Culture Vulture: Samoans ban Jesus?

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The backlash of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon have affected many people of Middle East origin in a number of different ways. But just when you think you have seen it all, another idiotic edict comes along.

This one, if you are a potential terrorist, or of Middle Eastern descent, might force you to alter your Christmas holiday travel plans.

American Samoa, a tiny unincorporated U.S. territory, and a former German colony in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, mostly known for its dire need of Jenny Craig and other similar weight-watcher programs, has decided to ban entrance to its territory to all persons of Middle Eastern descent.

This could be potentially bad news for Samoan Christians, because under these new directives, this would include Jesus Christ, who was, of course, born, raised, died and resurrected in Palestine.

Jesus's real name was Isa, or Yeshua, if you prefer the Hebrew transliteration of the name. But please keep in mind that Jesus, or Isa/Yeshau spoke Aramaic, a language currently spoken in parts of Iraq. Yes, Iraq, the country we are about to go to war with. This is definitely black-listable Middle Eastern Levantine material according to the leaders in Pago Pago, the idyllic little port capital city of the territory populated by about 68,000 people.

Although he was known by his single name, Jesus, today, he would have additionally been known by his father's name as well as by the town from which he originated. Thus, his real name would have been Isa/Yeshua bar Yousef el Nasri i.e., from Nazareth. You simply don't get any more Middle Eastern than that.

So, bah humbug, and happy Christmas to you too, American Samoa.

Christmas being a time of enlightenment, let me enlighten you on some of the background events leading up to this latest saga.

On Aug. 7, American Samoan Attorney General Fiti Sunia issued an alert denying entrance to all persons of Middle Eastern descent. Samoa being so far away, it took a while for the news to hit the front pages back on the mainland.

Also, I guess, people of Middle Eastern descent are just not queuing up to visit the island, though according to Jennifer Salan, a spokeswoman for the Arab American Institute, there is ONE man of Arab descent currently living on the island. And to complicate matters even more, he is married to a Jewish woman.

Anyway, under current American Samoan policy, Arab Americans -- including Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, OMB Director Mitch Daniels and Sen.-elect John Sununu -- would be banned from entering the island. (So would Abraham and Mohammad, for that matter.)

According to the Washington-based Arab American Institute, the Samoan Attorney General cited the U.S. State Department as the cause of this discriminatory policy. The alert states, "because of reports from the U.S. State Department, until further notice or written approval from the Attorney General, American Samoa will no longer issue entry permits to any individual of Middle Eastern Descent."

The discriminatory policy came to light after the Samoa News reported that a Samoan citizen of Middle Eastern descent filed a lawsuit to force a repeal of the policy. (That's the ONE I was telling you about earlier.)

The Samoan alert goes further, institutionalizing and outlining the manner in which ethnic profiling should be used in order to keep all persons of Middle Eastern descent, regardless of nationality, from entering the island. It orders officials to "take special note of arriving passengers and all other individuals seeking entry to the territory for persons with Middle Eastern surnames and features."

AAI has written to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft asking for an immediate investigation. AAI has also written to Interior Secretary Gayle Norton and to Samoan Attorney General Sunia asking for the repeal of this offensive regulation.

"American Samoa is an unincorporated U.S. territory, and to think that they can violate U.S. law this way is outrageous," said AAI President James J. Zogby. "This is a blatantly bigoted policy, and one that should not be allowed to stand. Attorney General Sunia should apologize," added Zogby.

I think Attorney General Sunia has the wrong approach. Instead of banning them, he should encourage Middle Easterners to visit and invest in the island. Just think of the dietary benefits Middle Eastern restaurants would bring.

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