USA vs. Al-Arian

USA vs. Al-Arian is a gripping 2007 documentary, directed by Norwegian director Line Halvorsen. The film runs for 100 minutes and primarily revolves around the confrontations and trials of Sami Al-Arian, a computer engineering professor at the University of South Florida, in a post-9/11 America. While being fiercely evocative, the documentary remains emphatically apolitical in its storytelling approach, acting as a stark reminder of the circumstances that unfolded during a critical period in American history.

The film opens with Sami Al-Arian's backstory. As a respected academic and active member of his local community in Tampa, Florida, his life takes a sharp turn after the 9/11 attacks. Suddenly this professor, who once lived peacefully with his wife, Nahla, and five children, becomes the prime target for the federal government's counter-terrorism campaign. Being an advocate for Palestinian rights put Al-Arian in the crosshairs of a very complex and political situation. He also faced allegations of supporting terrorist organizations, further heightening the tension around him.

The title character, Sami Al-Arian, may be the central focus of the documentary, yet Abdullah Al-Arian, Laila Al-Arian, and Lama Al-Arian take up a significant portion of the narrative on-screen. These are Al-Arian's children who illuminate different facets of his personality and the domestic hardships they faced as a family. Their testimony weaves a family-centered narrative, making the movie not only about a single man's fight against the system but also about a family's struggle to stay united amidst adversity.

Abdullah, Laila, and Lama display immense courage and resilience throughout the movie and provide poignant interviews that lend an emotional depth to the narrative. The film explores the children's experiences as they deal with the incarceration of their father, social ostracism, and adjustment to life after his arrest. Balancing their normal lives with the mounting legal complexities around their father becomes an integral part of the narrative.

However, USA vs. Al-Arian is not simply a personal canvas that paints the turmoil of the Al-Arian family. It is also a public examination of civil liberties and human rights in a post-9/11 world. It carefully underscores the broad strokes of fear and discrimination that wave across the United States after 9/11, and people from the Middle East or of the Muslim faith bear the brunt of it.

The film effectively juxtaposes the personal with the political. This is underscored by the incorporation of various elements that further augment the narrative. News footage, newscasts, talk show interviews, legal documents, courtroom sketches, and home videos help the viewer navigate the timeline of events that led to Al-Arian's trial. They reveal acts of racial profiling, prejudice, and the impacts of the Patriot Act.

Throughout the runtime, the audience will grapple with the stark realities of detention without charges, the challenges of law enforcement in deciphering genuine threats from racial bias, and the high-wire act of preserving national security without infringing on individual rights and freedoms.

Halvorsen's documentary is nonjudgmental and leaves room for viewers to form their own opinions. Its cerebral style leads to more questions rather than providing easy answers. USA vs. Al-Arian intends to put the American justice system under the microscope, offering a microcosmic illustration of the troubled times post-9/11 through the life of the Al-Arian family.

In conclusion, USA vs. Al-Arian is an emotionally resonant, reflective, and thought-provoking documentary that presents a poignant tale of a Muslim-Palestinian academic enmeshed in a counter-terrorism crackdown post-9/11. It is an intimate exposition of the Al-Arian family's trials. It recounts how they struggled and persevered despite the prejudice and fear consuming their American society. This film not only sparks interest but also prompts discourse around freedom, rights, and the long-lasting effects of international events on everyday lives.