USA vs. Al-Arian

USA vs Al-Arian is a documentary film by Norwegian director, Line Halvorsen, that documents the struggle of Dr. Sami Al-Arian and hif family to fight terrorism charges brought against him by the United States Government.

Al-Arian, a university professor and pro-Palestinian civil reights activist, was arrested in Florida in February 2003 and charged with providing material support to a terror organization. Held in solitary confinement for more than two years, his case finally came to the courts in late 2005.

The film focuses on the difficulties faced by Sami Al-Arian and his family over the course of the 6 month-long trial, where Al-Arian faces political persecution over his beliefs, rather than his actions.

Director Line Halvorsen was interviewed on the Arabic satellite station, al-Jazeera, alongside one of Al-Arian's son just this past week. She explained that Norwegians tended to be more familiar with and sympathetic to the situation faced by Palestinians over the last 60 years than Americans. She noted that the film was designed to raise questions as to the whether it is possible for someone like Al-Arian to receive a fair trial given the the post-9/11 culture of fear, where "security measures" often infringe on the right to freedom of expression.

Al-Arian's son, while initially skeptical of Halvorsen's intentions, acquiesced once he observed the strong bond that had developed between her and his mother and sisters. He noted that it was much easier for them to grant access to the intimate moments in their lives to a woman.

While I have not yet been able to see the entire film, beyond a few clips aired on al-Jazeera, I highly encourage those who can to do so. It is recipient of four film festival awards, including the Best Film at the New Orleans Human Rights Film Festival (2007) and Best Documentary at the Norwegian Film Festival (2007). The director's emphasis on basic human rights, and the humanity of those affected when they are infringed upon, make this an important film in raising awareness in the US as to the state of its democracy.