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Thread: Security Incident at JFK over T-shirt?

  1. #16
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    First off we have to realize that Mr. Jarrar's wearing the shirt does not show support of any terrorist organization. Secondly after reading his Blog his main focus is promoting peace in the Middle East and has voiced his opposton to both the war in Iraq and the former Hussein regime. He is very active in promoting his leftist political beliefs with lots of travel, television appearances and his Blog. He appears to be a very genuine person.

    There are 2 main questions at hand.

    First off should he have worn the shirt to the airport considering the current situation? Common sense would say yes, but this guy craves all the intention he can get. I'm sure that the self rightious part of him took over and whether it was intentional on his part or not it did promote a cause he believes in. Personally I believe he was thinking all about himself by wearing it and not about anyone on that flight. Wear it on the street, when you go to K-mart, on the beach, at the gym or wherever, but don't be surprised when your questioned at a security senstitive locations.

    Secondly were his civil rights violated? I say they were only after they made him change his shirt. I compliment a good job by the TSA and security in identifying him and acting on the so called threat. He went through the secondary security checkpoint, I'm sure any baggage he checked was pulled for further inspection as well. His ID was checked about a dozen times and I'm sure they searched his name and likeness on NCIC and other watch list databases. At that point if the threat was nullified and he was cleared to fly so who cares what shirt he had one. I don't even have a problem with them relocating him on the plane which we all know was BS with the infant.

    Although not originating from a US jurisdiction one has to ask how can dynanite be flown in a luggae hold , but people me made to change so called threatening T-shirts? I'm gonna have to get a NYC Avaition "Aviation Photography Is Not a Crime" shirts and try it out myself.

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  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by MORS-AB-ALTO
    I'm gonna have to get a NYC Avaition "Aviation Photography Is Not a Crime" shirts and try it out myself.
    You know I was going to mention that t-shirt when writing about how much of a "non-threat" spotters are, but I realized that it's not an apples to apples comparison. It's not that provocative at all really...it's just slightly controversial but I think that more than that, it's informative...and it makes a statement.

    Phil has had people come up to him while wearing that shirt and asked "who ever said it was?" referring to the statement.

    If someone who was taking photos of planes, or had a camera near an airport had ever been convicted of terrorism directly related to photography, then yes...the shirt would be provocative. Since that isn't the case, I don't think it is at all.

  3. #18
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    For those of you who think that "making other passengers uncomfortable" is more important than this guy's right to free expression, I ask the following. If you're on the subway and a group of young African-Americans enter the car wearing, say, NWA t-shirts (the rap group, not the bankrupt airline of the same name), would you advocate their removal or detention as well? Would you say that they were "asking for trouble" by wearing such shirts, or by being a group of black guys on the subway? There are alot of things that make people uncomfortable, but that is not in itself a detainable offense unless some law has been broken. In this case, no law was broken.

    If this gentlemen cleared a TSA security check and is not on a no-fly list, the people who were asking for trouble in this case were the ignorant and likely racist officials who felt like they had to make a big thing over a t-shirt. I used to work in the Middle East in a country that is extremely friendly to the United States and has been heralded by the Bush administration as an ally in the war on terror. I shudder to think if I wore a t-shirt with the name or logo of my former employer, or for that matter, a t-shirt that says "Dubai Hilton" or something on it in Arabic, that it would make me some sort of suspect.

    A certain amount of reason needs to prevail in these situations. The Arabic language has not been made illegal in this country, not in airports or anywhere else. In fact, the law says that this country has no official language at all. So unless you are going to take up this broader issue, and if there was no other reason to detain this guy besides his t-shirt, it really is a bit egregious.

  4. #19
    Senior Member moose135's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hiss srq
    There is sooooo much crap put out by our ever so "informative" media in America that not even the cops know what the rules etc........
    What did I tell you about media-bashing? :)

    If the cops are getting their knowledge of the laws from watching the media, or anywhere but an official source, we're all in big trouble.

  5. #20
    Senior Member Mateo's Avatar
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    I think we're overlooking the main point here, which is that he DID NOTHING WRONG, and for him to be detained for engaging in Constitutionally-protected free speech is a violation of his rights. It doesn't matter if he was being provocative, it doesn't matter if it displayed a lack of common sense, it doesn't matter what his political beliefs are - he did nothing wrong.

  6. #21
    Senior Member Derf's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mateo
    I think we're overlooking the main point here.....
    Actually the real main point here I was going for was not this issue but is how we as a group can have such a difference of opinion where we all stand arm in arm about aviation photography.... I was curious how close our views on a very similar matter that hits close to home....ie, getting picked on by the man when there was no real legal reason.

    I was hoping to hear Nick's views....while he does not give the cute fuzzy answers....but is usually tack sharp with his logic. Tom Turner and Phil. There were others and many that did answer. Thank you for all your answers....there are no wrong answers, just difference of opinions.
    The three most common expressions in aviation are, "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" and "Oh Crap".

  7. #22
    Senior Member K9DEP's Avatar
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    This guy did nothing wrong at all. I know most of you wear shirts with airline logo's imagine if he got that shirt from a duty free shop in the U.A.E and it was the logo for Gulf Air, or Emirates without the English translation. I don't think you should be calling the guy a "Smart-ass" because he wore that shirt, I bet young kids arriving here at JFK on PIA or Emirates or Kuwait have clothing with Arabic script on it and nothing happens to them.Why? Because those flights don't have paranoid Americans on them. Also Arabic script is very popular because of it's look and many people like the style and the design.
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  8. #23
    Senior Member RDU-JFK's Avatar
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    K9, the shirt was translated and said "we won't be silent". I'm sorry, but this sounds a bit threatening. Not only does it imply some sort of political statement but it implies that action might take place on this flight. It's an entirely different story if the shirt were just in Arabic. The translation is meant to intimidate, and the TSA did nothing wrong.
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  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by K9DEP
    I don't think you should be calling the guy a "Smart-ass" because he wore that shirt, I bet young kids arriving here at JFK on PIA or Emirates or Kuwait have clothing with Arabic script on it and nothing happens to them.
    Yes, but he is NOT a young kid...he is a perfectly aware adult and what he did was provocative. There's no way that anyone with common sense would make the move of wearing that shirt at an NYC airport without the motive to get attention. He was trying to prove a point and stir things up...he obviously accomplished that. It was just plain ignorant and self righteous.

    The airport is NOT a place to try and test limits or make statements like that.

  10. #25
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    I have to agree with Mel on this, the airport is no place to voice your opinion on world politics, especially ones as strong as his. You're rights are you're rights but there's a time and place that you exercise good judgment and this was not the place.

    I believe something similar came up last year at the University of Colorado where a prof was making hate filled remarks about 9/11 and he was American. The college fired him and he cried foul that his rights were violated. Yes he was protected under the right of free speech but again someone in his position educating tomorrow's youth needs to have some common sense just like this guy does.

    He'll probably end up suing jetBlue and winning. I hope he ends up on some watch list under auspicious of "just plain stupid."

  11. #26
    Senior Member K9DEP's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RDU-JFK
    K9, the shirt was translated and said "we won't be silent". I'm sorry, but this sounds a bit threatening. Not only does it imply some sort of political statement but it implies that action might take place on this flight. It's an entirely different story if the shirt were just in Arabic. The translation is meant to intimidate, and the TSA did nothing wrong.
    I know what your saying but, It seems to me (at least the way I understood the story) that the guy wearing the shirt is the same person who translated it. The other B6 passengers were frightened of the font. I don't think many of the people at the terminal could translate that shirt. Maybe this guy isn't telling the whole story. Someone had to have asked him what it meant and from there I could see people calling the TSA and Police. But your right nowadays the airport is the last place to express political views. But what won't he be silent about?
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  12. #27
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    On October 26 the first Etihad flight will be arriving at JFK. It will undoubtedly contain Arabs and people with things written in Arabic and Arabic writing on the side of the aircraft, as do the aircraft from Emirates, Saudi, Egyptair, Kuwait, etc. that arrive on a daily or near-daily basis. Do those of you who think Arabic is 'threatening' intend to call the SWAT team? I could understand this mentality in the less ethnically diverse parts of America where the non-white and non-christian are treated with suspicion, but this is New York City, have you not been to Astoria, Brooklyn, and other parts of the city where there is plenty of signage in Arabic? Some of you are no different than those in the '50s and '60s that thought every black person who spoke out for civil rights was a potential threat and justified it with the excuse that "blacks commit alot of crime" and they are 'all the same.' And if you somehow think this is different, it isn't. The message on the shirt refers specifically to the fact that the opinions of Arab-Americans have largely been systematically disregarded in recent years by the government and the media. If they are to be stripped of their rights to have an opinion, at the airport or anywhere else, then it needs to be done through legislation, not by individual TSA agents or JetBlue hourly employees. For those of you who think it's about 9/11 and 'not taking any chances,' well, some people did die in an airliner this weekend, and it had nothing to do with Arabs or t-shirts.

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by K9DEP
    I know what your saying but, It seems to me (at least the way I understood the story) that the guy wearing the shirt is the same person who translated it. The other B6 passengers were frightened of the font. I don't think many of the people at the terminal could translate that shirt.
    Read the story again then....
    I looked at my t-shirt: I was wearing my shirt which states in both Arabic and English "we will not be silent".

  14. #29
    Senior Member Ari707's Avatar
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    btw do you think a real terrorist would be that obvious or try to hide it a bit by wearing a Nike t-shirt....
    Overheard on JFK TOWER - S Turns are fine, U-Turns are bad....

  15. #30
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    I think that's irrelevant. I never said I thought he was a terrorist. I just think what he did was uncalled for. It was thoughtless and controversial and he knew what he was doing.

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