240,000 Dollars Awarded To Man Forced To Cover Arab T-Shirt
JetBlue and TSA have bought a T-shirt. For $240,000
NEW YORK – 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."
He was told other passengers felt uncomfortable because an Arabic-inscribed T-shirt in an airport was like "wearing a T-shirt at a bank stating, I am a robber,'" the ACLU said.
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.
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.
Although the passengers, eight of them US citizens, were cleared by the FBI, they were reportedly still barred from the AirTran flight.
Security has been at a high level in US airports since the September 11, 2001 hijacked airliner attacks against the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.
However, rights groups and representatives of the Muslim community say the security measures have led to frequent discrimination and harassment.
Comments
There is a bigger pciture here and that is the micro-causim variable that surround racial profiling. you have to ask yourself, if this guy was wearing a white t-shirt, would he of been stopped, No. So racial profiling (solely) is not the factor, it's profiling a security risk based on previous factors. If a elder female arabic perosn was wearing the smae shirt, they would ofnot bothered her. So racial profiling cannot be sued here. Based on 9/11 and the security threat profiles, many make a perception. This perception would make it reasonable for an ordinary peson or worker to make the perception. The ACLU obviuolst scred the airlines and TSa, In Los Angles, they use a guy name Nick Guskos who is an expert on racial profiling, he has laid the ACLU argument to rest several times. Should of called Nick. TSA and the Airlines, have a duty to protect the passengers. If the passengers felt uncomforatble it has to be addressed. The question is, was it reasonable for the passengers to act in that manner and the answer is yes. The key word here is reasonable and I suspect, Jet Blue and TSA did not use any racial profiling experts. If they used an expert, he sucked.
This guys tshirt looks neat and clean to me and I don't see anything inflamitory about its message. It certainly looks better that the slob wearing a tshirt that says "I'm with stupid". If this shirt is wrong, then most of the ones with any writing on them should also be banned. I've seen lot worse on flights.
As a WASP born and raised in the USA who served his country for over 30 years, I think it is time to stop spending our time and money on foolish things like racial profiling and start terrorist profiling. TSA and the airlines should have to pay for their ignorance.
To Mr. Jarrar, good for you. May you live in peace.
He should be getting fined for wearing such a ugly looking T-shirt. I don't know many people who would be seen dead or alive in a shirt like that.
The US Have been discriminating for years, well before September 11 2001. US Citizins are sueing for the most rediculous things and getting big sums of money. Big deal he was ask to cover his stupid looking T-Shirt I got fired from my job 6 years ago simply because I've got epilepsy. The boss knew about it before I was put on and I had no complications when I was there. What did I get for being unemployed for the following 2 years and losing out on about $80,000.00? Not a cent and the law supported him. I think that is a bit worse discrimination and worth a darn site more than being told not to wear a T-shirt that looks so dumb that only a moron would wear it in the first place! I was once told not to wear a T-shirt on a plane but mine was a bit ruder than that and I got no compensation.
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