Apparently Arabic text on a t-shirt in an airport is equivalent to wearing one saying “i am a bank robber” in a bank. It seems that this t-shirt that says “we will not be silent” and includes an English translation right underneath was deemed a security threat.
JetBlue and the TSA official, identified as “Inspector Harris,” would not let Raed Jarrar board his flight at John F. Kennedy Airport until he agreed to cover his t-shirt, which read “We Will Not Be Silent” in English and Arabic script.
According to the complaint, Harris told Jarrar that it is impermissible to wear an Arabic shirt to an airport and equated it to a “person wearing a t-shirt at a bank stating, ‘I am a robber.’”
You can buy the t-shirt from goodstorm here.
This post is tagged
9 Comments
it’s a great looking tee and statement. frankly, i’d be concerned with wearing that tee to board any plane in the West. but what can i say. that’s the level of paranoia that we have descended into. t-shirt aside, i can’t help but wonder how much of the fiasco was a result of ethnicity.
Fear seems to be the only right we have these days. I am disgusted by this government and the xenophobia and ignorance it keeps injecting in its citizens.
A couple things…1) The shirt is really cool, any links for where I can buy it? 2) The xenophobia that has been institutionalized in the US is a direct contributor to events like this.
Good point Eric, I was in a rush when I posted it and forgot to include the link, i’ll update the post:
https://marketspace.goodstorm.com/stores/http_marketspace_goodstorm_com_stores_nijma
Thanks for posting the link. I can’t wait for payday as this shirt is on my to-buy list.
I wonder if the same would happen if you wore an ‘Infidel’ t-shirt:
http://www.ustacticalsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=505
I’m quite sure rocketjeff that you may get delayed in an Arab airport if you wore an infidel t-shirt. That being said having spent some time in Saudi Arabia and Iraq I’m not sure I would use those countries as a touchstone for tolerance and freedom. I personally think the US needs to set a much higher standard for freedom.
Incoming Links
Leave a Reply