240,000 dollars awarded to man forced to cover Arab T-shirt
 

NEW YORK (AFP) – An airline passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script has been awarded 240,000 dollars in compensation, campaigners said Monday.

Raed Jarrar received the pay out on Friday from two US Transportation Security Authority officials and from JetBlue Airways following the August 2006 incident at New York's JFK Airport, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced.

"The outcome of this case is a victory for free speech and a blow to the discriminatory practice of racial profiling," said Aden Fine, a lawyer with ACLU.

Jarrar, a US resident, was apprehended as he waited to board a JetBlue flight from New York to Oakland, California, and told to remove his shirt, which had written on it in Arabic: "We will not be silent."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090106...s_090106002219

I cheered when I read it.

ETA: Some people are just plain dumb. Case in point:

I have mixed feelings.

Well...he warned them!

I do too. Because why is it necessary to wear a shirt, in Arabic that many people cannot understand, that says "We will not be silent". Who is "we" and why won't you "be silent"? What is the silence about? That shit just makes people nervous and I'm sorry, call me racist but if I was at an airport and saw someone, whatever they look like Arab or not, wearing this shirt I'd be nervous.

*sigh*

You're racist.

I make it my personal mission to wear shirts that say "I don't wipe my ass when I shit" on every plane I've ever been on. People get very nervous.

The shirt was obviously not meant for you to understand. "We will not be silent" I assume refers to arabs (american and non-american) who won't remain silent, hide or avoid the spotlight so that we (non-arabs) won't feel nervous. He has a right to wear any shirt he wants as long as it doesn't say, "I have a bomb, and I'm going to blow up this airplane!" Unfortunately, the acts of a few extremists has made it okay to discriminate against everyone that speaks arabic. I wish the guy had been awarded more so that people would actually think twice about this issue!

wow....talk about profiling....

How would you know what it said? This guy was looking for attention.

SO ARREST HIM OR KICK HIM OUT OF THE AIRPORT OR WHATEVER!

I don't agree with that.

Just because a man has arabic writing on his shirt does not make him suspicious. The saying was not meant for me or you or anyone who doesn't speak or read arabic. I wouldn't know what it said, and it doesn't matter. He can wear anything he wants on a plane. Would you feel the same if the writing was in yiddish, chinese, japanese, spanish, etc?

Your feelings don't seem so mixed.

At first glance I thought the amount seemed a bit high, but people have won a lot more at trial for mental anguish claims.

If it was Spanish I wouldn't feel the same cuz I could read it. And last time I checked it's been a while since a Chinese or Japanese person killed thousands of people using airplanes.

I am around Arabs every day. I went to school in Dearborn for gosh sakes... the most Arab populated city in the country. I've never once felt threatened by any of them. But someone, from a religious background the same as monsters who devastated so many lives, doing something in an airport that is obviously for attention, makes me nervous.

My mixed feelings come from the way he was treated. Yes I think he did it for attention. No I don't think he should have been treated the way he was. I love having freedom of speech but I think sometimes people take it too far.

Out of curiosity, how would you feel if he was wearing one of those red bandana things around his head like the terrorists put on right before they took the planes over? Would that make you nervous or would you feel like "I don't wana racially profile".

It actually wouldn't bother me at all. Did the terrorists wear shirts with arabic writing emblazoned on the front on the flights on 9/11? No, so it's like apples and oranges. This is no different than crossing the road to get away from young black men because you know that some young black men have mugged people in the past. At some point,you have to accept that you can't go around expecting all people different from you to be evil.

I think my main point really is that just because you are nervous doesn't mean that the person that makes you nervous has to give up his/her civil rights so that you are more comfortable. Get used to being uncomfortable in this world. You'd be amazed how many bad things are done by people that no one ever would suspect...remember Jeffrey Dahmer?

for instance:

http://www.your-name-in-japanese.com...150_sample.jpg

http://www.011shop.net/011shop/image...rilica-bre.jpg

http://www.gailcooper.com/keyn_eynhore_tee.jpg


http://www.malcolmxshirts.com/prodim...-T68-large.jpg

I guess if someone has on any shirt like this or similar, we need to arrest them all huh, PM?

Reread my post. I don't think that all people different than me are evil.

Those have absolutely nothing to do with my post.

They have everything to do with your posts.

read what you wrote:


Think about that...really.

Your first sentence is what caught my eye. If you could read it...well if you could you'd feel safe. You have fear, which can be a healthy and natural thing, but I think it is misdirected here. It is okay to be scared in life, but it isn't okay to be irrational in the process. There were sarin gas attacks in Japanese subways that were considered a terrorist attack, and some people believe the actions of the Chinese toward Tibetans are terrorist acts as well; however you cannot ethcially and in good conscience associate anything Arabic with terrorism. If you went to school in Dearborn, and I know there are lots of Middle Eastern people and practicing Muslims in your community, you have to know some good people.

There are people in my church (locally, nationally, world wide) who are Middle Eastern and speak Arabic, not everyone is an Islamic extremist with fatwas and a jihad, I wish you could see that and let the hate and fear out of your heart, it makes me sad.

damn! next time i go to the airport ill where a shirt with some Arabic on it and see if I cant make some extra cash!!!

No it doesn't. And I've noticed that in any debate on GC, you see what you want to see without reading details. So I choose not to answer you anymore.

But I don't see everyone as an Islamic extremist. Lol I said that right in my post that I never felt threatened by them. My best friend's dad is straight from Pakistan and I certainly am not threatened by him. And it is normal to feel threatened or nervous by what you don't know. There are terrorist cells a 10 minute drive from where I live and that's scary. Since 9-11, I'm very wary of everyone around me. I feel the same way when I get into an elevator (aka death trap) with someone I don't know, no matter what color (yes even white) or religion they are. 9-11 has made people paranoid, and I'm one of those people. This is a current fear due to something that is still so fresh in a lot of people's minds. I'm sorry but that's the living truth and I'm not going to be ridiculed for stating my thoughts and feelings on it.

White people killed thousands of American Indians, clearly they should be scared of me wearing a shirt that has English writing into a reservation.

Your ancestors fucking WORKED WITH THE NAZIS. This is such an inane argument I can't believe we're having it.

THIS INVALIDATES YOUR WHOLE POINT GAAAAH.

BIf they're doing it for ATTENTION they are clearly not concerned with BLOWING UP PLANES. Remember how attackers keep a low profile, lest they be caught?

Do you see how illogical you're being here?

^^^ Tell em why you mad, son!

My ancestors were Sicilian, not Italian.

And yes, had that happened right after the white people killed the Native Americans, hell yeah they should be scared. Should African Americans be scared if a skinhead came through their neighborhood? Should Jewish people be scared if a Nazi came through theirs?

Yes this has nothing to do with the topic at hand. But oh well. Being attacked for my thoughts and beliefs is fun.

Couple of things....

"Truth" and "fact" are not necessarily the same thing. One's "truth" can be absolutely ridiculous, and one can absolutely be expected to be ridiculed for it. Facts are not usually ridiculed, if you ask me.

Have you been attacked? I wouldn't say so -- I see a group of people who don't ordinarily agree with each other (or me) questioning your opinions. That happens to all of us every day on GC, no matter how hot some of us are.

I generally think you've said some pretty out there stuff, racially speaking, so this doesn't really surprise me that you would feel this way on this particular topic. But knowing how GC gets regarding these topics, maybe you want to craft your opinions in such a way that they come across as more intellectual than emotional.

I'm not saying that you sound stupid or emotional, but it just doesn't seem that your concerns are coming from a place that many people who have replied already can relate to.

Not that you're here to make friends or have people agree with you, it just seems like this whole thread won't end with any particular new understanding.

And if you've read this far, I just want to say that the term "joker" is stupid and should be abolished.

Thanks for your time.

That last part a bout the elevator....heh...that is some bullshit if I ever read it...if you are that paranoid about people you don't know....stay in the house especially if you are using a post 9-11 reason for being that way...

Timothy McVeigh looked like a typical American and look how he turned out.

Again...look at those pics of the shirts...you simply fear what you don't understand BECAUSE you don't know what they mean. All of those shirts in Japanese, Cyrillic, Hebrew could all be saying something and you wouldn't know what they mean...should they be banned from U.S. airports because they aren't in American (pay attention y'all)?


My mixed feelings come from the way he was treated. Yes I think he did it for attention. No I don't think he should have been treated the way he was. I love having freedom of speech but I think sometimes people take it too far.

Out of curiosity, how would you feel if he was wearing one of those red bandana things around his head like the terrorists put on right before they took the planes over? Would that make you nervous or would you feel like "I don't wana racially profile".

^^^ this comes from watching too many movies I suppose

Do you fear people who wear turbans?

And please for the love of God explain how wearing a shirt bearing the writings of his native tongue him going too far in expressing his freedom of speech?


But you know what...I wear dredds and I get profiled....anyone wanna offer me some ganga?

WOW. First of all, how do you know there are "terrorist cells" within a 10 minute drive? Why do you constitute "terrorist cell" as? Just because they people are Arabs or Muslims? If you come from the "most Arab populated city in the country" shouldn't you be a little more open-minded?

If you are that scared, then really do stay indoors. If 9-11 has made you THAT paranoid, then you should seek some counseling.

Just a little FYI, but Pakistani =/= Arab.


ETA: This reminds me of the story I heard the other day about the Arab family who got kicked off a plane because they were debating what part of the plane was safer to sit in. EVERY time I get on a plane, I always ask what part of the plane is the safest and never have I been kicked off, but because this family was Arab (fyi:they were speaking in English, not Arabic) they took the comments as 'terrorist talk'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Muslim family removed from an airliner Thursday after passengers became concerned about their conversation say AirTran officials refused to rebook them, even after FBI investigators cleared them of wrongdoing.


A Muslim family was removed from an AirTran flight after a conversation about the safest place to sit.

Atif Irfan said federal authorities removed eight members of his extended family and a friend after passengers heard them discussing the safest place to sit and misconstrued the nature of the conversation.

Irfan, a U.S. citizen and tax attorney, said he was "impressed with the professionalism" of the FBI agents who questioned him, but said he felt mistreated when the airline refused to book the family for a later flight.

AirTran Airways late Thursday said they acted properly and that the family was offered full refunds and can fly with AirTran again.

"AirTran Airways complied with all TSA, law enforcement and Homeland Security directives and had no discretion in the matter," the company said in a prepared statement.



http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/01/01...f=mpstoryemail


I got a question....how do u have this convo when once you purchase your tix, you are sitting in that one seat?

You ignored the substantive portion to focus on this?

This is an improper analogy, since you don't know whether a Muslim is an extremist. Instead you should say:

"Should African Americans be scared if a white person came through their neighborhood? Should Jewish people be scared if a German came through theirs?"

... because this guy is Muslim. He's not a Muslim Extremist (nee "Terrorist"), at least by appearances.

You're not being attacked, you're being questioned and asked to justify. That's OK - maybe I was a bit over the top, but when you claim something outlandish or beyond the pale, you'll have to defend the claim. This is a meritocracy, not Kindergarten - your ideas are not automatically "ok" just because they exist.

You know what sticks out most in my mind "Red bandana things..."

Just....wow.

Not necessarily. When I fly Southwest, I don't get an assigned seat. I'm given a lettered boarding pass (like A, B, or C) and then its just kinda first come, first serve. So if I have a boarding pass "A" then I pretty much get the pick any seat on the plane.

AirTran might have a similar "seating arrangement" that Southwest has.

We know because some of them have been arrested, including the owner of a very popular and high profile local restaurant chain who even had a relative working for the government (some of whom have been arrested and some of whom have left the country). It is a fact that there are terror cells within 10 minutes of where PM_Mama lives.

Air Tran has assigned seating, unlike SouthWest.

A lot of people have been deeply affected by 9/11 and are much more nervous about getting on a plane. Have you seriously never been uncomfortable with a stranger on an elevator because they gave you a bad vibe? When we had the big blackout of 2003, the first thing people thought was "terrorism". Before 9/11, we would have assumed "mechanical failure". We are in a different reality than we were on 9/10/01.


While I don't agree with racial profiling in general, the reality is, most Al Qaeda members are not little old white ladies. Profiling is a reality. It's a reality when you're crossing the border between Detroit and Windsor. Young white men who don't look clean cut almost always get stopped and have their cars searched for drugs. I've never had my car searched when crossing the border. Some people are under more scrutiny because of their appearance and demeanor. My brother had friends who were troublemakers and often got labeled as a troublemaker as a kid even though he never did anything wrong himself. He got blamed for stuff anyway because he hung out with suspect kids. This is human nature.

If something similar to 9/11 happened again and one of the terrorists were wearing a t-shirt like that, there would be outcries that nobody checked out the person who was wearing that shirt. We have been encouraged to keep our eyes out for anybody/anything that looks suspicious. This is the result of that. It takes one small thing to completely change how airport security looks at things. The "shoe bomber" led to everybody taking off their shoes and having them x-rayed, even flip flops which obviously have nowhere to hide a bomb. The liquid explosive scare has us unable to bring a large bottle of shampoo in our carry ons. They pretty much HAVE to check out anybody who is making others suspicious. It doesn't mean they'll catch the next terrorist, but if it means they miss one, there would be hell to pay for them.

Hmmm...I didn't know that..but then ususally when I fly I request the emergency aisle for the extra leg room...

A distinction needs to be made between a personal, emotional and perhaps illogical reaction to something like the shirt in question and having authorities act on someone's reaction, or even worse on a hypothetical reaction. So - did the shirt constitute a threat? The court decision is "no".

Free speech which doesn't protect speech which makes others uncomfortable is hardly "free".

Nervous? Perhaps. But, threatened? Really? :rolleyes:

I have an insane fear of elevators and getting stuck in one (caustrophia) especially with the wrong person. I avoid elevators if I can... actually did for 8 years until my job required it. And that first time getting in again was hell and I almost started hyperventilating but then the doors finally opened. So it's not bullshit.

If I saw Timothy McVeigh, in a post-terrorism world (and old enough to understand better) on the street I'd probably be wary of him. He was kinda scary looking.

How's does the red thing come from watching too many movies?

And no I'm not afraid of turbans. Stop making assumptions.

Please read Dee's response.

And just a little FYI for you, Pakistani does not equal Arab, but guess what? He's Pakistani AND Arab! WOW. I know plenty of Pakistani Arabs and all are Muslim.

You're right. My bad.

You've said exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes my words don't come out how I'm thinking them.

On 9-11, I was at school in Dearborn. They showed on the news that Muslims, DOWN THE STREET from the school (Warren Ave for those familiar), were in the streets dancing and singing and celebrating. I duno. Maybe that's not a reason to feel threathened though right?


eta: I get Palestine and Pakistan mixed up all the time. He may be from Palestine. I need to ask her.

Great paragraph.