Cells Without Numbers

Anwar Al-Mirabi's captors sometimes greeted him with "Good morning, terrorist." Shuffled among a half-dozen jails in three states during the last eight months, he was denied a drinking cup, mattress, and toilet paper. The businessman asked for a change of clothes, but didn't get that either. Nor did he get prompt treatment for a painful, infected mass which swelled to the size of a fist.

Al-Mirabi's wife said he's been treated like an animal. More like an axe murderer, his attorney said. The fact is, Al-Mirabi's been treated like a terrorist.

And that might be OK if he was one. But the 29-year-old Arlington resident hasn't been charged with terrorism or any other crime. Unless you want to call ignoring an immigration deadline to be with your wife during childbirth a crime.