Posted on 12/30/2005 2:33:24 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Maybe it was the time the taxi dumped him at the Iraq-Kuwait border, leaving him alone in the middle of the desert. Or when he drew a crowd at a Baghdad food stand after using an Arabic phrase book to order. Or the moment a Kuwaiti cab driver almost punched him in the face when he balked at the $100 fare.
But at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that traveling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation.
And he didn't even tell his parents.
Hassan's dangerous adventure winds down with the 101st Airborne delivering the Fort Lauderdale teen to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which had been on the lookout for him and promises to see him back to the United States this weekend.
It begins with a high school class on "immersion journalism" and one overly eager — or naively idealistic — student who's lucky to be alive after going way beyond what any teacher would ask.
As a junior this year at a Pine Crest School, a prep academy of about 700 students in Fort Lauderdale, Hassan studied immersion journalism — where a writer lives the life of his subject in order to better understand it.
His class was assigned to choose an international topic and write editorials about it, Hassan said. He chose the Iraq war and decided to practice immersion journalism.
Went the 'extra mile'
"I thought I'd go the extra mile for that, or rather, a few thousand miles," he told the Associated Press.
Using money his parents had given him, he bought a $900 plane ticket and took off from school on Dec. 11.
His goal: Baghdad. Those privy to his plans: two high school buddies.
Given his Iraqi-American heritage, Hassan could almost pass as Iraqi. His father's background helped him secure an entry visa, and native Arabs would see in his face Iraqi features. His wispy beard was meant to help him blend in.
But underneath that Mideast veneer was full-blooded American teen. And as soon as the lanky teenager opened his mouth — he speaks no Arabic — his true nationality would have betrayed him.
Traveling on his own, Hassan walked straight into a death zone. On Monday, his first full day in Iraq, six vehicle bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing five people and wounding more than 40.
The State Department strongly advises U.S. citizens against traveling to Iraq, saying it "remains very dangerous."
Inside the safety of Baghdad's Green Zone, a U.S. Embassy official from the Hostage Working Group talked to Hassan about how risky travel is in Iraq.
"This place is incredibly dangerous to individual private American citizens, especially minors, and all of us, especially the military, went to extraordinary lengths to ensure this youth's safety, even if he doesn't acknowledge it or even understand it," a U.S. official who wasn't authorized to speak to the media said on condition of anonymity.
Hassan's extra-mile attitude took him east through eight time zones, from Fort Lauderdale to Kuwait City.
A wild taxi ride
It was in Kuwait City that he first called his parents to tell them of his plans — and that he was now in the Middle East.
His mother, Shatha Atiya, a psychologist, said she was "shocked and terrified." She had told him she would take him to Iraq, but only after the country stabilizes.
Hassan took a taxi from Kuwait City to the border 55 miles away. He spoke English at the border and was soon surrounded by about 15 men, a scene he wanted no part of. On the drive back to Kuwait City, a taxi driver almost punched him when he balked at the fee.
It could have been worse — the border could have been open.
He again called his father, who told him to come home. But the teen insisted on going to Baghdad. His father, Redha Hassan, advised him to stay with family friends in Beirut, Lebanon, so he flew there, spending 10 days before flying to Baghdad on Christmas.
His ended up at an international hotel where Americans were staying.
He says he only strayed far from that hotel once, in search of food. He walked into a nearby shop and asked for a menu. When no menu appeared, he pulled out his Arabic phrase book, and after fumbling around found the word "menu."
"It was not a safe place. The way they were looking at me kind of freaked me out," he said.
Officials on lookout for him
It was mid-afternoon Tuesday, after his second night in Baghdad, that he sought out editors at the Associated Press and announced he was in Iraq to do research and humanitarian work.
The AP quickly called the U.S. Embassy.
Embassy officials had been on the lookout for Hassan, at the request of his parents, who still weren't sure where he was. One U.S. military officer said he was shocked the teen was still alive. The 101st Airborne lieutenant who picked him up from the hotel said it was the wildest story he'd ever heard.
Hassan accepted being turned over to authorities as the safest thing to do.
Well, I haven't seen anybody else, but the kid's definitely ruled out.
Dangerous and dramatic, Hassan's trip has also been educational. He had tea with Kuwaitis under a tent in the middle of a desert. He says he interviewed Christians in south Lebanon. And he said he spoke with U.S. soldiers guarding his Baghdad hotel who told him they are treated better by Sunni Arabs _ the minority population that enjoyed a high standing under Saddam Hussein and are now thought to fuel the insurgency _ than by the majority Shiites.
His father, Redha Hassan, a doctor, said his son is an idealist, principled and moral. Aside from the research he wanted to accomplish, he also wrote in an essay saying he wanted to volunteer in Iraq.
He said he wrote half the essay while in the United States, half in Kuwait, and e-mailed it to his teachers Dec. 15 while in the Kuwait City airport.
"There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction," he wrote.
"Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will."
"I want to experience during my Christmas the same hardships ordinary Iraqis experience everyday, so that I may better empathize with their distress," he wrote.
Farris Hassan says he thinks a trip to the Middle East is a healthy vacation compared with a trip to Colorado for holiday skiing.
"You go to, like, the worst place in the world and things are terrible," he said. "When you go back home you have such a new appreciation for all the blessing you have there, and I'm just going to be, like, ecstatic for life."
His mother, however, sees things differently.
"I don't think I will ever leave him in the house alone again," she said. "He showed a lack of judgment."
Hassan may not mind, at least for a while. He now understands how dangerous his trip was, that he was only a whisker away from death.
His plans on his return to Florida: "Kiss the ground and hug everyone." ***
But at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that traveling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation.
This guy feels he did nothing wrong, I wonder how much looking for him cost the taxpayers? This guy will proceed to write a story biased against the US like the reporters he emulates.
Well Well...
A brave kid with guts, I'll give him that... a little unprepared though. I'm no war monger but if I step foot in a country where theres a war going on, im going to have a gun strapped to me somewhere.
He seemed to have enough cash though.
Anyways, wasnt a wise move on his part, but if he was going to do that he could have at least been a little more prepared.
Just happy to know hes safe.
OK. maybe I was wrong
"There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction," he wrote."Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will."
Editors!!
Did you read his quotes in the article? It sounds like he's in favor of what we're doing in Iraq.
"Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will."
"I want to experience during my Christmas the same hardships ordinary Iraqis experience everyday, so that I may better empathize with their distress," he wrote.
Can we confirm what side he's on?
I understand, I wouldn't be too quick to say that though. I can't account for too many kids willing to go into a bullet & bomb fest just to get a school assignment done.
Hes got guts, he clearly stated his view of the terrorists, so his current assignment is ok, however if he does become a reporter I'd be very interested in reviewing his reports.
The first post before the link is more of the reporter than his quotes. I almost never see reports covering anybody who is in favor of the US as the main character in a news article so I guess I was caught off-guard, and by the lousy editing.
post #4 gives the right impression I think
Also, whereas the kid is very idealistic and probably I would have freaked out if I was his dad. ..on the other hand I would be very proud of him. This was not a prank. The kid was driven by sincere motives and, obviously, is a rare young man indeed. By the way, I felt his commentary was very good. . .not anti-american at all. I'd say, we need more journalist like this everyday!
That's why the crappy AP only wants to play up the "escape from certain death" angle.
A half of me wants to say "Stoopid Kid!" Ground him!
Another half of me wants to acknowledge that this is the sort of thing Richard Halliburton used to do. And our lives are richer for it.
Yes, yes it does. (said with a small astounded chuckle)
I'm not so sure what his family eats or anything but I would be really interested in knowing what his parents feed him... No offense to him, a very brave action & for a good cause, just not executed as well as it should have been (even though it shouldn't).
Theres one thing that has me swearing about all of this though... if a 16 year old can do this, it shows our youth are by far more able than we give them credit for. His teachers probably treat him like he's either some kind of complex animal or something in school, yet he can pull this off.
A stupid move but a brave & well intentioned kid though, indeed I'm glad that our Troops were with him, as well as God.
The part posted in the original post was more AP spin, post #4 gives us his real views. I don't like these reporters who do this stuff and give wrong impressions or outright lie.
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