RIYADH, 12 July 2004 — Saudi students returning from the US have spoken of shocking treatment at the hands of the FBI. Among other things, they complain of discrimination against them once they identify themselves as Saudis.
Ibrahim Al-Toeimi, a finance and banking student at the University of Tampa, Florida, told Arab News the FBI would conduct random searches of his home once or twice a month. “They would come and knock on my door any day at any time... there was one occasion when they came to my house at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning.” Without any warrants or justification, the FBI would proceed to search the apartment with a fine toothcomb.
“They used to open my closet and search the pockets of my clothes to make sure I wasn’t hiding anything. They would go through my drawers and even check my shoes,” Ibrahim continued.
“Once they took all my CDs and played them one at a time to check what’s on them.” When he asked them why, he was told: “It is part of our procedure.”
He went on to describe how agents would search his bathroom, kitchen and even checked under the carpet. “When they finished searching the place they would question me where I’d been and what I’d done.... they would ask me where my money came from and what I’d spent it on,” Ibrahim said. “The thing is that they know every detail about you but they ask you anyway just to make you nervous.”
Abdul Aziz Al-Shammary, an engineering student at the University of Central Florida, recently returned, but said he did not do so willingly; he was deported. Al-Shammary comes from a well-off family. Once he traveled to the US, he continued to live the upscale life he was accustomed to in the Kingdom.
During a random search, the FBI questioned him where his money came from and how he was able to afford his lifestyle. Al-Shammary simply replied that his father sent him money, and this led to the question of how his father was able to afford to send him such large amounts. “He was insinuating that my father was dishonest,” he said. The comment led to a heated argument that eventually provided a reason to deport him. Al-Shammary is now banned from the US for seven years.
Faleh Al-Makhazim, another student who was deported from the US, said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. While taking a walk to the local store, Faleh was picked up by the police and accused of car theft. “Apparently I fitted the description of a guy who stole a car from that area earlier that day,” he recalled. “I was taken to the police station and questioned. They treated me like I was a murderer or something.”
The woman whose car was stolen could not positively identify him as the thief, he said, and lack of evidence meant they could not keep him in custody, so instead they deported him. “When I asked why I was being forced to leave, they said that they know I stole the car but couldn’t prove it, and since I had no respect for their laws I had no business being in their country.”
Besides being targeted for random searches, Saudis frequently encounter discrimination in the US. “Once they know you’re Saudi you can see the change of attitude in their faces,” said Faleh. “The way they look and talk to you, the way they serve you... it all changes once they know your nationality,” he said.
When these three students were asked why they did not take legal action to protect their rights, they said they were all scholarship students sponsored by the Saudi government. Before leaving Saudi Arabia, all scholarship students are required to sign a waiver stating that they cannot take any legal action against the Government of the United States or any office under its control.
