A round of applause for Los Angeles cab driver, Afghan immigrant Haider Sediqi, who handed over a pouch of diamonds he found in the back seat of his cab to the police. Shortly after dropping off a fare at LAX, he found the small brown pouch, opened it only to find the diamonds worth some $350,000 and immediately called the police.
The haul was returned to its relieved and grateful owner, New York jewellery trader Eric Austein, airport police said.
Other people's jewels are "not what you earned," Sediqi told the Los Angeles Times. "Someone else earned that."
That is crazy ... I almost cannot believe that an arab didn't steal stuff. But big hoorahs to that one arab! I can't hardly belive there's an arab who won't steal American's stuff. Maybe there is hope for arabs after all.
Posted by: Tom Dooley at November 19, 2005 3:13 AMThis Immigrant and your story inspired me to post this on our blogsite with My comments.
We Need Immigrants like Afghan immigrant Haider Sediqi. This is the type of Immigrant that makes the country great.
Posted by: Paul and Donna Herrmann at November 19, 2005 4:19 AMWow. Yeah. We need more suckers in this country.
Diamonds are "earned" all right: from tribal wars, from blood and murder. Good thing someone who traded in diamonds didn't suffer a financial setback.
Antiquated notions of morality are antiquated for a reason: they don't make sense in the modern world.
And I think we've put arabs through enough bullshit already. Keep the diamonds next time.
Don't worry, we'll take your countries and your resources.
It will be a fair deal.
Posted by: marshall at November 19, 2005 9:39 AMyep,
marshall hit the nail on the freakin head !!!
I can't believe the racism here. This isn't a story about an immigrant -- it's about a person who did the right thing. His country of origin and religion are immaterial.
And regarding Marshall's comment; yes, it was the right thing. Here's a breakdown of your argument: stealing is OK (for a cabbie) because stealing is wrong (for a diamond merchant). If that's the new morality you're proposing, then I think I'll stick with the "antiquated notions."
Signed,
A Liberal Democrat who (unlike Marshall) is not retarded
I don't even think Afghanis consider themselves to be arab. muslim yes, arab no. The arabs live in North Africa and the middle east. then there's Iran which is a persian country not arab. then there's afghanistan.
you all are stupid and its really pathetic how little you know about Islam, Afghanistan, the middle East as a whole after 4 years of war in the region
Edgar D's sign-off statement may be one of
the funnier things I read today... something great
about the name "Marshall".
Morality is a farce for people in power.
Don't give the bloodsucker his diamonds back, sell them and use the profits to do something good.
Larry and Edgar, go back to the 1950's where you belong with your bullshit bourgeois morality.
There's something funny about the name Edgar. Ooh or Larry. How creative. You really do sound like characters out of a 1950's sitcom. Perhaps that's where you belong.
These news stories are trite and full of horse shit. Where are the stories about Sierra Leone, where the diamond industry operates through atrocity daily? Where are the news stories about the utterly corrupt and despicable underpinnings of the capitalist system that exploits millions of people all across the world in order the feed the greed of a few?
You comfortable Liberals and Conservatives can suck my cock. You've been so conditioned by your corporate postmodern BS culture that you have no idea what real morality would even look like. Your leader is a Christian who behaves in a Satanic fashion, and EVERY moral underpinning of your society is completely disregarded by the forces CONTROLLING your society.
Stop being suckers. And stop labelling yourself with herd names like Liberal and Conservative. Stand on your own two feet like a man and say something intelligent, Edgar and Larry.
Posted by: Marshall at November 20, 2005 1:28 PM"Stop being suckers. And stop labelling yourself with herd names . . . . Stand on your own two feet like a man and say something intelligent"
Haider Sediqi said more about himself, and I don't think he was considering anyone else's opinion or how any of us would regard him. And for the resat of us, let's be careful with those razors when we look ourselves in the mirror.
Posted by: padraigq at November 21, 2005 7:47 AMThis is a quote from Haider Sediqi: "God is up there. He always watches." sums up his actions and motivations.
I am sorry for some people that is not enough. If you do not believe in morality or even a Higher Presence fine, but don't expect the rest of the world to follow you.
Marshall it amazes me that automatically you have been programmed to believe that just because this man had those diamonds in his posession he is a bloodsucker. I mean hell, from the way you talk about everyone I could jump to the conclusion that you are a petty prick.
But I won't, because I, like Haider believe that there is a Higher being who is aware of us and what actions we take.
So enjoy Marshall, hate people who have more than you and preach your own version of morality. But remember the rest of the world shares similar moral beliefs.
Quran quote: "Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
Bible quote: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Talmud quote: Despise no man and consider nothing impossible, for there is no man who does not have his hour and there is no thing that does not have its place.
Buddhist quote: Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.
Taoist quote: The world often seems far from ideal with very little we can do about it. The sage sees beyond this illusion knowing that our every thought and action creates tomorrow's world
Posted by: Leigh at November 21, 2005 2:18 PMMarshall,
If you think capitalism is bad, please see what your great communism has done to people: Cuba, the Soviet Union, and China. Capitalism only hurts as long aw we let it hurt people because the consumer has the true power. If we do not buy, the power simply goes away from those who are selling. With communism, you have no choice but to accept it because when you establish a communistic economy, you also invariably establish a totalitarian regime.
Also, please tell me all the bad stuff that we have done to Arabs/Muslims. It seems so commonplace to say that these days, but no one writes exactly what we have done.
It is always great to hear when a person makes the right choice when given such a chance. My hat goes off to this man. I wish him the best and hope that others follow in his footsteps!
Posted by: BNolan at December 1, 2005 5:25 PM