NPR: Iraqis Questioned After Speaking Arabic on Plane

Iraqis Questioned After Speaking Arabic on Plane

African-Americans have a term for it: DWB ("Driving While Black"). It basically means that they were stopped by police for no other reason than the color of their skin.

Arab-Americans also have a version: FWM ("Flying While Muslim"). And its variation, FWA ("Flying While Arab"). If you look Muslim or Arab, and you fly, you can be immediately suspect.

Tuesday's American Airlines Flight 590 from San Diego to Chicago was delayed after passengers heard people on board speaking Arabic. The Associated Press reports that it turned out "six Iraqi men on board work for a defense contractor and were reportedly taking the overnight flight home after a job at Camp Pendleton training Marines headed for Iraq."

The men were quickly questioned and released, but by then it was too late for the plane to leave, which meant everyone had to wait until the next morning.

"We were hired for this government. We can prove ourselves. We are good people, not a bad people," Dave Alwatan, an Iraqi and a U.S. citizen, told the media. "How can we be bad if we are helping our people here — American people? Why are we getting treated like that?"

Good question. Now, I understand that people are nervous these days, but would terrorists trying to take down a plane really begin speaking Arabic to each other when others could hear?

Then again, as Rhonda Roumani wrote for Beliefnet, the fear of FWA can make even Arabs suspicious of each other.

2:26 PM ET | 08-31-2007 | permalink

Comments

This proves everyone should be multilingual. That way if the Arabic men were speaking, say, Japanese, no one would have been suspicious. Better yet. Do like it was in WWII in the South Pacific to fool the Japanese code breakers. Speak Navajo so no one can understand anything and all will be just fine in the friendly skies.

fred call aka bigbro

Sent by fred call | 3:27 PM ET | 08-31-2007

As a teen and young adult I was often pulled over DWB (driving while brown)and I currently think all suspicious people should be pulled over or questioned as in the recent Seattle "crying" session the arabs are having.
I fly often and look like 95% of the world, dark Brown skin, dark brown eyes and black hair. As a third generation Grandfather with eleven Grandchildren of Mexican heritage I have lived through all of that harassment my whole life and now the "new hires" want to complain. Ya'll can always "go back" like my maternal Grandfather always claimed he would do but never did!

Sent by Albert Mendoza | 3:46 PM ET | 08-31-2007

just because you may have faced racial discrimination in your life doesn't justify someone else going through the same thing. so don't try to justify it.

Sent by joe k. | 11:48 PM ET | 09-04-2007

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
Please send me updates from NPR.	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

Tom Regan

Blogger

About Us

This year's election cycle has been one of the most exciting in memory. At the NPR News Blog we'll do our best to bring you interesting, informative -- and controversial -- stories from our own reporters and bloggers, as well as the rest of the best of the Internet and blogosphere. And we hope you'll let us know what you think as well.

Want to learn more? Be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions and our discussion guidelines.