I agree that it is a victory and a blow for free speech and racial profiling. It is good to see that there are laws in effect that weren't there (or should've been) for the Japanese-Americans (and German-Americans) during WWII protecting Americans who are of Arabic descent.240,000 dollars awarded to man forced to cover Arab T-shirt
Mon Jan 5, 7:22 pm ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090106/ts_alt_afp/ustransportairsecuritymuslimsrights_090106002219NEW 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."
That the man was cooperative says alot as well and probably helped win the suit. But moving him from the front to the back of the plane is inexcusable. It's almost like Rosa Parks all over again.
Jarrar eventually agreed to cover his shirt with another provided by JetBlue. He was allowed aboard but his seat was changed from the front to the back of the aircraft.
This also needs to be addressed. Denied legal transportation for something that was believed not confirmed nor actually assessed as a legitimate threat!
If any one of us who is caucasian or any OTHER race, were to do the same would we have been tossed off or denied boarding?Last week, nine Muslims, including three children, were ordered off a domestic US flight after passengers heard what they believed were suspicious remarks about security.
I think that yeah we would probably be asked to cover up a t-shirt that said F-U on it in big bold letters because it does violate decency laws in many states and I guess that would be okay. If I were in the company of kids I wouldn't want myself or anyone else to be wearing something like that.
But in a case where it's in Arabic script (which not too many Americans can read anyway) that states a political thought that could mean a half dozen or more things. Ironically that t-shirt has more meaning NOW than it did before the incident.
When is this country going to get off that stupid high-horse of racism? We were attacked by Terrorist. We were attacked by terrorist who happened to be from the middle east and of the Muslim faith. Does this mean ALL Middle eastern Muslims are terrorist?
What if we were attacked by Koreans? Are we going to do the same to Korean-Americans? Those from Pakistan?
What if they were from say the Congo or Somolia or Kenya? Imagine that scenario folks! How are they going to racial profile then?