US teen runs off to Iraq to see 'struggle between good and evil' (AP) Updated: 2005-12-30 15:15 Hassan's extra-mile attitude took him east through eight time zones, from
Fort Lauderdale to Kuwait City. His plan was to take a taxi across the border
and ultimately to Baghdad _ an unconventional, expensive and dangerous route.
It was in Kuwait City that he first called his parents to inform them of his
plans and whereabouts.
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.
"He thinks he can be an ambassador for democracy around the world. It's
admirable but also agony for a parent," Atiya said.
Attempting to get into Iraq, Hassan took a taxi from Kuwait City to the
border 55 miles (89 kilometers) 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.
"In one day I probably spent like $250 (euro211) on taxis," he said. "And
they're so evil too, because they ripped me off, and when I wouldn't pay the
ripped-off price they started threatening me. It was bad."
It could have been worse _ the border could have been open.
Shatha Atiya sits in the living room of her
home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005 as she speaks to the
press about her son Farris Hassan who traveled by himself to Iraq for his
Christmas vacation without telling his parents.
[AP] | As luck would have it, the teenager found
himself at the Iraq-Kuwait line sometime on December 13, and the border security
was extra tight because of Iraq's December 15 parliamentary elections. The
timing saved him from a dangerous trip.
"If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died," he
acknowledged. "That would have been a bad idea."
He again called his father, who told him to come home. But the teen insisted
on going to Baghdad. His father advised him to stay with family friends in
Beirut, so he flew there and spent 10 days before flying to Baghdad on
Christmas.
His ride at Baghdad International Airport, arranged by the family friends in
Beirut, dropped him off 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." The
stand didn't have one. Then a worker tried to read some of the English phrases.
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