Melva Underbakke
Dec. 21, 2003

On Christmas Day, the Al-Arian family usually spends the day together relaxing over breakfast and watching the Christmas parades. This year will be different. Sami Al-Arian will spend most of the day shivering in his very cold cell, one of two people at the federal prison at Coleman who do not have jackets.(The other is cellmate Sameeh Hamoudeh.) The guards all wear wool jackets, but the inmates also have jackets – except for Sami and Sameeh. They are also the only two inmates who have not been convicted of anything.

While Sami waits in his cell, his wife and five children will begin
the hour and a half drive from Tampa to Coleman. When they arrive at
the prison, they are put in a very small room to wait for Sami. The
room is approximately 4 by 5 feet, and only has room for two chairs.
The room is crowded, and the family takes turns sitting down. After
a wait of one to one and a half hours, Sami is finally brought to
the visiting area. The family’s first view of him will be when he
enters the room, shackled and with his hands cuffed behind him. Once
he is in the room, the guards remove the handcuffs and lock the door
behind him.

The children will not be hugging their father because there is a
glass window between them. They also won’t be talking to him right
away, because the only way to talk to him is over a telephone. There
is only one telephone, so Nahla and the five children take turns
talking to Sami. While one person is talking to him, the rest cannot
hear what he is saying.

They will stay about two and a half hours, in this very stressful
situation, taking turns talking to Sami, taking turns sitting down,
trying to find space to stand and space to move around when it is
time to play musical chairs. This is very difficult for all of them,
but it is especially difficult for Lama, who is only ten years old.

These visits are difficult, but they are very important, because
these are the only visits Sami is allowed. The convicted prisoners
can be visited by anyone, but Sami is only allowed to see his
immediate family. Friends and other relatives are not allowed to
see him. The visits are also important because Sami is only allowed
one phone call a month.