NationStates Jolt Archive

This is a crazy story if I ever heard of one. This young man decided to take it upon himself to go to Iraq and check it out for a class project. This is worth a read...



Florida teen skips school, sneaks to Iraq

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/29/teen.iraq.ap.ap/index.html

...huh...woah.

That's fucking insane. He should have joined the army and got the government to pay for it all.

Remember that German hostage, by the way?

I think she might have gone insane. Seriously.
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,392690,00.html

So, going into Iraq and getting kidnapped is generally not good for your health.

How stupid is this guy? I mean, am I the only one who is remebering the hostage situations?

That's fucking insane. He should have joined the army and got the government to pay for it all.

The army isn't a vacation.

A couple of Cambridge students went on holiday to Iraq during the last Gulf War. They had a blast. The Kurds let them fire AKs and everything. Read about it in a newspaper a while back.

That's fucking insane. He should have joined the army and got the government to pay for it all.

he does get a free ride home.

Diving headfirst into an assignment, Hassan, whose parents were born in Iraq but have lived in the United States for about 35 years, hung out at a local mosque. The teen, who says he has no religious affiliation, added that he even spent an entire night until 6 a.m. talking politics with a group of Muslim men, a level of "immersion" his teacher characterized as dangerous and irresponsible.
Oh no. He went to an American mosque and spoke to some Muslims about politics for a class project. Such a terrible lack of judgement! :rolleyes:

Talk about institutional racism.

Good thing he blended in (physically) but so what, Iraqis themselves are dying in their own country. He would have been the perfect target for kidnapping also, because his family is so established. There are other countries that are also dangerous for Westerners to travel to but that doesn't stop Western immigrants taking an airplane and visiting their war torn countries.

Oh no. He went to an American mosque and spoke to some Muslims about politics for a class project. Such a terrible lack of judgement! :rolleyes:

Talk about institutional racism.
I think the article means that he did that in Iraq.

I think the article means that he did that in Iraq.
No he didn't. Article says it was a local mosque, in his home town, and it was a class project which preceeded this one. Clearly in America, talking to non-Christians is viewed as risky behaviour.

What a tool.

Wow... bad idea.

First of all, what a stupid idea to do.

Remember that German hostage, by the way?

I think she might have gone insane. Seriously.
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,392690,00.html

So, going into Iraq and getting kidnapped is generally not good for your health.
Watch the interview with heute-journal as well (mediathek @ heute.de), they also have a transcript. Doesn't make much sense, to be honest.
Although, two things come to mind: First of all, I believe that she hasn't spoken much German over the years (weird grammar) and I believe that the stress a kidnapping puts you under is seriously damaging, so yeah, hard on the sanity.

No he didn't. Article says it was a local mosque, in his home town, and it was a class project which preceeded this one. Clearly in America, talking to non-Christians is viewed as risky behaviour.
You appear to have missed the bit where he went to Iraq?
"Using money his parents had given him at one point, he bought a $900 plane ticket and took off from school a week before Christmas vacation started, skipping classes and leaving the country on December 11.

His goal: Baghdad. Those privy to his plans: two high school buddies."

Maybe he just didn't believe what either the media or the military said about the place, and decided to go and make his own opinion.

If it is that, than that is admirable (although still a tad too risky IMHO).

You appear to have missed the bit where he went to Iraq?
You appear to have missed the two entirely separate issues?

Going to Iraq - bad idea.

Going to a mosque in America - bad idea according to his teacher, because he is a racist.

You appear to have missed the two entirely separate issues?

Going to Iraq - bad idea.

Going to a mosque in America - bad idea according to his teacher, because he is a racist.
Oh, I thought you were saying that he didn't go to Iraq at all, and that all he did was go to a mosque.
I agree that the statement that discussing politics with Muslims is "dangerous and irresponsible" is a stupid one.

First of all, what a stupid idea to do.


Watch the interview with heute-journal as well (mediathek @ heute.de), they also have a transcript. Doesn't make much sense, to be honest.
Although, two things come to mind: First of all, I believe that she hasn't spoken much German over the years (weird grammar) and I believe that the stress a kidnapping puts you under is seriously damaging, so yeah, hard on the sanity.

Over the past 20 years or so, I have seen examples of delayed effects of hostage/kidnapping situations and also a prime example of what some call "Stockholm Syndrome". It is impossible to say what kind of pressures were placed on her and it may well be that she is still living under a threat to herself or possibly her family had she not done this sort of interview.
Then again, the debriefing process is extremely adept at exposing someone who faked their situation and was an actual participant from the beginning. This alone is often enough to send an individual over the deep end, as they for the first time are completely on their own without the support of their cohorts. Giving the impression that one has become a mental basket case has proven to be an effective way to stave off prosecutions and garner support.

Oh no. He went to an American mosque and spoke to some Muslims about politics for a class project. Such a terrible lack of judgement! :rolleyes:

Talk about institutional racism.

Yeah there is. Ignorance abounds in the educational system about Muslims. Had to have a teacher/principle-parent conference with my son's teacher once due to some off color remarks made in class.

I can say it is interesting getting the different perspectives of another culture. I think more people should try speaking with many different types of groups. Hopefully that would bridge the ignorance gap among us.

Oh, it would be so easy for me to allude to him being American and how somehow that had something to do with his stupidity, like certain people did in the thread about the French man who travelled alone and unprotected in Iraq.

Too easy. Not to mention as inane as the comments in the other thread.

That kid has balls. Too bad he chickened out.

That kid has balls. Too bad he chickened out.


Chickened out! Hell he made it all the way to Baghdad. He deserves some credit. Those are big balls to carry all that way...:p

Chickened out! Hell he made it all the way to Baghdad. He deserves some credit. This are big balls to carry all that way...:p
Our kids are such wimps now. A couple centuries past and that kid would be out killing and dying for some crusade or other. Balls or not.

I smell a possible Darwin Award....

I smell a possible Darwin Award....

Honestly I think Darwin awards are reserved for those that do something stupid and kill themselves and or others. Also include in that severly injuring one's self in a stupid manner. This kid to my knowledge escaped getting the Darwin award. However his chances were very high.

Boy is lucky he didn't get beaten to within an inch of his life. What a dumbass.

You see it would be a Darwin award if the 101st hadn't intervened and saved his ass from his extremely non-working brain.

Honestly I think Darwin awards are reserved for those that do something stupid and kill themselves and or others. Also include in that severly injuring one's self in a stupid manner. This kid to my knowledge escaped getting the Darwin award. However his chances were very high.

Oh, I hadn't realized that he had already left...maybe just an Honorable Mention, then....

Maybe he just didn't believe what either the media or the military said about the place, and decided to go and make his own opinion.

If it is that, than that is admirable (although still a tad too risky IMHO).

According to his essay (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farris_Hassan) he did know the dangers and went "...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 ..."

Next to sympathize with the blind I bet he'll cut his eyes out...