Veteran Says He Was Forced From Business Because of Arabic Tattoo

http://www.newschief.com/article/20130411/NEWSCHIEF/130419930/0/newschief00 ^ | Thursday, April 11, 2013 | By Matthew Pleasant

[Fast5]

LAKE WALES | The Arabic word, translated simply, means "unbeliever."

Ever since Eddie Bryant had it inked across his right calf, the former National Guard member has gotten positive reactions, he said, until last week.

Bryant walked into Florida Skydiving Center on April 3 in shorts, his tattoo of the word "kafir" exposed. A group from Qatar, a Middle Eastern country with an overwhelmingly Muslim population, also was visiting.

A staffer tapped Bryant, 27, on the shoulder as he stood under a hangar at the Lake Wales business.

Would he mind seeing the manager, Betty Hill?

Hill, 59, and Bryant disagree over certain details of what happened next. But the version Bryant posted on his website has spread from blog to blog in the past week, leading to a flood of angry emails and calls to the Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales that Hill — still getting criticism a week later — never expected.

Hill and Bryant agree that in a brief conversation in her office, she asked him to cover the tattoo.

A member of the Qatari group, made up mostly of military police from the country and some civilians, she said, had quietly approached a staffer because they found the tattoo offensive.

When Bryant explained he didn't have pants to wear, both of them say, Hill suggested he cover it with a piece of duct tape.

"It seemed like a joke that anyone would suggest that," said Bryant, who has returned to his home in the Cleveland area. "But I knew she was serious."

Here's where they disagree: Bryant said when they came to the impasse, he was forced to leave.

[RoadGumby]

WHERE can I get a hat like that?!?

[Carriage Hill]

The online store where I got mine and ‘Molon Labe’ hats, is closed.

Here’s a black one:

http://www.priorservice.com/infidel-black-ball-cap.html?utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=comparisonshopping

[Carriage Hill]

Here’s a tan one:

http://mazys.com/tea-party/infidel-hats/infidel-ball-cap-khaki-with-black-embroidery?cPath=23&;

[Carriage Hill]

Olive Green:

http://mazys.com/tea-party/infidel-hats/infidel-ball-cap-olive-green-with-black-embroidery

[Fast5]

ya know, you gave a valid point. as there were 2 officers that said that this training would make a good soft target on like say Disney World? just hijack the jumper plane and in less than 30mins there ya go.

[SendShaqtoIraq]

i didn’t think he was there to work. i thought he was a customer, there to jump, just like the camel humpers.