Teenager in Florida, United States skips school, goes to Iraq

December 30, 2005

Farris Hassan, a 16 year old high school student from Florida, decided to visit Iraq and left for the country on December 11, 2005 alone and without having informed his parents.

After catching a connecting flight in Amsterdam, he arrived in Kuwait City on December 13. He called his parents on the telephone and informed them of where he was and his intention to visit Iraq. This was the first time his parents learned of his plans. He then attempted to cross the Kuwait-Iraq border by taxi, but because of tight security for the upcoming elections he was unable to pass through, and spent a week in Beirut, Lebanon, interviewing minority Christians. Then on December 25, he flew in to Baghdad International Airport. Relatives picked him up from the airport and put him at a hotel known to frequently house American citizens.

He financed the trip and made all the arrangements himself with money that he had saved up.

The inspiration for his journey was the result of a segment of his English class on 'immersion journalism' at his school, Pine Crest School. He was working on an assignment on the war in Iraq and he wished to experience his subject matter first-hand.

Hassan contacted the Associated Press to announce that he was in Iraq to do research and humanitarian work. They were shocked to see an American teenager walking around unaccompanied. They in turn immediately contacted the US Embassy, who had been contacted by his parents and were on the lookout for him. Hassan's parents were born in Iraq, but he does not speak any Arabic, making him easily stand out as a foreigner in Iraq, where kidnappings of Americans and violence are an everyday occurrence. His parents planned to take him to see Iraq once the war was over.

U.S. Consul General Richard Hermann reiterated the U.S. Embassy's strong warning to U.S. citizens against traveling to Iraq as he announced that Hassan was with American troops and was on his way home.

He turned in his assignment via email and is due back home over the New Years Day weekend.

<!-- == Hassan's essay == Hassan wrote an eassy before going to going to Iraq and explaing his reason on why he decided to go, the following is are excerpts from it.
 * There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction. You are aware of the heinous acts of the terrorists: Women and children massacred, innocent aid workers decapitated, indiscriminate murder. You are also aware of the heroic aspirations of the Iraqi people: liberty, democracy, security, normality. Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice's call for help ... So I will.


 * Life is not about money, fame, or power. Life is about combating the forces of evil in the world, promoting justice, helping the misfortunate, and improving the welfare of our fellow man. Progress requires that we commit ourselves to such goals. We are not here on Earth to hedonistically pleasure ourselves, but to serve each other and the creator. What deed is greater than sacrificing one's luxuries for the benefit of those less blessed? ...


 * I know I can't do much. I know I can't stop all the carnage and save the innocent. But I also know I can't just sit here ...


 * I feel guilty living in a big house, driving a nice car, and going to a great school. I feel guilty hanging out with friends in a cafe without the fear of a suicide bomber present. I feel guilty enjoying the multitude of blessings, which I did nothing to deserve, while people in Iraq, many of them much better then me, are in terrible anguish. This inexorable guilt I feel transforms into a boundless empathy for the distress of the misfortunate and into a compassionate love for my fellow man ...


 * Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless the one who gives them.


 * Going to Iraq will broaden my mind. We kids at Pine Crest (School) live such sheltered lives. I want to experience during my Christmas the same hardships ordinary Iraqis experience everyday, so that I may better empathize with their distress. I also want to immerse myself in their environment in order to better comprehend the social and political elements ...


 * I plan on doing humanitarian work with the Red Cross. I will give my mind, body, and spirit to helping Iraqis rebuild their lives. Hopefully I will get the chance to build houses, distribute food supplies, and bring a smile or two to some poor children.


 * I know going to Iraq will be incredibly risky. There are thousands of people there that desperately want my head. There are millions of people there that mildly prefer my demise merely because I am American. Nevertheless, I will go there to love and help my neighbor in distress, if that endangers my life, so be it ...


 * If I know what is needed and what is right, but do not act on my moral conscience, I would be a hypocrite. I must do what I say decent individuals should do. I want to live my days so that my nights are not full of regrets. Therefore, I must go. -->