The Citizen Page #7

I have to defend myself, Earl.

You have to let me speak.

I've already told you

that would backfire.

Putting you on the stand will just

play right into Winston's hands.

H-He...

He'll just eat you alive.

It's my life

he's trying to destroy here.

If the judge doesn't hear my voice,

he will believe all of his lies.

But... I don't think

you fully appreciate the risk...

Risk?

You think

I don't understand risk?

Don't you think that

I took the huge risk already...

to be here in this country?

I know exactly what it is.

Come on.

This is not the time to be safe.

Come on.

If I lose without having

the chance to speak,

I will not be able

to live with myself.

Earl Miller.

Is this the attorney

representing Ibrahim Jarrah?

Yes. Who is this?

This is Ibrahim's cousin,

Rashad.

Rashad.

The story is

all over the news,

and I don't know how

to get ahold of Ibrahim.

Please.

You have to hear me out.

Yes, please go ahead.

A judge will

soon decide the fate of Mr. Jarrah.

We cannot have cameras

inside the courtroom,

so we're not sure

exactly what's going on.

But I can tell you,

things are certainly starting to get ugly.

Ibrahim Jarrah has been

in the country for quite some time...

as a student and as a worker.

He won the...

Ibrahim,

I want to talk to you

about something,

and I want you to be

totally honest with me, okay?

Is there anything else about this case

that's pertinent that I should be aware of?

Of course not.

I told you everything. Why?

Well, this case is already

getting very complicated,

and I don't want

any more surprises.

So if there's something

you want to tell me, just...

What are you talking about?

I got a call

from your cousin this morning.

- Rashad?

- Mm-hmm.

What did he say?

Well, it's not good.

Rashad let someone stay in his

apartment a few days before...

a few days before 9/11.

A friend of a friend apparently.

Rashad said he didn't

know it at the time, but...

turns out this guy

helped plan the attacks.

Why didn't he call me?

I asked him the same thing.

He says as soon as he found out,

But he never mentioned anything to

you about this guy, nothing at all?

Mention what? He did not even bother

to pick me up from the airport.

Well, he said he did,

but he went to the wrong one.

What kind of excuse?

He should have called me.

I told him where I was staying.

He did. But that's not important now.

What's important is that...

we discuss this

before I put you on the stand.

You will?

Yeah.

I thought about what you said, and...

I realized it was inevitable.

So, look, I want you

to defend yourself.

Don't try to play the hero.

Just keep your answers

simple and to the point,

because I don't want that little weasel in

there twisting your words around, okay?

Just follow my lead.

All right, come on.

Mr. Jarrah,

kindly tell the court,

in your own words,

how long have you dreamt

of being an American citizen?

Since I was 12 years old.

And what happened to you

when you were 12?

At that time

Lebanese civil war was so bad...

we had to live

in a shelter.

So many bombs.

Too much shooting.

My father made sure that

we sleep on the kitchen floor,

away from the windows,

so the missiles

could not hit us at night.

Although I managed to stay safe,

one morning

our house was bombed,

and both my parents

were killed.

I knew this was no way to live,

so I began to study

a lot at school...

so I could move away.

I see.

And how did you feel...

when you learned that the country that you

fought so hard to become a citizen of...

sought to deport you?

I was devastated,

and confused.

Can you elaborate, please?

Even after being detained for

a crime that I did not commit,

I still wanted to stay here

and become a citizen.

I thought to myself,

"This country's just

going through a crisis,

and one day I will have my

freedoms like everyone else."

And now they say,

"You hate all freedoms."

Why would I spend my whole life

dreaming about freedoms that I hate?

And what would you

say to those Americans...

who think that you should be sent

back to Lebanon immediately?

I would just ask them

to remember...

what they had to go through

to become an American citizen.

What I want to say...

I respect the laws of this country

in a way that only an immigrant can.

Good.

Thank you, Mr. Jarrah.

No further questions,

Your Honor.

Mr. Winston,

you may cross-examine the witness.

Good morning.

Prior to your arrival

in 2001,

had you made any other

visits to this country?

No.

Did your duties as an auto

mechanic in any way necessitate...

a relocation

to the United States?

Would you please

repeat the question?

What brought you

to this country?

Mr. Jarrah,

why are you here?

I wanted to become an American.

I see.

So you thought you could

reverse a lifetime...

of personal failures

by starting over in America.

Failures?

Well, isn't it true...

that you were unable

to earn a decent wage...

in Lebanon,

Syria or Kuwait...

despite having earned

a business degree?

What made you think you would be

guaranteed a better life in America?

What made the Pilgrims think

they would have a better life...

when they came here in 1621?

What made the immigrants from nearly

every country in Europe and Asia...

come here to Ellis Island?

They knew there were no guarantees.

They came anyway.

And now 40% of

the United States population...

can be traced back

to these immigrants.

Thank you for that fascinating

history lesson, Mr. Jarrah.

But let's return to

the 21st century for a moment.

On the morning you arrived,

did you not attend

an antigovernment rally?

Yes, I did.

Considering your nationality,

and the fact that you were

shouting anti-American rhetoric...

on the streets of New York

the day before September 11,

why should

God-fearing Americans believe...

that someone like you

wishes no harm to their country?

Would you please clarify?

When you say "anti-American,"

do you mean that criticizing the president means

that someone doesn't care about this country?

No!

What I mean...

And when you say

someone like me,

do you mean someone from a part

of the world that you fear...

because simply you do not

wish to understand?

What I mean is...

And when you say

"God-fearing Americans,"

do you mean that I worship

an inferior god to yours?

I never said that.

And when you say "the day before 9/11,"

do you mean that I'm somehow

connected to this event?

Mr. Jarrah,

there are lingering

questions about you.

Based on your question,

you have gone against freedom of speech,

freedom of religion...

and the process of law

at the same time.

I cannot answer such

an un-American question...

because I am here in

the United States of America,

where the Bill of Rights

must be respected,

where anyone can be president,

regardless of his color.

Perhaps you should read up

on the Constitution...

before you come up

with your next question.

- Your Honor.

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