An American in Abu Dhabi, he found himself frightened even though the other prisoners were sleeping. Movie scenes from “Midnight Express” and “Brubaker” swirled through his head.
He sat at a table in the common area, waiting for the others to wake, not knowing what the reaction would be to his presence.
His crime
Black, who has a degree in architecture, three master’s degrees and a doctorate in educational psychology, was in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates, for October’s Creative Thinkers Conference. He was to present a workshop and emcee the event.
On a Tuesday morning, the 70-year-old got up early to take a walk in the neighborhoods near his hotel. An avid photographer, Black took his camera to snap photos of houses and a couple of the mosques he passed.
When he left the second mosque, he was approached by a man in uniform. He motioned Black to get into a camouflaged truck.
“I had no idea what he wanted,” Black said, “but never felt threatened so I got in.”
He was driven a short distance to a building with a sign out front that read “Reception.” He waited about an hour before he was guided back outside and told, “Do not photograph security areas.”
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He was fined 500 dirham, around $1,135 dollars, the minimum fine allowed by allow. It was later waived because of time served.
It took about 28 hours to get fully processed, and Black immediately made his way to the airport and flew back home to Athens, Georgia.
Black was grateful about how quickly his case was ultimately resolved, he said. Some of the prisoners he met had been in prison for years, and many still hadn’t seen their case presented in court.
The support of his family and friends was important, Black said, but he considered prisoner such as Kousai his “angels.” It was their generosity of spirit, humor and kindness that made a bad situation tolerable.
The episode reinforced Black’s belief that while differences exist among cultures, in the end “we are all human beings.”
“Sometimes it takes something like this to show you people will reach out when you need it,” he said. “It’s important to be open to your emotions and know people care.”
Black plans to keep in touch with some of the men he met in prison, he said, and has already Skyped with Kousai, who was recently released and is back in Damascus.
