I hear Haiti is very beautiful!
Let’s fly’em away! Not the Iraqi people of course, not the Jordanians either! But the potential threats to our beloved country.
What happened in the Queen Alia airport is absurd. It’s not about them being Iraqi; it’s not about them being of any specific nationality either! It’s about someone doing their job! So they weren’t exactly the “nicest” when it came to doing their job! that was wrong, and they cadets who said and did humiliating things should be prosecuted for their actions because they work in Jordan’s main portal and it’s their duty to represent Jordan in the most perfect of ways. But hey! They were efficient in doing their job! and I thank God every day that I live in a country where I don’t fear that I’ll have to install a top notch security system at my home and buy a gun to protect myself when walking to the supermarket to buy a packet of cigarettes at noon.
What the world has to realize before branding an entire nation or a certain security procedure, is that Jordan’s main commodity is its peace. And in order to uphold peace, you need blind justice and constant vigilance. You need an objective and clear perspective on things. When they held the Iraqi people at the airport, it wasn’t because they were Iraqis. It was because they were entering the country from a point of origin that has an abnormal civil discontent and a large number of fanatical activists that would kill to get an opportunity to generate even more unrest in the region.
Mr. and Mrs. Boohoo they don’t love me enough, I have a scenario for you to follow. Suppose you were living at home and the building next to yours suddenly collapsed. The people there needed a place to stay and had absolutely nowhere else to go. They knock at your door in the hope that they’ll find some refuge, and in return, you decide that it’s okay for them to have a chance at staying over cause hey! They got to have somewhere to stay don’t they! Even if only for a day or two! When that happens you’d just love to do the following:
1- check for weapons
2- check for drugs
3- check for intentions
4- check their backgrounds
5- check if they were affiliated with any illegal organizations
6- double check for weapons
7- make them run through hoops to determine if they are ethical and would never try to corrupt your thoughts by trying to convert you their cause
8- double check for intentions
9- see if you can make money off of it
10- see if anyone they even said hello to is capable of causing you even the faintest of harm
And the list continues. Now imagine you were living with your mom, your 3 sisters, your pregnant wife, and an old senile father…..
….
….
Multiply that list by 10 thousand. You wouldn’t even dream of letting anyone in because you can’t trust anyone enough with your honor, your money, your life and your health.
Now imagine Jordan. A country whose commodity is its peace, its government will spend every effort to guarantee that this commodity is never compromised. Cause that would mean financial impotence, civil unrest and potentially a full fledged chaotic fit that would bring the country to its knees. The 150 JD\month paid cadets really don’t have your comfort in their perspective, they might not even think that you deserve the chance to plead your case, but they sure as heck want to keep this country safe. Not because you’re Iraqi, not because he’s Saudi, and not cause he’s Palestinian.
Now here’s something worth thinking about too. When you get oppressed, prosecuted, and unfairly handled, it could be for a million reasons; it could be because the government got news of some bad character trying to enter the country. We all know that getting into Jordan is not that difficult! But hey, when it got difficult, there must have been a very good reason for it. When you brand yourself as an oppressed Iraqi refugee, you become a………………………
BIGOT.
It’s not the other way around.
So yeah, you got prosecuted, you got mistreated and you went through hell trying to enter a country that’s in a heightened state of alert. Live with it and try again tomorrow when things aren’t so critical. Heck, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that when visiting someone, you can knock on the door three times before it’s too much! So try again in a couple of weeks since you see Jordan as a refuge from all the hectic things that are going on in your country. Knock the door again. They’ll probably not let you in cause now you have a history. But it’s worth a try! If you don’t think it’s worth the try then I suggest you pay some other country a visit and enjoy a vacation.
I hear Haiti is very beautiful!
if you want to learn more about this, check out these links
http://www.black-iris.com/2007/08/10/iraqis-at-the-queen-alia-airport-in-jordan/
http://thesugarcubes.net/2007/08/13/on-the-mistreatment-of-iraqis-at-queen-alias-airport/
http://bakkouz.net/2007/08/13/im-proud-to-be-jordanian/
Sanitary Measures 
Wow mazen, n i really thought u were one of those fair ppl that are tryin to make a difference! first of all i gotta congragulate you for stereotyping the 25 million people known to you as Iraqi’s (which btw i’m one of the “When you brand yourself as an oppressed Iraqi refugee, you become a………………………”.
lemmi tell u a small story.. my family is threatened to be killed if we stepped in iraq again. you guys call for world peace, middle east peace, whatever-peace, well.. before u protest asking for such a thing, clear your friggin hearts! remove all the reacism, all the hate.
small history lesson: the middle east was one big borderless area.. in the early 20th century Britain, France, and another country divided the whole area so they can split how to control it, n i gotta say, a century later.. they did a friggin good job, you’re one of the many proofs that exist out there.
One more thing, trust me.. with such hospitality.. i WISH i can go to Haiti n get away from this racist neighboring country u call home. Trust me.. we dont like bein here as well!
dear guy i met last night in swefieh “AKA Ahmed”
i can understand that the syntax i used to express my opinion may not have been the most adequate as you’re not the first to misunderstand what i’m trying to say here.
what i am trying to say however, is that the security measures enforced at the queen alia airport were not because the people were of iraqi descent, but because they came from Iraq.
i have not bad mouthed Iraqis, not do i intend to. i have a living proof that i do not hold any grudges for iraqis and if you would like, i can prove it to you in person as it’s a little bit of a personal matter and i don’t want to express it over my blog.
when i said “When you brand yourself as an oppressed Iraqi refugee, you become a………………………”. i meant that those who feel prosecuted because of their iraqi descent like the person who wrote that long post about his experience in the Queen Alia airport are bigots. it has nothing to do with them being iraqi.
to explain that, or make it easier to understand, you have to differentiate between the actual harsh words and mistreatment he had to go through “which i expressed that it was wrong and the person who did it should be prosecuted” and the actual procedure that he had to go through “questioning, interrogation, holding and so on” which is entirely and completely justified.
please bear in mind that this post is mainly directed at the person who wrote the article depicting his experience and then used it to brand over 6 million people as bigoted hate filled people. that is not the case. i knew you were iraqi coming from iraq when i first met you. that did not change how i treated you, that did not make me think any less of you as i do no know you enough to pronounce judgment. please do take the time to read this post again with keeping this in mind:
1- it’s directed to that person with the experience.
2- i have nothing against the Iraqi people in general and u sympathize with those who had no other choice but to come here to Jordan.
3- i have a personal good friend who married his sister off to an iraqi who came to jordan in 2003. i blessed that wedding and i actually like the guy she married.
4- I’ve had a best friend who was Iraqi.
5- try looking at it from an objective perspective and stop looking at it like an iraqi. look at it as a business owner.
sorry if i made you feel prosecuted again. i realize that there is a great deal of Jordanians that actually are bigoted towards Iraqis, but this is not a national policy. it’s merely a state of ignorance and ill feelings. individual cases. no more, no less.
@ Mazz, as i told you previously i was shocked to read what you wrote here. I didn’t think you of all people would ever say this after all these years. Your whole article is bigoted and racist towards Iraqis. Such a shame as I naively thought the Palestinian people who know what it means to be kicked out of their own land actually turned around and were just as racist to us and more.
Not a single Iraqi wanted to leave their beloved country. We were all forced out, just like you were. Try and remember your roots of how you were before, instead of holding your current passport and feeling safe in a country that isn’t even yours.
I hope that you stop feeling this racist view by trying to be an Iraqi for a day, or even a Palestinian who doesn’t have a Jordanian passport for a day and see it thru their eyes. I’m sure the guy who commented above would be more than glad to help.
PS: Your title by itself is insulting. I feel the immediate need to tell you to go to Haiti, but i hear Jordan is nice this time of year. You concentrated on one guy on that plane who said he was coming for a vacation and completely ignored the rest of the people on that plane.
Where did your heart go? Maybe after all this time you’ve changed from that perspective as well. Change everything about you ya Mazz but without the person who taught me to give my last penny in my pocket to a beggar, I don’t see the Mazz i was proud to call my friend.
please read previous comment Jazz.
please stop saying i don’t mean to sound that way. Point is you do sound that way and either you change it to what you really feel or it will be interpreted as you wrote it, Bigoted.
what i’m seeing here is ill hearted, self centered, narrow minded behavior.
please, BE OBJECTIVE.
so now i got two iraqi’s here that are complaining about how i’m being bigoted!
well you know what? i am being a bigot…
but not towards iraqis
towards people who do not use their brains. namely, that person who wrote that article.
where did my heart go? it’s still here! ask anyone who knows me still. i’m talking about that person ya jama3a! why is it so hard to understand that i’m talking about one specific specimen???
wallah i’m speaking in english! i’m not speaking in hindu!
Usually when people level themselves to inuslting people like that instead of talking is a sign of weakness and using their emotions blindly. End of conversation.
check the hatemail i get
it’s not the same case here moey.
and jazz, i only commented on the behavior, not the people. i’m sure that both of you are very nice. you just fail to see the message i’m trying to say here.
maybe i should have sent this in an email to that guy.
wow. Allow me to quote the dictionary on what racism and racist mean because obviously, some people like to toss around painful accusations without even knowing what do they mean.
rac·ism /ˈreɪsɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[rey-siz-uhm] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
racist
adjective
1. based on racial intolerance; “racist remarks”
2. discriminatory especially on the basis of race or religion
noun
1. a person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others
How does any of the above apply to Mazen or any of the Jordanian bloggers he linked to?
Here’s how I see this, the only reason you’re mad is because you’re emotionally vulnerable at this moment and even the most considerate, heartfelt expressions will still be misunderstood because you’re hurt, and hence you’re over-sensitive. you came with emotional baggages and you expect every single person in the world to feel with you or else you’ll attack them, try to make them feel guilty as if they’re responsible for how YOU feel, and not so much about how he/she makes you feel.
I don’t know about others, but I’m Palestinian and Jordanian and Jordan IS my country! what Jazz said is racist, according to her. Just because we come from Palestinian origins that doesn’t mean we’re not Jordanians. It doesn’t give you the right to tell us how we should feel and who’s side we should take as if this is some sort of a battle where people who feel victimized by whoever should team up against….well, in this case whoever we think was not victimized!.
There’s what’s right and what’s wrong, and nobody in Jordan whether Jordanian or not wishes to compromise safety so that a couple of people won’t spend the night at the airport. For God’s sake people stop jumping to conclusions, those who wrote about the mistreatment made it clear that they didn’t come to Jordan as refugees to start with, so it’s not like they returned to the streets of Iraq! besides, would any of you allow ALL and ANY Iraqi in if you were responsible for that?! I pray the answer is no because otherwise, you have some serious problems that should prevent you from being responsible for anything, not even a cat.
Did mommy come to mazz’s rescue again? I could have sworn if both your parents are palestinian you are a Palestinian? so i’ve lived all over the world but mazz and shaden and moey really you are being extremely sensitive and your not seeing beyond your sensitivity.
I’m not arab but if i were Iraqi and read your article I would have been hurt. You’re not sending the message your trying to say across. Revamp the article to say what you mean and not have all this fuss. I’m dark skinned for an aussie and at Heathrow they treated me like crap and detained me just for the looks of me. I mean you are concentrating on defending yourselves and taking everyone down with you.
Take it easy, going around insulting others isn’t a nice or grown up thing to do. Please take a time out and THINK.
@sam: well mommy actually doesn’t know how to use the internet.
as for not sending the message across, I’m starting to think that i didn’t chose the best of words for people who don’t want to spend the effort of really listening to what I’m trying to say and since it’s much easier to think that I’m generalizing, they do it!
i might write a second post about this. but frankly, I’m not too sure if its’ worth the efforts. i’ve read this post a total of 30 times already. and i can see how it’s very easy to think that i’m generalizing and so on. but really, if you read the first paragraph without the intention of crowning me with a “you’re a dick” crown on my head, you’ll see the i DID NOT APPROVE OF THEM BEING TREATED BADLY. but i DO APPROVE OF THEM BEING DETAINED.
again, it’s not cause they’re iraqi, but cause they came from a point of origin “the trip/the people on it” that is highly unstable and is a breeding ground for terrorist factions. even if that’s not good enough, let’s just say that they might have gotten intelligence stating that there might be a terrorist cell trying to get formed through one of the passengers on the plane. there are a million and one scenarios where detaining and interrogating those passengers is an absolute must.
i don’t know, maybe all this heat’s getting me in an offensive. but what i do know however is that i did not target the iraqi nation with this post. i am targeting the iraqi passenger who decided to brand a whole nation with a big arse “RACIST” sticker on their foreheads.
and i wasn’t being sensitive, if anything, i think that the guy i saw in swefieyyeh and jazz are being overly sensitive. i just don’t like people calling me racist for the wrong reason.
Man no one is saying don’t detain ppl. It’s a thing that is done nowadays and we deal with. They called you racist coz you’re tellin them if u dont like it then F*** off. The 2 ppl opposed to your words are merely reacting to your words. And yes you are being sensitive that you brought in your cavalry within 10min! you said urself ur takin heat and getting offensive. What you’re doing is taking it personally. they’re attacking your words not you.
You used fighting words and they didn’t so who is being sensitive huh?
Write your words as you wish ppl to perceive.
peace all
Sam, can you please quote me and show me where exactly did I say I’m not Palestinian?
Thanks.
@sam: first off thank you for taking interest in this matter.
second of all, i don’t mind them attacking either me or my words. i don’t care, this is what i believe and i’m not about to change it cause someone doesn’t like it! i’m bringing up a very valid point here, jordan’s only child is security. it’s expected of the government to be EXTRA PARANOID.
third of all, the iraqi dude who called Jordanians racist and that jordanians finally showed their true face should take out that stick out of his *** wake up. sure, a good deal of jordanians DETEST iraqis. and a great deal of jordanians don’t give a crap who you are. i belong int he latter. a great deal of jordanians even love iraqis for many reasons. so in the end it’s a mix of breeds.
last night i was standing in wakalat street in swefeyyeh, i saw 6 different nationalities in under 30 seconds. that itself should tell you something.
@Mazz- why are you so pissed at that one guy and managed to piss off someone who is a friend of yours and other iraqis at the same time? dude u do mind they don’t like your words look at all that was written previous!
what i’m trying to get thru is that your words are not clear and that’s why your pissin off ppl! clarify man, that way you dont have to explain and get into all this shit!
@sam: thanks for your thoughts. it’s clear for those who want to make it clear.
look, i think there might be a preconceived notion about how racist i am. so that might have something to do with “how clear” my post is.
i might write an other post later on to make things clearer for those who’ve had difficulties understanding what i’m trying to say.
man get a life, all of yous… bloody spending ur day arguing about how a guy feels about a country or a race or an issue… fucking idiots.
@Tony you da man! fighting about shit all.
@Shaden you said jordan is your country not palestine.
@Mazz- your main article isn’t clear, not what ppl said, they were very clear. dont write another article. one is enough to waste all this energy on. such a waste of time and energy when the guy who wrote the article is busy defending it instead of listening. writers listen to ppls feedback. brought your posse in eh? lol.
All of you get something better to do! except tony montana(i like da reference) and Jana. bunch of kids the whole lot of u.
friggin’ A
i opened a can of worms.
what i do find amusing though is that Jazz, Sam, Jana, and isra are all from the same SPOT! namely, Dubai Internet City!
Isra, lol this is getting pathetic by the moment! don’t put words in my mouth, you have my comments up there, QUOTE ME or just follow your own advice and stop commenting for the heck of it.
ya man i’m the network guy so i go thru stuff. trying to prove wat exactly?
tired of this now. cheers!
same here
oh im’ not exactly trying to prove something here, merely trying to get you 4 peeps to get together and get to know each other! who knows, you might like it!
adios
hey there,
i don’t know what the fuzz is about… well i know, but Mazz made his point, chose the wrong words and apologized for choosing the wrong words, made things clear and that is it. why do you people still call him racist? i don’t get where in this post he is racist, although i do not agree with many of the points. from the comments i understood that you (mazz) are of palestinian origin, true or false? you have a point on the internal security here in jordan and that jordan’s only commodity is peace, and yes the government has the duty to protect that peace… but please, to a certain extend. running around and stamping people as terrorists because they are seeking refuge is unacceptable. but also mazz… please change the title of your post, i guess that many people got upset because of those. if the refugees could choose their destination, they would not be refugees, they would be immigrants.
cheers
hey mozzy,
i’m not saying that they’re stamping people with terrorist tags cause they’re seeking refuge! noone’s doing that! okay, there’s a very good deal of racial profiling going on but that’s only normal. it’s nor right, but a lot of nations went through it! palestinians went through it, iraqis, arabs, muslims, christians, and lots more. we can’t do much about it until people become more objective.
again, i’m talking about the guy who was going to jordan for VACATION and according to global voices, he’s now in syria and having a good time. so it’s not like he was going to die if he want back to iraq.
like the guy i met in swefeyeh, some iraqis are prosecuted and are forced to stay out of their beloved homeland. i sympathize. and i truly wish there was something i can do about it.
as for the title, it’s provocative. as i meant for it to be provocative, i wanted to see if people are going to look past the title and actually read what’s inside here. and the title was actually put into action when that guy decided to go to syria for his vacation! good for him! he tool a very logical and objective move.
he he,
well, see, i also misunderstood a few points there 😉 i know you wrote it somewhere in the comments but i forgot about it (the issue that you’re talking solely about that one dude; btw. could you provide or send me a link to his article? i never read it only heard of it). well as being stamped as terrorists.. yes no one said it… no one but me, because in my opinion this is what most people do (am not talking about you or anyone involved in this current discussion…well maybe moey, but that’s a different story) exactly that here in jordan, just as they did with anyone coming from an area where terrorism/resistance/chaos/hell (call it whatever you want, i don’t want to take sides on this matter right now, since it belongs again to another discussion) was/is pretty high. anyhow, so again, cheers and i would like to quote Nassim-Marie who left a nice comment on my blog (it does not fit 100% on your post but it surely does fit to the whole discussion which resulted from your post):
“This is getting me nervous! I hate Racism, the problem that these kind of people are being more and more, specially during this war in Iraq and the death of Saddam i noticed that the Sunnite hates the Shiite now, all because they believes in the americanized news , this is ridiculous! and now this racism is not only between Jordanians and Iraqis, its between Lebanese and Palestinians.. Its racism in religion, race, nationality, everything! wake up people, the war is not between us!” — Nassim-Marie (posted on http://justmozzy.com/?p=21)
MMMMMMMMM, Interesting,Will I went to the US 3 or 4 years ago ,it was like hell , I was 19 or more ,but the way the police treated me in Paris , JFK airportm , OMG, ooooooooh, WIll I thought first due I am an arab , but my friend passed then It was my turn ,I said to my self ,okay girl wazz up , then I said bling bling Hijab , yes I was wearing it , I was shocked do not know why . good point each country wanna save its people &Land , but Its not nice feeling when every one is staring at you , while the policeman is checking your passport with a very huge big lense , I understand that he got to do his Job ,will now I can understand why; due i grew up & read more & more but back in the time it was really hard . you sliced the subject in a very good way …
What the wold is suffering from, is the lack of love.One should never allow hate to get in his/her heart because of other people lack of love, because that will be one less love in this world, and believe it or not hate inside one persons heart can create great disaster. I have been through many extremely bad situations
where people did things to me that I will not even explain.I could hate them but I chose not to. Believe me I was hurt,but I didn’t learn to hate.Something we can all agree on is that HATRED DOES NOT SOLVE ANYTHING. If everyone could learn to love one another really love them,they would have never treat each other BAD they would have never come AGAINST each other.We should never take sides cause that will put us in the same category of all the other people who are making the world what it has become today.keep loving one another.Don`t give way to anything that is negative,and keep doing everything you can to stay positive.One thing I noticed from all of you is that you all care.That really please my heart.I LOVE YOU ALL.
wow !!
its very interesting point of view.
Nice post.
realy good post
thank you 😉