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Friday, December 30, 2005
I assume most of you have already this story of Firras Hassan, the American teenager of Iraqi origin who went to Iraq to practice immersion journalism.
What I think this kids story shows is the wide difference between middle eastern and western culture and the effect of each culture on the way people behave under influence from each one.
My first reaction to the story was if he had lived in Iraq, he would in no way do what he did, no matter how idealist he is.
I admit that I have heard stories from my parents and people of their generation about young Iraqis fleeing the country to Czechoslovakia because they were communists or fleeing to France because they had pen pals or girlfriends over there but that was back in the 1950s-1960s.
Since totalitarian regimes took over Iraq, that spirit of adventure and making initiatives began to fade away very fast and all what people cared about since then was survival.
Farriss move was certainly naïve and idiotic but I cant but admire his spirit.
Posted by Mohammed @ 22:23
By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer 34 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A 16-year-old from Florida who traveled to one of the world's most dangerous places without telling his parents left Baghdad on Friday to begin his journey home, the U.S. Embassy said, drawing to a close an adventure that could have cost him his life.
The mother of Farris Hassan, the prep school junior whom U.S. officials took custody of in Baghdad this week, said she was "grateful" he was headed back. Shatha Atiya said she already knew what her first words would be to her son.
"'Thank God you're alive,' then I'll collapse for a few hours and then sit down and have a long discussion about his consequences," she said in Fort Lauderdale.
Consul General Richard B. Hermann said Friday that Hassan "safely departed Baghdad." He reiterated warnings by the State Department and embassy against traveling to
Iraq. Forty American citizens have been kidnapped since the war started in March 2003, of whom 10 have been killed, a U.S. official said. About 15 remain missing.
"This young American is now on his way back home to his family in the United States," Hermann said.
Hassan spoke to The Associated Press early Friday, several hours before the embassy announcement, and he was still under the impression that he would be following his personal travel itinerary, which had him leaving the country by himself on Sunday.
He hadn't even been aware that the story of his perilous travels was published around the world or that his mother was being interviewed on television.
"I don't have any Internet access here in the Green Zone, so I have no idea what's going on," he said.
A military officer accompanying him, who did not identify himself, said it was his task to get Hassan "safe and sound to the United States."
The embassy refused to release any further details about his travel, and it wasn't known when he would arrive home in Florida.
Hassan has three older siblings who are all enrolled at universities. A brother, 23-year-old Hayder Hassan, called the trip "absolutely mind-boggling."
"I just want him back," he said.
Farris Hassan, who attends Pine Crest School, an academy of about 700 students in Fort Lauderdale, left the United States on Dec. 11 and traveled to Kuwait, where he thought he could take a taxi into Baghdad and witness the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections.
A strong history student, Hassan had recently studied immersion journalism a writer who lives the life of his subject and wanted to understand better what Iraqis are living through.
"I thought I'd go the extra mile for that, or rather, a few thousand miles," he told AP in an interview earlier this week.
The teenager was able to secure an entry visa because both of his parents were born in Iraq, though they've been in the United States for more than three decades.
Skipping a week of school, he only told two of his school friends he planned to leave the country. He didn't tell his parents until he arrived in Kuwait.
"He is very idealistic. He has many convictions. He is very pro-democracy, very compassionate, always helping out others, he's very driven," his mother said. "Those are more characteristics of Farris than adventurous. This is the first adventure he's been on."
He took his U.S. passport along with $1,800 in cash. He said the money came from a sum of $10,000 his mother had given him after he gave her some stock tips that earned a 25 percent return.
From Kuwait, a taxi dropped him in the desert at the Iraq border, but he could not cross there because of tightened security ahead of the elections. He went to Beirut, Lebanon, to stay with family friends, and flew from there to Baghdad on Christmas Day.
After his second night in Baghdad, he contacted the AP and said he had come to do research and humanitarian work. The AP called the U.S. Embassy, which sent U.S. soldiers to pick him up.
State Department officials then notified his parents.
The mother, Atiya, said she has a 60-year-old brother in Iraq but that she had refused when her son recently pestered her for his number. She said she offered to take her son to Iraq later, when tensions eased.
"I thought that would be sufficient for him, but he took it upon himself to do this adventure. He has a lot of confidence, but I never thought he would be able to pull this together," she said.
Hassan does not speak Arabic and has no experience in war zones, but he wanted to find out what life was like there.
Atiya said her son is studious, works on the school newspaper and is on the debate team. He is a member of a Republican Party club at school and spends his time reading rather than socializing, his mother said.
When school officials learned of Hassan's trip, they threatened to expel him, but Atiya and Hassan's father, Redha Hassan, a physician, persuaded officials to allow him to remain, she said. It was not immediately clear why they wanted to expel him.
Julie Schiedegger, who teaches English at Pine Crest, said Friday that she learned Hassan was headed to Iraq about two weeks ago when she overheard some students talking about it.
"He is very bright, friendly, respectful, just a good kid," she said.
Michael Buckwald, a 17-year-old classmate, said Hassan immerses himself in subjects that he likes and was opinionated in class.
"He always struck me as a very intellectual person. He's very outspoken at the same time," Buckwald said.
He took his U.S. passport along with $1,800 in cash. He said the money came from a sum of $10,000 his mother had given him after he gave her some stock tips that earned a 25 percent return.
MtnBiker said:Not the best judgement to take that trip. Yet at 17 the kid does have some impressive qualities.
Here is the part of the story that amazed me;
Whoa!
I like him!
MtnBiker said::teeth:
Adam's Apple said:My son-in-law was in Iraq over Christmas. He is an Army JAG guy (stationed in Kuwait) and was in Iraq to work on a case. He said things are relatively quite there, so I guess this kid picked a good time to visit. When my son-in-law's group of four arrived at the Baghdad airport, they were issued a gun and a bullet-proof vest, which they had with them at all times. They felt safe enough to do some sightseeing. Went to the city of Ur, which is the birthplace of Abraham. He sent back some photos to our daughter via computer that we got to see. What a god-forsaken land Iraq is. I'll bet our soldiers cannot wait to get out of there.
Except for the major cities, it is just miles and miles of desert--nothing but desert. In one of the photos, they took a picture of a "souvenir" shop built out in the desert. It was the only thing there and looked like an old-fashioned American gas station. They also took a picture of what supposedly remains of the ancient Tower of Babel. Quite an impressive structure. I was unaware that anything having to do with the Tower of Babel was still in existence.
Kathianne said:
My friend and I were discussing this over coffee, what struck both of us is how 'absolutely typical' he was of an American teenager, albeit with too much money at his disposal. From his 'journal,' the sheer arrogance, (I don't mean that as necessarily a negative,) that they 'know all' and can be of service to the world, even in dangerous areas. No forethought of dangerous to self or others. Eternally optomistic:Jimmyeatworld said:It might inspire one, at least. I don't think enough actually happened to him to base a movie on real events. From what I heard, the most trouble he had was when he went to get something for lunch from one of the markets and a few guys started looking at him funny.
Still, an incredible story. How he managed to get that far without getting hurt is amazing.
There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction. You are aware of the heinous acts of the terrorists: Women and children massacred, innocent aid workers decapitated, indiscriminate murder.
You are also aware of the heroic aspirations of the Iraqi people: liberty, democracy, security, normality. Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. So I will.
Life is not about money, fame, or power. Life is about combating the forces of evil in the world, promoting justice, helping the misfortunate, and improving the welfare of our fellow man.
Progress requires that we commit ourselves to such goals. We are not here on Earth to hedonistically pleasure ourselves, but to serve each other and the creator. What deed is greater than sacrificing one's luxuries for the benefit of those less blessed? I know I can't do much. I know I can't stop all the carnage and save the innocent. But I also know I can't just sit here.
I feel guilty living in a big house, driving a nice car, and going to a great school. I feel guilty hanging out with friends in a cafe without the fear of a suicide bomber present. I feel guilty enjoying the multitude of blessings, which I did nothing to deserve, while people in Iraq, many of them much better then me, are in terrible anguish.
This inexorable guilt I feel transforms into a boundless empathy for the distress of the misfortunate and into a compassionate love for my fellow man.
Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless the one who gives them.
Going to Iraq will broaden my mind. We kids at Pine Crest (School) live such sheltered lives. I want to experience during my Christmas the same hardships ordinary Iraqis experience everyday, so that I may better empathize with their distress. I also want to immerse myself in their environment in order to better comprehend the social and political elements.
I plan on doing humanitarian work with the Red Cross. I will give my mind, body, and spirit to helping Iraqis rebuild their lives. Hopefully I will get the chance to build houses, distribute food supplies, and bring a smile or two to some poor children. I know going to Iraq will be incredibly risky.
There are thousands of people there that desperately want my head. There are millions of people there that mildly prefer my demise merely because I am American. Nevertheless, I will go there to love and help my neighbor in distress, if that endangers my life, so be it. If I know what is needed and what is right, but do not act on my moral conscience, I would be a hypocrite. I must do what I say decent individuals should do.
I want to live my days so that my nights are not full of regrets. Therefore, I must go.
