*Small edits of some fine tuning made this morning 9-12-06. Most importantly, corrected the Rantings of a Sandmonkey link.
I suppose you all have already heard of raed jarrar and the infamous t-shirt incident. Was his rights violated? Or is there more to it all? Oh and I’ll get to the “Lan astaslem” deal later.

Let’s see what he (jarrar) has to say….

Raed Jarrar’s Story - An Outrageous Indcident at JFK

One of the two men who approached me first, Inspector Harris, asked for my id card and boarding pass. I gave him my boarding pass and driver’s license. He said “people are feeling offended because of your t-shirt”. I looked at my t-shirt: I was wearing my shirt which states in both Arabic and English “we will not be silent”.

It sucks to be an Arab/Muslim living in the US these days. When you go to the middle east, you are a US tax-payer destroying people’s houses with your money, and when you come back to the US, you are a suspected terrorist and plane hijacker.

Why do I care you ask? Well jarrar is no ordinary individual.

He is the “Iraq Project Director for Global Exchange”.

Raed Jarrar is a half-Iraqi, half-Palestinian blogger, activist and architect. He was in Iraq during and after the 2003 invasion, and he took a part in a number of humanitarian and political projects there including two first-hand experiences in establishing and leading volunteer motivated grassroots organizations and NGOs based in Iraq. Raed was

Raed left the Middle East and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2005

So is he even an American citizen? He has only been in the U.S. for less than a year.As far as I can tell he isn’t. So then WTH? Another protest and complaint on loss of rights, from a non-citizen???

Back From The Middle East

Thursday August 10, 2006 - I just came back from a short trip to Jordan and Syria. The trip to Syria was so fast, but I managed to visit some Lebanese refugee camps. I am so impressed by the Syrian people’s generosity in receiving Lebanese refugees.

The other thing you can’t miss in Jordan and Syria is people’s anger against the US. On more than occasion, I got shouted at because I live in the US. The most interesting incident was during a visit to a Lebanese refugee camp. I was called by two young Lebanese people, and they asked me whether me and the rest of the delegation visiting their shelter where coming from the US. I said yes. They said: “you better get the hell out of here unless you want us to make a scene”. I tried to explain that we are the “good” Americans who are against the war,

Interview at Democracy Now - Monday August 21, 2006

RAED JARRAR:I took their names and badge numbers, and I filed a complaint through ACLU against them, because I asked them very directly to let me go to the airplane, because it’s my constitutional right as a U.S. taxpayer and resident

Oh by all means contact the aclu…[roll eyes] Their # was probably pre-set on his speed dial. So he could call immediately after disembarking from the plane.
AMY GOODMAN: Raed, you also traveled to Syria, where you visited a number of Lebanese refugee camps. Thousands of people fled to Syria following Israel’s attack on Lebanon. Can you talk about what you saw there and the level of support for Hezbollah in Syria?

RAED JARRAR: The level of support of Hezbollah in Syria and in Jordan is unbelievable. I mean, I lived all of my life between Jordan and Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and I have never seen so much support of Hezbollah or, like, supporting Hezbollah this much, at least. But this time, especially in Damascus, you can’t go to a street without finding a Hezbollah flag. You can’t go to a place without finding Hezbollah posters, Nasrallah posters with Bashar al-Assad, and even sometimes the Iranian President Ahmadinejad. They have all of these pictures, like all around the streets.

See where I’m coming from? Was this possibly a pre-meditated event? Was the t-shirt worn purposfully, in order to draw attention??? Hmm…a poster boy of middle eastern descent? Naw, not possible. Or is it?

we will not be silent: Movement Grows To Challenge Racial Profiling Racial profiling At Airports

[A growing movement across the country is challenging what appears to be an increase in racial profiling at airports. More and more travelers are donning T-shirts that say "We Will Not Be Silent" in English and Arabic in solidarity with Iraqi blogger and activist Raed Jarrar who was forced to change the T-Shirt before boarding a JetBlue Airways flight at Kennedy airport.]

Laurie Arbeiter joins us in our firehouse studio. She is a member of The Critical Voice, an affinity group of Artists Against the War who organized the We Will Not Be Silent T-shirt campaign.

AMY GOODMAN:

Well, since our interview with Raed, major newspapers and corporate TV networks in the United States and around the world have picked up this story. Now, more and more people are putting on the “We Will Not Be Silent” t-shirts in solidarity when they travel.

Laurie Arbeiter is one of them. She joins us in our Firehouse studio, a member of the Critical Voice, an affinity group of Artists Against the War who organized the “We Will Not Be Silent” t-shirt campaign. The woman behind the man, you gave Raed the t-shirt he wore that day?

LAURIE ARBEITER: Yes, I did, Amy.

 

“We Will Not Be Silent” is a statement attributed to a student-resistance movement in Nazi Germany called The White Rose. It is a statement of purpose, intended to inspire acts of resistance and dissent against a corrupt government that abuses its power, and abandons the rule of law.

All of us who believe in our freedom and that of others, and are against a policy of war, torture and lies, cannot afford to be silent.

Adding insult to injury. They cause scenes at the World Trade center and Ground Zero!

We were at WTC Sunday from 6am to 7pm. At 2:50 Laurie was arrested while standing near the PATH entrance

Susan on September10th, forced to move across the street from Ground Zero

Heavy, heavy sigh….

Meanwhile…Michelle Malkin has a brilliant idea!

9/11 Pledge “I will not submit”


The above phrase in Arabic is “lan astaslem.” It means “I will not surrender/I will not submit.”

Michelle you are my hero!

Of course as Sweetness & Light notes, [shocking as it may be], cindy sheehan dons the “t” as well.

Cindy Sheehan’s Arabic T-Shirt is a “Profiling” Protest

Mr. Jarrar fails to mention that this happened after he, Cindy Sheehan, Medea Benjamin and probably Tom Hayden all wore these same t-shirts when they flew to Amman, Jordan to treat (illegally) with purported representatives of the Iraqi government.


From “Rantings of a Sandmonkey” I like his style! No pussy footing around here….

Why Raed Jarrar Is On My Shitlist

For the longest time, I have been hearing about the Jarrar family and the blogging of one Raed Jarrar who was actually discouraging Iraqis to vote. Yesterday I decided to check out his blog because I heard ( or rather read on jeffery’s blog) that he said that this election will “open the doors of hell”. So I decided to check out his blog and see what this guy had to say and am I glad to have done that. While every Iraqi blogger was ecstatic about the elections and being able to vote, this guy has been screaming his head off about how bad and illegitimate the election is.

“Lan astaslem.”

…. and Good Night and God Bless!