Florda Teen Goes To IRAQ......alone!

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Linda7NJ

Linda7NJ

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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.



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,180138,00.html

I'd kill him if he were mine!:doh:
 
Oh my god! I look over my shoulder leaving my house in the morning...I can't imagine going to Iraq BY MYSELF! How did he get a plane ticket? Where are the parents?!
 
When he gets home he is gonna be in trrrrroublllle!

LOL, an amazing kid but this is not the smartest thing he could have done. Still you have to admire the fact that he was even interested. We will hear from this kid again. Either in an obituary notice or in some type of award.
I bet he will be a great man, when he gains a little more maturity.
 
Oh, My, that's a very interesting story. This is a very bright kid who took his learning very seriously, developed a plan, but was a little naive. He knew his parents would say no, so he just went. He wanted to prove something.

I would have been upset too if I was his mother - it's obviously just too dangerous to go over there unless you know what you're doing. How could he not know that? Teenagers are daredevils. He did call his parents from Kuwait. LOL, I have to laugh because my son is a little like that. He tells me where he's going, but he's going to Israel next December. I can't help but worry.

I can tell by his writing that he is introspective and serious about what he's doing - I bet he will be a great journalist some day.

Sometimes you just have to Dare to Dream....
 
Amraann said:
He had a passport?
Click to expand...

Lots of kids have passports - kids travel alot more these days; Europe with their parents, country they came from, etc. My kids had passports by 8 and 10.

However; you have a good point - does the passport have to have the destination on it - Iraq? He does look Iraqi, so he could easily get by. If he got a plane ticket, could he just go? His name would also pass.

So I don't know if he did anything "fake" or dishonest or not. The article didn't really say so, did it?

Ya got me, but I find it a very interesting story.
 
This kid's not too bright, but he's got cajones. I say sign him up for the Marines and start training him. ;)
 
Well, he's 16 and he wants to be a journalist and help make the peace over there. I listened to NPR on this today. NPR said that his parents were born in Iraq. He was very interested in Iraq and also "embedded journalism".

Evidently he had no idea how dangerous it was, so he got over there - people were staring at him because he only speaks English (he was born over here), and he realized he was in trouble. So he literally ran to the journalists' door, and was helped by the Embassy. They were very worried about his safety.

Evidently the journalists talked to him and they became very impressed with his earnestness, his knowledge, and his desire to help make peace in Iraq.

His mother says, "she's going to watch him like a hawk when he gets home." I'm not sure if he's home yet.

That's all I remember. I have pretty much a photographic memory, but it's getting weaker all the time.
 
It will be this weekend before he is home. He will be on permanent punishment. He will be loved by his family members and his community.He will be an icon for his stupidity and his bravity.He did something that none of us could fathom.He spoke out in a rather stupid way. It has nothing to do with G. Bush. He just spoke the truth.
 
They are calling him Ferris Bueller, and calling his trip his day off. He left Fri. to start his trip home. From what I understand, his trip home is being furnished by the military- at least part of the way.
What he did was the most courageous, stupidest thing I have ever heard. He is a kid, a student, but he really seems to care. He just isn't mature enough to realize that in order to accomplish anything, he needs to go through proper channels. I am sure he was aware that he couldn't go through the proper channels yet, due to his age.
He is idealistic enough, and immature enough that he thought he could sidestep the protections that were in place for his own safety.
I still say if he makes it to adulthood, someday we will hear more from this kid!
 
Must be nice to be a 16 year old and have that much money to spend. What he did must have cost a fair amount of money. Must be a very well-off family.
 
Buzzm1 said:
Must be nice to be a 16 year old and have that much money to spend. What he did must have cost a fair amount of money. Must be a very well-off family.
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I read somewhere that he had given his mom a stock tip that really paid off well. She gave him a portion of the profits. So, I guess in a way he earned the money.
 
mysteriew said:
I read somewhere that he had given his mom a stock tip that really paid off well. She gave him a portion of the profits. So, I guess in a way he earned the money.
Click to expand...

That was her big mistake IMO. She says she's mad at him but she ought to be mad at herself IMO.

However, he's going to have magazine articles, job offers, etc; maybe a movie. Hope it doesn't go to his head.

We need more young people with idealisim like his. He just wanted to learn, work in Iraq and make progress toward peace. We need more people with ideas like his.
 
Buzzm1 said:
Must be nice to be a 16 year old and have that much money to spend. What he did must have cost a fair amount of money. Must be a very well-off family.
Click to expand...


His mother gave him $10,000 for that stock tip and I believe both parents are doctors of some sort.
 
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- Farris Hassan, the Florida teen who traveled alone to the dangerous city of Baghdad, is still in Kuwait and will be there until next week, his sister told CNN.

Shanaz Hassan said the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait informed the family Friday night of the boy's location. It is not known when Farris will leave for the United States or why is is staying so long in Kuwait.

* * *

His father, Redha Hassan, told The Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderale that after Farris failed to cross into Iraq, he told his son he would arrange for security to accompany the teen when the border reopened after the December 15 parliamentary elections.

Hassan said if he had demanded his son come home, "it would leave a scar, disappointing him in his young life," according to the newspaper.

"I learned long ago that if you say no, they stick to the point and insist on doing it," he said. "Nothing fazed him."

* * *

When Farris returns, his parents' consequences may not be the only ones he has to face. School officials have asked to have a meeting with both parents before he is allowed back in school, the AP reported.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/31/teen.iraq/index.html
 
mysteriew said:
I read somewhere that he had given his mom a stock tip that really paid off well. She gave him a portion of the profits. So, I guess in a way he earned the money.
Click to expand...
His family is very well off; they live in one of the most affluent areas of Ft. Lauderdale.
 
Jeana (DP) said:
His mother gave him $10,000 for that stock tip and I believe both parents are doctors of some sort.
Click to expand...
His mom is a psychologist and dad is a doctor. Both parents were born in Iraq, have lived in the states 35 years and have family friends living in and around Bagdad.
 
Marthatex said:
That was her big mistake IMO. She says she's mad at him but she ought to be mad at herself IMO.

However, he's going to have magazine articles, job offers, etc; maybe a movie. Hope it doesn't go to his head.

We need more young people with idealisim like his. He just wanted to learn, work in Iraq and make progress toward peace. We need more people with ideas like his.
Click to expand...

That is kinda the bottem line. We need more people with ideas like his. I agree, he was foolish. Do you remember when we were foolish also? We raised expectations and expected everyone else to follow.We fought long and hard against civil rights issues and womens' rights issues. We knew that we were importent but the odds were against us. It still was a great victory.
 
I understand they are preventing him from talking to reporters. The Army said, "you don't reward stupidity" or something to that effect.
 
Buzzm1 said:
I understand they are preventing him from talking to reporters. The Army said, "you don't reward stupidity" or something to that effect.
Click to expand...
Was G. Bush the instigated on this?
 
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