Hill uses invitation to focus on American held in Syria

WASHINGTON -- For two years, University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumnus Majd Kamalmaz has been held in Syria by the regime of President Bashar Assad.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. French Hill took Kamalmaz's son, Khalid, as his guest to the State of the Union address, using the event to focus attention on the plight of the 61-year-old psychotherapist.

Other members of the all-Republican Arkansas congressional delegation also invited guests for President Donald Trump's speech.

For the rest, it was an opportunity to honor Arkansans with long records of service.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle invited Arkansas Narcotics Officers Association Vice President Wes Baxter of Jonesboro; U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers invited Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane; U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers gave his ticket to former Arkansas Highway Commissioner Dick Trammel of Rogers; and U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs welcomed longtime Republican leader and entrepreneur Eddie Arnold of Arkadelphia.

Hill said he hoped his selection would focus attention on Kamalmaz and other Americans who are being held in Syria.

"He's not alone. I think it's fair to say he's one of several Americans that are held by the Assad regime," Hill said.

Many of the other families have chosen not to go public.

Kamalmaz lives in Grand Prairie, Texas, but his family owns property in Van Buren County.

After the war began in Syria, he helped establish a mental health clinic in Lebanon for refugees from the Syrian conflict.

He was visiting relatives in Syria, traveling with an American passport, when he was stopped by Syrian officials. His family hasn't heard from him since.

The detention mystifies Kamalmaz's family.

"There's no evidence, there's no charges, there's no suspicions of any charges. He's not an activist," Khalid Kamalmaz said. "Maybe they had specific eyes on him and targeted him but we really don't know."

On Jan. 29, Hill wrote the White House and urged the president to do "all in your power to bring Majd Kamalmaz safely home from Syria."

The lawmaker from Little Rock also discussed Kamalmaz's detention last week with Ambassador Robert C. O'Brien, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.

Although Kamalmaz and his wife, Hasna, live in Texas, Hill said he didn't hesitate to help the family.

"If he's a [UALR] Trojan and owns land in the 2nd Congressional District, I'm going to try to help him," Hill said. "I want Dr. Kamalmaz to be able to come back to Arkansas and visit Clinton and his mountain retreat in the Ozarks where the whole family, all 13 grandkids and [his five] children, can all be united."

Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said Hill has been "an immense help in the quest to bring home an American humanitarian."

"By doing this, not only is he helping bring this Arkansan home, but he's helping also shine light on the other Americans being held by the Assad regime," Moustafa said.

A Section on 02/06/2019