My dear friend and brother Nasser has experienced for the fourth time the blatant religious and ethnic discrimination by the so called Israeli state at the crossing borders of Jordan Valley between Jordan and occupied Palestine. Nasser was detained for four hours before being denied of entry and told to spend the night in Jordan then try again the next day.
The next morning again he was detained for two hours, searched and questioned before letting him through. All that because Nasser was obviously a Muslim Arab, even though he holds the Canadian nationality. He believes that the treatment he receives is due to not only being of the enemy’s ethnicity, but also for working in Human Rights. He was subjected before to inhumane practices by the Israeli occupational forces guaranteed to insult anyone with minimum dignity:
It made me strip my pants to my knees, walk around the building without shoes and jacket when external temperatures stood at 7 degrees, it went through personal messages and contacts on my cellphone unrelated to ’security’, it refused to speak with Canadian Foreign Ministry Officials that I was in contact with, it made fun of Arabs, Muslims and the Middle East, and it made it a crime to speak Arabic.
If anything, the Israeli discrimanotry, occupational policies will lead to nothing but more bloodshed and grief on their side and don’t they just earn what they get?
Popularity: 7% [?]
Thanks for your support Shaden.
Practices like such at border crossings are very humiliating and also steal human dignity. I am of the opinion that such searches go beyond security needs, but aim to dehumanise and belittle all things Arab and Muslim. If I was not allowed in, we were ready to take this case to court.
Nasser, sorry to hear about all this. if you had taken this to court you would’ve been wasting your time, energy and money. it’s a matter of “luck” and mazaj or mood. when i entered with my canadian passport they didn’t do or say much. of they get bored…well…you saw what happens
Asking Israel to be unbiased and not practise any kind of aparthied is, as the Arabic verse of pertry says:
كالمستجير من الرمضاء بالنار
Discremination is one of their principles, classifying people as superior and inferior races is one of their most notorious ancient policies… I think all the claims made to stop the discrimanation in Israel are in vain!
I agree that taking border security to court/calling for the end of discrimination in Israel may seem like I’m wasting my time because such moves will only be in vain. But change comes about, in concert with other efforts, through the measures I mentioned - legal measures and informing/reporting on human rights abuses and raising awareness locally and internationally.
But you are both right - it is a struggle and we won’t see change soon. But we’ll keep pressing. And resisting. Until the state that claims to be the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’ enjoys the benefits of such claims only upon action.
nasrawi/nasser
Hi
I don’t agree that going to court is a waste of time
going to courts will make more publisity and expose Israel’s racism and brutality!
and to say it is a waste of time is a only a loser’s mentality that won’t get you far and won’t do any change in any situation
what I don’t understand if you r a canidian citizen how come ur country didnt do anything about that!!!!
this treatment should be also an insult to the canidian government
how canada allows Israel to treat its citizens inhumanly and not do anything about that!!
u should find redress in both governments and raise these issues in both sides.