View Full Version : Student arrested for having arabic language flash card
I'm honestly torn on this article.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arabic12-2010feb12,0,3442233.story
Nicholas George planned to brush up on his Arabic vocabulary during a flight in August from Philadelphia to California, where he was to start his senior year at Pomona College. So he carried some Arabic-English flashcards in his pocket to study on the plane.
But those flashcards changed George's life far beyond the classroom. The 22-year-old from Pennsylvania is speaking out against what he contends are abuses by federal authorities in airport security measures.
George, a physics major who is considering a career as a U.S. diplomat in the Middle East, is suing the Transportation Security Administration, the FBI and Philadelphia police for jailing him after his flashcards were found and confiscated in a Philadelphia airport screening. His lawsuit, filed in federal court this week, said his four hours in detention, half of that in handcuffs, violated his rights to free speech and protection against unreasonable search and seizure.
"I feel the TSA acts like it has a blank check as long as what it does is in the name of fighting terrorism," George, said Thursday from Claremont, where he lives in a dormitory. "Of course, the TSA's job is to keep us safe -- but they have to follow the Constitution and respect rights."
If his flashcards triggered such deep suspicion, George said, "then we've got a real 1st Amendment issue here. I have a right to study Arabic."
The student acknowledged that a few of the vocabulary words, including "bomb" and "terrorism," may have alarmed authorities, but he also said he needed to learn them in order to understand the news of the day in Arabic-language newspapers.
George said his interest in Arab culture began when he saw "Lawrence of Arabia" as a child. "The more I studied it, the more I was fascinated it by it," he said. He plans to take the State Department exam to become a foreign service officer.
Last year, George spent a semester in Jordan, where he studied Arabic, and then traveled to Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. He said his passport, with stamps from those countries, and a book in his possession that was critical of U.S. foreign policy, may also have raised suspicions at the airport.
Professors describe George as an excellent student in science and Arabic.
"He's sharp and he's really interested in the language, interested in the culture. He loves to pick up expressions and idioms," said Bassam Frangieh, a professor of Arabic at Claremont McKenna College, where George takes classes through the Claremont Colleges consortium.
Spokespersons for the TSA and FBI declined to comment, saying they don't discuss ongoing litigation.
The lawsuit, filed with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, details George's allegations of abusive questioning. The suit contends that an FBI agent cursed him and asked George if he was Muslim or a member of any "pro-Islamic" or communist student groups, to which he replied no. The student said he was later released without an apology. Having missed his original flight, he flew to California the next day.
Ben Wizner, the ACLU attorney who helped file the suit, said George "is the kind of young man that this country should be encouraging and creating more of. He has traveled the world with an open mind and an open heart, and he is studying the language that the State Department and the military have made clear we need more Americans to study."
Although George's suit seeks unspecified financial damages, he said he also hoped to help teach airport screeners to respect travelers' civil rights.
"The point I want to make is that rules apply to the TSA," he said. "Rules matter."
BuffCyclist
02-12-2010, 13:16
Can't say I'm torn on the issue, but I can see both sides of the argument.
Perhaps in hindsight, having flashcards with "bomb" and "terrorist" on them while on a plane was not a good idea.
However, the fact that the TSA immediately assumed terrorist because of these is a little ridiculous. If they are arresting people based on that, then people who carry a daily newspaper should also be arrested, as I'm far more certain that those words appear more in the paper than on flashcards.
Quite the learning experience for him, and I hope both sides of the lawsuit come out for the better.
Well, he has a point, if he is learning the language, he can hardly just not learn the words "bomb" and "terrorism." I wonder exactly how many words there actually were.
BuffCyclist
02-12-2010, 13:22
Exactly. But then again, I could see how paranoid someone could get on an airplane, seeing those words and thinking that he is just remembering how to say those words before saying something like I am a terrorist and I have a bomb... not like they actually say that, it's more of implied when they act.
Yeah, I'm thinking that they were suspecting him of being just another anti-US asshole college student trying to make his way into Alqueda or something. So while I do hate the TSA with a passion, I kind of feel like this is exactly the kind of thing that they are supposed to be looking for.
SA Friday
02-12-2010, 13:39
He also had high interest country visas in his passport and a book critical of US foreign policy. I can't blame them to taking a harder look at him after showing up to a TSA checkpoint. I can blame them for cuff and stuffing him for 4 hours... It doesn't take that long to determine if what they have is a college student studying foreign policy or a potential.
It will be interesting to see if we hear anything about this again in the news and where the lawsuit goes.
Side note: the arabic word for explosives is abwa.
What does yella yella mean?
SA Friday
02-12-2010, 13:43
It's really more of an Iraqi thing as I understand it. It's like "come on, lets go".
Edited to add: "come on, let's go" as in go faster, or move your ass. Depends on the context.
Some times they would kinda mumble it under their breath as they were getting ready to head out some where too.
That's the impression I got from watching The Hurt Locker. Thanks.
SA Friday
02-12-2010, 13:52
I won't be watching that movie.
I thought all the military people liked it. That's why I even checked it out in the first place.
BuffCyclist
02-12-2010, 13:56
So, having visa's in his passport which are required to travel, having flash cards and a book critical of US foreign policy are exactly the things I'd expect a student studying US foreign policy to have.
There's no way to become more knowledgeable about a subject than to address issues from both sides, including the negative side.
Should they have addressed why he had all that stuff? Sure.
Did they have to treat him like a terrorist and hold him for so long? Not necessarily.
Did they have to apologize after letting him go? Not required, but if I were doing the interrogating only to find out it's some poor college student scared out of his whits, I'd definitely apologize at the end.
edit: And The Hurt Locker is in the mail to me right now from Netflix, I get it today and am going to watch it tonight.
SA Friday
02-12-2010, 14:07
I thought all the military people liked it. That's why I even checked it out in the first place.
When you're there and pulling missions outside the wire a couple times a week, your "Oh Shit" file in your brain gets moved to the front of the filing cabinet. It takes a long time to refile that info back a little and relax. To this day, I sometimes see shit on the side of the road as I'm driving by and catch myself thinking about secondary identifiers, initiator markers, anyone by the road with a cell phone in their ear... Shit like that. It's not as bad as it was, but it's still there. It's how the high level of tension/stress at the time can rewire you so strong it's hard to get rid of. I really don't want a reminder of that level of tension.
Ahhh, I see. That makes sense. Then I agree that you might want to pass. Some pretty intense scenes in there. Well, intense for a doughy civilian like me.
cowboykjohnson
02-12-2010, 15:31
When you're there and pulling missions outside the wire a couple times a week, your "Oh Shit" file in your brain gets moved to the front of the filing cabinet. It takes a long time to refile that info back a little and relax. To this day, I sometimes see shit on the side of the road as I'm driving by and catch myself thinking about secondary identifiers, initiator markers, anyone by the road with a cell phone in their ear... Shit like that. It's not as bad as it was, but it's still there. It's how the high level of tension/stress at the time can rewire you so strong it's hard to get rid of. I really don't want a reminder of that level of tension.
My buddy in the Marines is like this to. He says they same things when were driving around, and he gets a little stressed when he notices something suspicious and sees some one on a cell phone.
pretty much common sense to not carry anything or say anything that involves terrorism or bomb etc on the plane. It is called common sense, and IMO the TSA has the right to question the guy, not necessarily arrest him though. he does need questioning and interrogation.
sometime you just never know with people. who would have thought a high class guy would try to blow up a northwest A330. and who would have guessed a psychologist in the army would kill service members at Ft. Hood.
I mean if the pilots of your plane came on the PA and were announcing there is nothing to worry about, they have only crashed once, you might want off the plane right?
theGinsue
02-13-2010, 00:36
He also had high interest country visas in his passport and a book critical of US foreign policy. I can't blame them to taking a harder look at him after showing up to a TSA checkpoint. I can blame them for cuff and stuffing him for 4 hours... It doesn't take that long to determine if what they have is a college student studying foreign policy or a potential.
It will be interesting to see if we hear anything about this again in the news and where the lawsuit goes.
Side note: the arabic word for explosives is abwa.
pretty much common sense to not carry anything or say anything that involves terrorism or bomb etc on the plane. It is called common sense, and IMO the TSA has the right to question the guy, not necessarily arrest him though. he does need questioning and interrogation.
sometime you just never know with people. who would have thought a high class guy would try to blow up a northwest A330. and who would have guessed a psychologist in the army would kill service members at Ft. Hood.
I mean if the pilots of your plane came on the PA and were announcing there is nothing to worry about, they have only crashed once, you might want off the plane right?
I was thinking these exact things as I was reading through all of the posts on this thread. If this person had just had one of the red flag items I might say that they really over-reacted. Two red flag items is questionable. THREE red flag items is just asking for attention. Either this guy is just plain clueless or he was trying to get the atetention he ended up getting.
So is he not supposed to fly then?
It's really more of an Iraqi thing as I understand it. It's like "come on, lets go".
Edited to add: "come on, let's go" as in go faster, or move your ass. Depends on the context.
Some times they would kinda mumble it under their breath as they were getting ready to head out some where too.
It's not just Iraqi dialect, but used across the Arab speaking world (and somewhat beyond). Like you said though, "yalla" is simply "let's go" or "come on" but repeated it's more like "hurry TFU". :)
So is he not supposed to fly then?
in all reality there probably wouldn't be anything wrong with him flying, but he drew way too much attention to himself.
it would be like driving next to a cop drinking a bottle of root beer in a brown paper bag waving at him and giving him a cheers! You might just get pulled over!
I blame the guy for being a dumbass and drawing the attention to himself, which is probably want he wanted so he could have the chance to sue or get free flights from the airline etc. etc. people like that are out there always looking for a handout, to get their name in the paper or start a lawsuit.
just think about how many people go to a restaurant, say the food was shitty hoping they would get the food for free. My buddy used to work at TGI fridays as a bartender and said it happened all the time.
This is absolutely ridiculous. In this country people still have the right to read anything they want to. I'm sure someone somewhere still remembers the first amendment to the constitution (to say nothing of the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments). To confiscate any reading material solely because it is in another language is consistent with the TSA's total incompetency--especially so when all the words were translated into English anyway (as all flash cards are).
What is the logic behind this? That anyone who knows anything about the Arabic language needs to be locked up because they are a threat? That words are too dangerous to let people read? The Nazis and Soviets obviously believed that, as do the Taliban and others around the world who fear that freedom cramps their totalitarian style. I guess we add the TSA to this list.
BuffCyclist
02-13-2010, 10:59
I blame the guy for being a dumbass and drawing the attention to himself, which is probably want he wanted so he could have the chance to sue or get free flights from the airline etc. etc. people like that are out there always looking for a handout, to get their name in the paper or start a lawsuit.
First, the article didn't say anything about him drawing the attention to himself. What makes you think he was deliberately drawing the attention? He could have just had the flashcards and the book in a backpack, and then when someone noticed his visas decided to do a "random" bag check. When you were in college, did you ever travel with a textbook or flashcards to attempt to get studying done, or at least having the intention to get studying done (because lets face it, what college student goes home on break and actually studies :D ).
Next, I didn't catch this the first time around, but apparently the flashcards were found at a Philadelphia airport screening. So it sounds like he never even made it on the plane to begin with (and after remembering, he missed his flight and had to get the one the next day). This wasn't passengers getting alarmed at seeing him going through flashcards and out of the corner of their eye catching the word "bomb" or "terrorist" on the card.
As he was simply in the airport, it's almost like they treated him as if they found a weapon in his bag, drilling him for everything and doing full body/baggage searches. This goes beyond the rights of the TSA and if I was put in this situation, I can't even begin to tell you how mad I'd be. Granted, I don't even think the word bomb in an airport or on a plane anymore for fear that they'll arrest me.
Heaven forfend you might have a copy of Gun & Ammo or Shooting Times to read on the plane, while wearing a white cotton shirt, while having a beard. Or use your passport for identification while having visa stamps from the Phillipines, Indonesia, or Turkey. The TSA's glorified coatcheck girl's plain screwed the pooch on this one, and the FBI agent showed poor judgment in continuing the investigation. This ranks right up there with the 6 year old kid that got suspended from school for pointing a chicken nugget that sort of looked like a gun at a classmate...[Bang]
Troublco
02-13-2010, 23:45
Person of interest, maybe. Cuffed and stuffed? WTF?
Apparently you can do that if you don't look like a Muslim Male between the ages of 17 and 45. But otherwise, profiling is a sin.
SA Friday
02-14-2010, 11:47
There's a difference between profiling and generalizations. Unfortunately, most of people in this country view both as profiling.
The most succeptable category of people in America to be victimized by violent crime are black males ages 16-25. That's a generalization.
Black people are criminals, so should be pulled over when driving through white neighborhoods. That's profiling.
Bailey Guns
02-14-2010, 17:19
Just my opinion, but...being arrested for this and placed in handcuffs for two hours is not defensible unless there is a whole lot of information left out of the article.
I hope a court snaps it off in the ass of the TSA and FBI. I'll gladly see my tax dollars going to pay for the abuse of this person's constitutional rights.
If they were suspicious, what's wrong with simply pulling the guy aside and asking the questions needed to determine why he had those things. Should've been able to do that in less than 5 minutes.
I find it amazing a real terrorist carrying explosives can get on a plane bound for the US with little to no trouble at all, even after the gov't has been warned about him, and damn near bring down an airliner over a US city because of the ineptitude of various federal agencies charged with keeping us safe. But they jack this guy up for 4 hours because of some flashcards?
How does this sort of behavior make us safer?
Just my opinion, but...being arrested for this and placed in handcuffs for two hours is not defensible unless there is a whole lot of information left out of the article.
I hope a court snaps it off in the ass of the TSA and FBI. I'll gladly see my tax dollars going to pay for the abuse of this person's constitutional rights.
If they were suspicious, what's wrong with simply pulling the guy aside and asking the questions needed to determine why he had those things. Should've been able to do that in less than 5 minutes.
I find it amazing a real terrorist carrying explosives can get on a plane bound for the US with little to no trouble at all, even after the gov't has been warned about him, and damn near bring down an airliner over a US city because of the ineptitude of various federal agencies charged with keeping us safe. But they jack this guy up for 4 hours because of some flashcards?
How does this sort of behavior make us safer?
Very well said Bailey. I could not agree with you more.
I have to agree with Bailey and EoW and really couldn't have said it much better. What is more disconcerting is the response of those who find this acceptable in any fashion.
So are we to subject ourselves to hiding our interest or study material just because we're utilizing public conveyances? Are we to simply cow down to the TSA (a joke of a security apparatus to start with) or any other "law enforcement" entity?
All the while we, willingly engage in the hastening the deterioration of our rights and liberties because some $8.50 an hour high school grad failed to engage the logic train.
Not I, sorry.. I hope this guy gets enough out of the settlement, and oh yeah he's gonna get one, to pay for all of his continued education. I also hope that he see's that the system if fallible and that by joining the Foreign Service he has a chance to make a change in addition to the financial bitch slap he's going to hit the FBI and TSA with.
I feel like if I wanted some reading on a plane, I wouldn't bring a book about how to make home made bombs. But, if I wanted to study school work, I'd bring whatever reading materials were relevant. It is a thin line. My biggest concern is how they found the flash cards to begin with.
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