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The NYCLU and ACLU are suing the Transportation Security Administration and Jet Blue over an incident where a passenger was forced to cover/change his shirt, which had Arabic lettering. Last year, Reid Jarrar, an American resident of Iraqi descent, was taking a JetBlue flight at JFK when a TSA official asked him to over his shirt, which read "We Will Not Be Silent" in both English and Arabic. The shirt's message is taken from the motto of an anti-Nazi resistance group, the White Rose.
Even though Jarrar made it through screening, a TSA official confronted him at the gate. From the NYCLU:
[TSA Inspector] Harris brought Jarrar to the JetBlue counter and told him that he would have to remove his shirt because other passengers were not comfortable with the Arabic script...The NYCLU and ACLU claim that Jarrar's First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated. Also, a Hunter College student was allegedly told by a Department of Transportation official that she shouldn't wear the shirt on the Staten Island Ferry....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.'"...
...Jarrar attempted to assert his constitutional right to wear the t-shirt, but became intimidated after he was surrounded by Harris and several JetBlue officials. He worried he would miss his flight or be arrested and detained indefinitely. The lead JetBlue customer service crewmember stated that she would buy Jarrar a new shirt to wear on top of his own t-shirt as a "compromise." Left with no other choice, Jarrar reluctantly agreed, and was allowed on the plane only after the JetBlue agents ripped up his boarding pass and changed his seat from the front of the plane to the very back of the plane. He was then forced to board the plane first, even before disabled passengers and those traveling with children.
Related: The Post reports that the controversial new Khalil Ghibran School in Brooklyn have only six Arabic students out of 44 students who have enrolled for the school's inaugural year. Principal Debbie Almontaser was also criticized for first seeming to condone "Intifada NYC" t-shirts (made by a group that shares space with an organization she represents), but she later "condemned the T-shirt message's connection to Palestinian terrorism."
Update: Almontaser resigned as principal of the Khalil Ghibran school. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement during his radio show; he said she was smart but also appreciated that she made the decision to resign because she felt she was becoming the focus, versus the the school itself.
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Idiotic and the "I am a robber" t-shirt comparison makes no sense. Does anyone thing Osama is walking around with a "Hello, my name is..." name tag?
Jet Blue has gone insane. Where is the rule written that you can't wear a t-shirt with Arabic writing? WHERE? This is actually written somewhere? Give me a freaking break.
Okay. Our country is officially insane. For god's sake.
Ah yes, land of the free.
#2, why do you stoop so low with these comments?
OK, TSA is just a moronic agency, and Jet Blue is losing its MENSA card, too. Who the hell cares what a t shirt says? And just because passengers are xenophobes is no reason to trample on someone's civil rights.
Still, Reid Jarrar is a prick. He wasn't protesting the Iraq war, he wasn't lobbying our spineless Congress to stand up against the looming Boush police state; no, he was scaring the shit out of people. Dumb people, but people none the less. And on a plane. And in NYC.
$100 says he's an arrogant hipster bastard who thinks he's a genius but is actually pretty stupid. I hope his artist/hippie girlfriend gives him a case of the crabs.
Technically speaking I thought the captain of a plane can kick anyone off that he/she doesn't want on board. If you can make a case that a person is going to cause a disruption.
Anyway, this does not sound like a written policy. Sounds more like one or two TSA people running amok and then everyone piled on.
And like to know what Jarrar said to the TSA employee before this thing spiraled out of control.
#7, er...how does wearing a t-shirt with Arabic writing scare the shit out of people?
Let's hope we never go to war with China. 90% of the NBA wouldn't be allowed on planes, what with all those bad chinese character tattoos.
LOL, Rocknrope. Very true. I have friends who wear this same shirt. This is ridiculous. #7, how does a shirt that states "We will not be silent" promote terrorism? This country is officially effed up.
If wearing arabic writing is scaring the shit out of people those people deserve it.
Choose not to be terrorized. Choose not to be terrorized.
#9, 'cause people are stupid.
Still, Jarrar, by getting on the plane, was looking to provoke an idiotic response, while all he really proved was that there are lots of dumb people on planes and even dumber people who work for Jet Blue and the TSA. What was really accomplised, other than allowing Jarrar to use this story as a cheap pick-up line in an LES bar?
jet blue - F*$K YOU!!!!!
jetblue is a private corporation.. so don't they reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason?
This country is officially effed up.
Yes, let's extrapolate a few idiots at the airport to represent the entire country! You're so clever!
does anyone know where to buy that T-Shirt? It would be great if thousands of people started wearing it.
instead of jarrar getting a shirt from the jetblue agent, he should have just asked the TSA agent if he could borrow the TSA agent's klan robes. maybe the hood, too.
and #13, the guy was just wearing a t-shirt, not trying to make a name for himself. he should be allowed to wear the shirt, as anyone should. all your post did was reveal the extent of your white privilege.
Other_islander, if it was an Arabic "Drink Coke" t-shirt would that be Ok?
The TSA (Tactless Silly Autonoms?) and Jet Blue overreacted. It's a T-shirt that simply says "We Will Not Be Silent". That's hardly something to get scared about.
Also, Your attack of his character is a bit extreme, don't you think? You might consider lightening up.
technically speaking, there is no "constitutional right" to board a plane wearing whatever you want. The airlines are a private business. Private business actually have the right to deny service to anyone they want, for any reason. People do not understand this fact.
What if shirts with English words were considered to be disruptive and threatening in Islamic countries. This country has gone to shit.
I agree with JetBlue.
FUCK YOU to the asshole wearing the t-shirt with the arabic script and phrase on it. I wouldn't want him on my plane either.
all your post did was reveal the extent of your white privilege.
Jackass.
Again, #18 (who is obviously #2), why do stoop so low to post comments like that?
Oh and by the way, the owner of JetBlue is Mormon.
"$100 says he's (Jarrar is) an arrogant hipster bastard who thinks he's a genius but is actually pretty stupid. I hope his artist/hippie girlfriend gives him a case of the crabs."
LOL!!!! Right on!
I understand Reid's right to free speech and unfortunately much of the world is ignorant. However, by wearing that shirt he was being selfish. His intention was to stress people out and have the passengers and flight crew on edge for a 6 hour flight. In a contained environment such as a plane, the more homogenously docile the passengers are, the less stress there is. It's not easy to comfort a pax who is now having an anxiety attack due to the shirt. It would probably lead to a diverision and a medical situation, which would equate to Delayed Flights, and that's not what people want.
"$100 says he's an arrogant hipster bastard who thinks he's a genius but is actually pretty stupid. I hope his artist/hippie girlfriend gives him a case of the crabs."
LOL! Right on!
Jews Mormons both the same,
CRAZY. Both believe in Crazy powerful garments one must wear to prove your faith in your God.
wow... at what point did NYers (at least the commenters here) all turn into fascists?
if someone is offended or scared by a t-shirt, lighten the f*** up.
Ahhh... listen to the sounds of the "patriots" of the Land of the free, the home of the brave, where we treasure our freedom of speech (unless we disagree with it, of course, and then they should just shut the f*** up and go back to where they came from).
What a bunch of knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing a**holes! Rush Limbaugh and Bill-O must be really proud of you morons.
By the way, how many of you idjits who think this guy had no right to wear a shirt with arabic script on it have served your country in uniform? Yeah. Didn't think so. Bunch of big-mouth, chickenhawk morons. Read the Declaration of Independence sometime... you'll probably say it was written by a Liberal.... and you'd be right for once.
What if shirts with English words were considered to be disruptive and threatening in Islamic countries. This country has gone to shit.
They would probably cut your head off while you were still alive and show everyone on the internet. I'd rather just get kicked off a plane but that's just me.
For those that think jetblue is a private corporation and that, ergo, "they can refuse service for whatever reason they want," that isn't true. the FAA is responsible for "all aspects of of civil aviation in the U.S."
. . . according to wikipedia.
so, in a way, this is tax-dollars-at-work issue.
freedom of speech
This is not a freedom of speech issue. Try learning something about the constitution.
"listen to the sounds of the "patriots" of the Land of the free, the home of the brave, where we treasure our freedom of speech"
Too mad people like you do not even understand what freedom of speech is.
This comment thread is far more frightening than any T-Shirt.
When I was in the Army I spent a year at the Defense language Institute in Monterey, Calif. learning Arabic. I wish now that I still had one of my old teeshirts from back then, the ones that said "Defense Language Institute, Arabic Department" written in Arabic. Big, bold Arabic script. I'd love to have some airport squarebadge just try to violate MY right by telling me I had to take it off. I'd end up owning such a big piece of Jet Blue that I'd be a rich man.
Reid Jarrar: get a good lawyer and sue the pants off those SOBs!
There are so many things wrong with #35's post I don't know where to begin. Let's start with your citing Wikipedia. . . .
#35
That quote about the FAA does not mean that Jet Blue cannot run themselves like the private business that they are. It simply means what it says
"this is tax-dollars-at-work issue."
dumb dumb
"Too mad people like you do not even understand what freedom of speech is."
Besides your inability to spell, I'd like to point out that wearing a tee shirt that says "We will not be silent" is obviously protected free speech. Perhaps you have never actually read the Bill of Rights? That it was the slogan of an anti-Nazi group that so many of you & your fellow neanderthal rightwingers are complaining about is very telling.
yes, freedom of speech, i'm all for it. he should be allowed to wear the shirt. that being said,
he's an idiot & a hypocrite. wearing a t-shirt in arabic that says "we will not be silent" on a plane in nyc? that's idiotic. should the people on the plane have been scared? hell yes! they don't know that he's a pos hipster coward. all they see is a arab in a t-shirt with the saying "we will not be silent." i would have confronted the stupid little bastard myself & asked him what he meant by that. we're talking about a religion that equates explosions with meaningful dialogue. check comment #34 or read about the treatments of gays here. again, he has freedom of speech but he also has the freedom of dealing with the repurcussions. crowded theater & all that nonsense. Watch the beginning of die hard with a vengeance for some consequences when you exercise the wrong speech. he should be glad that the passengers didn't take care of him.
#43 is still an idiot. The First Amendment protects you from the government. While the TSA agent started this mess it was Jet Blue that denied him boarding the plane.
We can tell you have lost the argument because you have resorted to name calling and spelling corrections.
repercussions
Does anybody know where I can buy an "I am a Robber" Tshirt?
"he's an idiot & a hypocrite. wearing a t-shirt in arabic that says "we will not be silent" on a plane in nyc? that's idiotic. should the people on the plane have been scared? hell yes! they don't know that he's a pos hipster coward. all they see is a arab in a t-shirt with the saying "we will not be silent." i would have confronted the stupid little bastard myself & asked him what he meant by that."
HEAR! HEAR!
This poster nailed it.
#43,
It was obviously a typo, not a spelling error. But I imagine someone with such a minuscule intellect such as yourself would not be able to discern the difference.
I am no right winger, but I was educated and taught to understand what freedom of speech, as explained by constitution, means. I do not wish to give you a history or civics lesson, because you have demonstrated what level of discussion you deserve.
I would guess you are the type of person that yells "freedom of speech!" whenever someone censors a comment you made on a website, when you are not protected at all in this case. It is the same principle. Airlines are PRIVATE businesses. The government is not arresting this guy for wearing the shirt on a street corner. There is an enormous difference, all the difference.
It takes an analytical, and educated mind to understand that the devil is in the details. You have neither, yet you have the audacity to call ME a Neanderthal.
-37
It is scary that so many (#43, #35) "americans" do not understand the concept of freedom of speech. We wonder why they elect such bad government.
Here's some irony for you. Now suddenly "United for Peace and Justice" are offering the T-Shirt with Hebrew letters on it as well. I guess "United for Peace and Justice" realized how moronic they were for printing up that T-Shirt in only Arabic and English and are trying to soften the controversy of it. Me thinks they only printed it up in Arabic and English at first on purpose.
"United for Peace and Justice" = MORONIC IDIOTS!
#44 How can you communicate that Jarrar should be allowed to wear the shirt, but then call him an idiot for doing just that, all in the same message?
Jarrar was personally violated and it is unfortunate that people were made uncomfortable by what he chose to wear. The passengers' comfort (and accompanying nescience) should not have to be his concern. In my opinion, it is not the fault of the passengers for feeling a sense of discomfort, as that has been fostered by the terror tactics of our country's current administration. However, the passengers, and anyone else for that matter, are at fault if they allow this feeling to be consuming. Perhaps we should make a concerted effort to correct the state of ignorance that has been allowed to develop.
God, it's unbelieveable how easy it is to scare people these days. It's a shirt, people, with cheap silk screened letters on it. If he passes through all the security check points, where they won't even let you on with a cup of coffee from the terminal, he should be allowed to wear assless chaps under a ballerina tutu if he wants to.
Those of you who think that private companies can discrimate at will should read the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Also, according to FindLaw, "Discrimination is unfair or unequal treatment of an individual (or group) based on certain legally-protected characteristics -- including age, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation. Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination against members of these protected groups in a number of settings, including education, employment, government services, housing, lending, public accommodations, transportation, and voting."
("http://public.findlaw.com/civil-rights/civil-rights-basics/civil-rights-glossary.html)
New York State's Civil Rights Law states: "A person, who, either on his own account or as agent or officer of a corporation, carries on business as innkeeper, or as common carrier of passengers, and refuses, without just cause or excuse, to receive and entertain any guest, or to receive and carry any passenger, is guilty of a misdemeanor." (NYS Civil Rights Act, Article 4, Section 40-e)
if i remember correctly, jarrar was coming back from a conference. two white women, also from the same conference, were taking a later flight and wearing the same shirt. neither of them were stopped or improperly treated in any way.
the real fear the passengers and the TSA agent had was with the color of jarrar's skin, not with the words on his shirt.
zodak, you're an ignorant piece of trash if you equate wearing that shirt to yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre.
"just cause or excuse"
You can always have a just cause or excuse. They might say he was disruptive. The law is one of the most ambiguous things on earth. There is no "yes" or "no" for anything. This is why there are so many lawyers.
I read several comments about JetBlue that are pretty troubling:
Why is JetBlue such an Asshole Airline?
Is JetBlue a Jew airline?
Why is JetBlue such a racist airline?
are they Israel or Jew owned?
Of course, more Jews will fly Jetblue because of this.
It sounds to me that the person(s) if it is, indeed, more than one, is exactly what (s)he accuses the airline of being. Of course it's an infringement on the guy's rights to free expression, etc. etc. but, listen to what's being said. There is clearly a paranoia that exists in our country today, but it isn't totally unfounded. The problem is, there's just too much anger and hatred all around and we are becoming those who we are paranoid about. I don't mean to instill the anger and predictable verbal wrath, and perhaps antisemitic hatred from fellow bloggers, but let's try to understand where the tension comes from. Not from one group of people or one religion--lots of religions were in the twin towers that day. In the words of Tom Robbins' parrot: "People of the worl, relax."
Also, you can order the shirt here.
sure, I can't put up a sign that says that I don't serve black people. But when it comes down to an individual, I can make whatever assessment I want when it comes to service.
also, just wearing a shirt, does not make him part of a "group." There is no law than stops people from discriminating based on shirt choice. They are not protected. Just like the law does not say that you cannot discriminate against assholes.
How do you think El Al airlines has managed to avoid so many hijackings? Answer: Racial profiling.
The Jew comments are anonymous trolling. By responding to every troll you just encourage them to keep coming back.
And #54, you can't prove the issue was with the guy's race. Jet Blue will go to court and say it was about the shirt. They let him on the plane. Any sane judge will dismiss the case on the spot. Of course, being New York some liberal judge will allow this thing to go to trial and Jet Blue will settle out of court without admitting wrongdoing.
It appears the offending shirt's message was prescient.
What about a shirt that says "I LOVE AMERICA" in Arabic?
You know, I would ten to agree with #63 about the anonymous trolling, but really, it happens so much here that if you ignore them they do it and if you don't ignore them they still do. So, in actuality, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. These comments have gotten completely out of hand on this site, and it's not because anyone responds to them.
Elderta,
out of hand only on this site? This is the internet, the entire thing is out of hand. Lunacy has infiltrated every inch of this strange medium
#51, i was thinking the same thing!
#52 said "#44 How can you communicate that Jarrar should be allowed to wear the shirt, but then call him an idiot for doing just that, all in the same message?"
the same way i supported allowing the kkk to march in nyc. they have free speech rights but they must have been idiots to not expect a reaction.
oh, & moneda doesn't merit a response.
#43 Sorry. I meant cro-magnon.
Libertarian morons: Aside from the fact that businesses can't just do whatever they want, you all seem to have missed the fact that it was a TSA inspector who started the whole mess.
the same way i supported allowing the kkk to march in nyc. they have free speech rights but they must have been idiots to not expect a reaction.
Which raises the ironic point that laws that banned people from covering their faces during rallies were written with the KKK in mind.
There is no "Freedom to fly an airline" #70
Jarrar's is a lost cause. Free speech ends at the door of the aircraft. The captain could turn away the Pope if he felt like it -- FAA regulations and a century of aviation custom gives the captain total discretion.
The TSA agent was stupid for even confronting Jarrar. All that was needed was a discreet conversation with the captain. The captain would have declared the flight a no-go because of the T-shirt, no further explanation necessary -- change your shirt or find another flight, son.
#73 has summarized it all and correctly. There is no need for further comment. If anyone insists on arguing this further please cite some actualy case law to back up your assertions.
the number refernces are all screwed up now because gothamist deleted a post
Gothamist,
It might be better if, in the future, you could simply erase the text to censor a post, but leave the actual posting space there, so people know what others might be referring to.
"The captain would have declared the flight a no-go because of the T-shirt..."
do you realize how dumb that actually sounds? no captain would do that and hope to keep his/her job.
the number refernces are all screwed up now because gothamist deleted a post
There's some irony for you.
asshole should have made him ride in the wheel well and freeze his fuckin islamic terrorist ass off.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH!!!
This comment thread is a great example of when to use hide guest comments.
yeah because taking 30 seconds to register really makes that users comment more relevant. Tard
What if the shirt had been worn by a woman of the same descent? Some white frat boy? A wholesome-looking girl?
Profiling pure and simple. There was nothing inflammatory/offensive about the shirt per se, and no other type of passenger would have been treated like that, period. He made no threats and caused no disturbance. Oh, so people weren’t “comfortable” with it? Well, I’m not “comfortable” with screaming infants. Guess I better whine to an agent that they either be muzzled or denied boarding.
And what’s this garbage: “he should have known” – known what? That he can’t get on a plane because people don’t like the way a shirt looks on him? That’s as absurd as saying an unattractive person in a swimsuit should be banned from the beach. You may have the right to give them dirty looks, but you can't demand they leave.
And uh, he had already passed through security. Did whoever complained afterward have that little confidence in the screening process? Oh wait…
And if any agency had a legitimate problem with this guy, he would have come up on a sophisticated watch list long before boarding, right? Oh wait…
Never mind, profile away! Cavity searches for all!
I wonder how the people who agree with how this American tax payer was treated would feel about a white guy being denied access to a government building because his t-shirt had something in English written on it. Y'know I heard Timothy McVeigh spoke English!
I have no problem with him wearing the shirt - I perceive it to be thought-provoking, not threatening.
I also have no problem with JetBlue acting as they did - if there was concern that it might upset other passengers then it was not unreasonable to ask him to cover it up with another piece of clothing. He was not denied passage.
I don't see the need for a constitutional debate on this one folks.
who gives a fuck about this?? MORE JEREMY BLAKE POSTS!
"AccHarris 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.'"
That is possibly the dumbest thing that I have read in my entire life.
No one can say what the guy's intention was for wearing the shirt. For all we know, it was the only clean shirt he had available that day. Instead of complaining about his shirt, perhaps it would have been more constructive had his fellow passengers engaged him in a dialogue about its message.
Sorry, but I have to wonder why, out of his entire wardrobe, he chose to wear a tshirt with an untranslated Arabic phrase, for going thru airport security.
Sounds to me like he is indeed a jerk trying to cause a sensation and be "oppressed." 10-to-1 he'll be shopping his "I was victimized" story to the Islamic media.
- Liberal but not guilty
what if he were jewish with hebrew script saying the exact same thing? russian with cyrillic? chinese with kanji? anyone claiming this is not about race is pretty delusional.
Again, suing for what???!! Please put me on this jury!