position of an American citizen vis-a-vis the policy of Israel, to make him pass or not pass the test and that is un-American. We are American citizens and we care for the American interests, and it should not be identical to the policy of the state of Israel," he said.

"This is consistent. Arab-American appointees to government positions are slandered as supporters of terrorism, quotations from them or their associates criticizing Israeli policy is presented as evidence and removal is demanded," Hala Maksoud, executive director of the Arab-American Discrimination Committee, said.

Ms. Maksoud added that Arab-American and Muslim groups had believed Mr. Al Maryati’s appointment "might mark a turning point for our communities, in as much as it would represent a sign of inclusion and recognition of the role that American Muslims and Arab-Americans should rightfully play in the shaping of critical policy issues."

Representative Gephardt said he withdrew the nomination because of the time it would take to complete a security clearance on Mr. Al-Marayati. Everyone else on the 10-member National Commission on Terrorism already has a security clearance, according to Mr. Gephart. It would be "impossible" to complete such a clearance in time for Mr. Al-Marayati to participate in the panel, Mr. Gephart wrote to House Speaker Dennis Hastert recently.

Mr. Al-Marayati’s name was withdrawn after weeks of opposition and lobbying, chiefly from the Zionist Organization of America, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Calls to several of these organizations for comment about Jewish groups and their influence on American domestic and foreign policy were not returned.