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Jordanian Goes Through Hell in New York

Published at June 10, 2007 in Jordan, rants, C'est la vie, religion and tragedy.
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After years of being taunted as “bin Laden” and “terrorist” at school, Osama Al-Najjar attempted suicide last July at the age of 15.

 

 

Now 16, he is an extreme example of the difficulties facing some Arabs in New York, the city hit hardest by the attacks of September 11, 2001.

 

Osama2

 

I’m unaware of the circumstances that got Osama’s family to immigrate to the US, but shouldn’t it be the case that when your son is being bullied, abused, tortured, called bad names, labeled as a terrorist and his health and mental state are at risk, all for the sake of the name he carries, isn’t it time to think ’enough is enough!’, and to hell with the “land of opportunities, home of the brave, land of the free”, screw it all … I’m going back home!

When is enough really enough?

Mohammed, my elder brother, his wife and his daughter, thought of spending the summer vacation with his in-laws in the US of A, so he applied for a US visa, and a week later his wife and daughter got their visas, but he never got his. So he went to the US embassy to find out why his visa wasn’t issued, and the officer at the embassy audaciously replied that it might take a few more weeks for his visa to get issued. Surprised, Mohammed requested to know why his visa will take more time. “Because your name is Mohammed!“, audaciously replied the embassy’s clerk.

I mean, people are suffering from this when they’re a thousand miles away from the US, so can you begin to imagine all the shit Osama and his likes are going through?

“They destroyed everything nice in our life with what they did to him,” said Suad Abuhasna, Osama’s mother, referring to racist abuse she said was heaped on her son while he was a student at Tottenville High School in Staten Island.

Osama1

Do correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the whole point of immigrating, besides the financial bit, is to secure a decent life for you and your kids with less misery to worry about?

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12 Responses to “Jordanian Goes Through Hell in New York”

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  1. Gravatar Icon 1 Mohanned
    Jun 10th, 2007 at 1:26 am

    Well this is a tough one man!!Racism exist against muslims in the US, but I want to ask you and everyone whose fault is it? A whole population shouldn’t be held accountable for the acts of a bunch of retards, but what do you think the americans said when they saw people celebrating 9/11? We don’t live in a perfect world and for each reasonable person there is 100 unreasonable..

  2. Gravatar Icon 2 Sel3
    Jun 10th, 2007 at 10:45 am

    zakartni bnokte la wa7ad esmo osama 3ayesh 3al dowar :mrgreen: . any how this is really sad, but i’m not sure is it our fault because we are allowing the other Osama speak for us, or is it their fault as they seem to prefer listening to the other Osama, any how we should start speaking for ourselves.

  3. Gravatar Icon 3 bambam
    Jun 10th, 2007 at 12:45 pm

    Hmm the best way to counter that in my opinion is through parody on behalf of the kid, seriously the best way is to show them the ignorance by making fun of them. (thats in general the best way against bullying)

    the tough one here is when the poo poo hits the ceiling air circulatory you got to be able to hold your own !

  4. Gravatar Icon 4 Who-Sane
    Jun 10th, 2007 at 12:53 pm

    True Mohanned, it’s not entirely the American people’s fault, but that wasn’t really my point.

    My main point is, when is enough really enough? If your children are suffering and Osama tried to commit suicide because of what he’s going through, shouldn’t that be enough for anyone to think “SCREW THIS SHIT, I’M GOING BACK HOME!”?

  5. Gravatar Icon 5 Who-Sane
    Jun 10th, 2007 at 12:54 pm

    I don’t know that joke. But again, my point was as I explained to Mohanned.

  6. Gravatar Icon 6 Who-Sane
    Jun 10th, 2007 at 12:57 pm

    the shit really did hit the fan for the poor kid, he tried committing suicide, and finally decided to change his name to Sammy.

  7. Gravatar Icon 7 kinzi
    Jun 10th, 2007 at 9:44 pm

    It is very sad. It does make you wonder what was so bad about the homeland.

  8. Gravatar Icon 8 Mariam Ayyash
    Jun 11th, 2007 at 1:06 am

    eshoo had! i agree with u, this family really are craving for attention more than thinking straight, why didnt they leave this shit hole and come back? maybe it is too hard for them but look at that kid, 9/11 does not have to screw their lives, he looks like he had been screwed long before! (suicide? moslem? just for being bullied? i dont think so)

  9. Gravatar Icon 9 ДншдЬ
    Jun 11th, 2007 at 11:08 am

    I know a boy who is about 16 years old, he was born in the US, he was raised there and he faced the same annoyance as Osama Al-Najjar.
    He came here to Jordan, and unfortunately, he is too weak in Arabic language; that he couldn’t attend an arabic school, his family has no enough money to register him in a private english school.
    He is now doing nothing, living in a strange country to him and in what crime, in BEING ARABIAN!!!

  10. Gravatar Icon 10 Who-Sane
    Jun 12th, 2007 at 11:19 am

    mariam there are Muslims who commit suicide you know

  11. Gravatar Icon 11 Who-Sane
    Jun 12th, 2007 at 11:22 am

    you’re right Ahmad, they get caught in between, with a serious identity crisis :(

  12. Gravatar Icon 12 Hard To Feel Sorry But...
    Jan 5th, 2008 at 12:05 am

    Lol I find it really hard to feel sorry for a person that is troubled as him. Being a former friend and one who actually “knows” this person it’s almost funny how this story portrays him.

    Yes I can feel his pain, but when you smoke weed, sniff coke and take pills it doesn’t sort of help the situation he was in. If anything this added more to the reason of him committing suicide. He is a F’ing schemer and did I mention had ADD or maybe just acted that way. Hanging out with him become more and more of an annoyance as it was evident he always just use people.

    His friends and family aren’t much better as I can admit who emitted a bad influence to his bad behavior. His cousins who he frequently hung out with were supposivly were in a “PLA” gang, but a gang none the less with fellow Muslim/Indian friends.

    From what I heard and experienced this person was never bullied if anything he was an instigator to most fights. He use to cause alot of problems and never attended class in my time of knowing him. He is a fiend and not a very good friend.

    I really do feel like he got what he deserves but nothing race or personality doesn’t deserve to take their own life.

    Also on a side note I’m not sure if this is right person he just looks a lot like the Osama I know. (Google images can bring in new lights of info you’d never thought you’d find :lol: )

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