MES Film Series presents: USA vs. Al-Arian

Directed by Line Halvorsen, 102 minutes. This documentary is a close portrait of an Arab-American family facing terrorism charges leveled by the US Government. In February 2003, the FBI arrested university professor and political activist Sami Al-Arian in Tampa, Florida. Charged with supporting terrorism, he was placed in solitary confinement for two and a half years before he received a trial. The film follows Al-Arian, his wife Nahla and their five children through the 6-month-long trial and the difficult period after the verdict. It is a personal story of a family, who like many Muslims in the US today, are fighting against increasing stigmatization and discrimination in a post 911-climate.