VZCZCXRO2800
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHAD #3434/01 2401234
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281234Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6725
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1100

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003434 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD 
LONDON FOR MOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC
SUBJECT:  US BLASTED IN MEDIA OVER UAE PHD STUDENT'S DETENTION AT 
LOS ANGELES AIRPORT 
 
¶1.  The detention of UAE PhD student Saif Al Sha'ali at Los Angeles 
Airport on August 21, 2006, has been extensively covered in daily, 
mostly front page articles in English and Arabic UAE print media 
August 24-28 which have frequently characterized the incident as one 
of racial/ethnic "profiling." 
 
¶2.  Representative headlines: 
 
"Victim of racial profiling will never return to US.  UAE National 
will enroll for doctorate in any other country," 
Dubai-based English daily "Gulf News" (circ 95,000), 08/26. 
 
"Saif Al-Shaali returns to UAE after getting detained for 29 hours 
in the US," Dubai-based Arabic daily "Al-Bayan" (circ 85,000), 
08/26. 
 
"Govt urged to send nationals to non-US universities for studies," 
Dubai-based English daily "Khaleej Times" (circ 80,000), 08/28. 
 
¶3.  Following articles are representative of coverage in English and 
Arabic press. 
 
¶4.  An 8/25 article in Sharjah-based Arabic daily "Al Khaleej" (circ 
90,000) under the headline: "UAE follows up with the case of the UAE 
student Al-Shaali and calls for respecting the principle of 
reciprocal treatment": 
 
"Concerned agencies in the UAE followed up with great concern the 
case of the 26 year old UAE student Saif Khalifa Al-Shaali who was 
continuing his PhD at an American university and detained this 
Wednesday morning at Los Angeles International airport for 26 hours 
because of certain suspicions which caused the cancellation of his 
visa." 
 
"An official source said to Al-Khaleej: 'The UAE expects the United 
States, along with other countries who share distinctive bilateral 
relations, to apply the principle of reciprocity given that our 
country is open to the world... and warmly and respectfully receives 
its visitors based on its balanced foreign policies and its belief 
in the ideas of communication and cooperation among peoples...  The 
UAE renounces terrorism, was one of the first countries which 
declared its position of rejecting terrorism, and took the 
initiative to develop legislation to criminalize and confront 
it...'" 
 
"He also added: 'There was a meeting that brought together a senior 
official at the UAE embassy and an official at the U.S. State 
Department wherein the latter apologized, expressing his interest in 
this topic and referring the cause of it to 'the imperatives of 
modernizing the immigration system.'  The latter speaker also asked 
the American embassy in Abu Dhabi to fully cooperate with the 
student Al-Shaali in the UAE to obtain a new visa.'" 
 
"While the source appreciated these endeavors, he expressed his 
surprise at what had happened because Al-Shaali was a student who 
had been studying in the United States for the past five years 
during which he had traveled regularly...  'When we asked the U.S. 
State Department to give us an explanation, they said that the 
student Al-Shaali chose to return to his country voluntarily, yet 
our initial information confirms that while his first choice was to 
return to UAE, his only other alternative was to continue staying at 
the detention center.'" 
 
¶5.  An 8/27 article in Sharjah-based Arabic daily "Al Khaleej" (circ 
90,000) under the headline: "Student Saif Al-Shaali in an interview 
with Al-Khaleej: "The apology of the embassy is not sufficient": 
 
"Al-Khaleej" met with Al-Shaali's family.  At the outset, the 
student expressed his regret to what had happened saying that he did 
not expect any problem because he had entered the United States 
eight times carrying the same papers without any problems.  He said 
that he had lost confidence in the American system and will not 
consider returning there.  He plans to complete his post-graduate 
studies somewhere else in the world where human values are respected 
irrespective of origin or race." 
 
"He also said that a representative from the university will visit 
the American embassy in the UAE to file a formal complaint about 
what had happened.  He added that he learned that the American 
embassy had verbally apologized and that embassy officials asked him 
to apply for a visa in order to resume his studies, yet he does not 
consider this as sufficient and that he is determined to never again 
go to the United States." 
(Note: Embassy has not apologized to nor had any contact with the Al 
Shaali family. End note.) 
 
"However, he praised the good qualities of the American people and 
the high-level of cooperation from his professors during his studies 
 
ABU DHABI 00003434  002 OF 002 
 
 
at the American university.  However, he regrets that the U.S. 
government has placed obstacles in front of Arab students, 
deliberately humiliating them and treating them like criminals in 
the framework of its campaign against the so-called terrorism." 
 
"He stressed the importance of having more security guarantees to 
protect all the students who go to study in the United States, so 
they would not have the same problem he had at the airport in Los 
Angeles." 
 
"Dr. Khalifa Al-Shaali, the father of the student, called for the 
need to look at the incident from an educational perspective, 
reflecting on the future of hundreds of students who travel to the 
US to study and obtain degrees from the universities, yet are 
exposed to insults and arrest, beatings and illogical security 
investigations.  He also thinks that the Ministry of Education must 
move in the direction of providing alternatives for students who 
wish to complete their higher education and search for alternative 
scientific disciplines at the same outstanding level in other safer 
countries that are more respectful towards Arab students..." 
 
¶6.  An 8/28 article in Dubai-based English daily "Khaleej Times" 
(circ 80,000) under the headline: "Govt urged to send nationals to 
non-US universities for studies": 
"'Meritorious UAE nationals should be given scholarships to pursue 
studies in universities outside the US,' says Saif Al Shaali, the 
latest victim of racial profiling by American authorities." 
"Apart fom US universities, we should enjoy the option to tudy in 
universities in UK and the Continent," he said. 'I didn't have a 
choice except to go to th US, because the UAE government's 
scholarship poicy is heavily tilted in favor of the US.'" 
"Al haali, who returned to Dubai along with his wife ad three 
children on Friday (August 25) after a 26-hour ordeal at Los Angeles 
International Airportand cancellation of US residence visa said, 
'undr the emerging anti-Muslim backlash in the US, UAEstudents 
should be given a choice of university nd country.'" 
"'On the one hand, the UAE government should review its choice of 
country under the scholarship policy, and on the other hand, the US 
government should treat people of ethnic backgrounds with dignity 
and respect,' states Al Shaali." 
"He pointed out that students traveling to the US to pursue higher 
education hail from affluent families and should therefore not be 
treated like criminals and terrorists because of their Middle 
Eastern descent.  He noted that a couple of his friends from other 
Gulf countries who traveled with their wives and children to the US 
have also become victims of racial profiling in the US." 
"Tightening up of security measures and 'special registration' desks 
at US airports is acceptable in the interest of America's national 
security especially after 9/11.  But, a population of around 1.2 
billion Muslims around the world should not be victimized for a 
handful of Muslims involved in the September 11 attacks in the US 
and the recent bomb threats at UK airports.  The US authorities 
should at least explain to the victims of racial profiling and those 
held in detention on 'undisclosed suspicion,' the reasons for doing 
so.  Otherwise, it is a sheer violation of human rights." 
QUINN