Six Muslim Clerics Removed from USAir Flight for Praying

[Andy9o8 2]

Was this necessary?

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/six-muslims-removed-from-flight-for/n20061121043009990003?ncid=NWS00010000000001

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Six Muslims Removed From Flight for Praying
By STEVE KARNOWSKI
AP
MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 21) - Six Muslim imams were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Monday and questioned by police for several hours before being released, a leader of the group said.

The six were among passengers who boarded Flight 300, bound for Phoenix, around 6:30 p.m., airport spokesman Pat Hogan said.

A passenger initially raised concerns about the group through a note passed to a flight attendant, according to Andrea Rader, a spokeswoman for US Airways. She said police were called after the captain and airport security workers asked the men to leave the plane and the men refused.

"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," said Omar Shahin, of Phoenix.

The six Muslim scholars were returning from a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, president of the group. Five of them were from the Phoenix-Tempe area, while one was from Bakersfield, Calif., he said.

Three of them stood and said their normal evening prayers together on the plane, as 1.7 billion Muslims around the world do every day, Shahin said. He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam.

"I never felt bad in my life like that," he said. "I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."

[mnealtx 0]

Since the United States has moved from "freedom of religion" to "freedom FROM religion"... why not?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[steveorino 7]

Probably not, but what would they have done if six charasmatics coming home from a Rodney Brown meeting stood up speaking in tongues and rolling down the ailses in a prayer time as they are known to do at times. Hey, throw in a few snake handlings for good measure.

steveOrino

[Royd 0]

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Since the United States has moved from "freedom of religion" to "freedom FROM religion"... why not?

You've got to love a two way street.

[Butters 0]

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"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," said Omar Shahin, of Phoenix.

Stop whining!

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He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam.

Muslims standing in a plane praying together ... what did they think would happen? Not everyone knows everything about Islam and not everyone is going to know everything about Islam.

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"I never felt bad in my life like that," he said. "I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."

Stop whining!

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[vpozzoli 0]

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Probably not, but what would they have done if six charasmatics coming home from a Rodney Brown meeting stood up speaking in tongues and rolling down the ailses in a prayer time as they are known to do at times. Hey, throw in a few snake handlings for good measure.

I don't know, maybe politely asked them to stop instead of throwing them off the plane?
Just an idea.

Vale

[StreetScooby 5]

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"I never felt bad in my life like that," he said. "I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."

In practical terms, I say fuck 'em. Let them get over it. We have to be senstitive to their feelings, but they can't be sensitive to other peoples feelings that are based upon experience (...hey, you're really making me feel uncomfortable due to 9/11)? We ALL have to give a little bit to get along. They deliberately chose not to. They could have said their prayers with their eyes closed.

We are all engines of karma

[StreetScooby 5]

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Hey, throw in a few snake handlings for good measure.

LOL!!!

BTW - never pick up a snake unless the ether is still working

We are all engines of karma

[SpeedRacer 1]

WTF were they doing that was so scary???

Speed Racer
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[billvon 2,991]

>In practical terms, I say fuck 'em. Let them get over it.

Take the opposite case.

A nervous woman pulls out a rosary during takeoff and starts praying. She is arrested after the plane lands for disobeying a flight attendant's instructions to "stow all carry-on items." Fuck her, too?

[StreetScooby 5]

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A nervous woman pulls out a rosary during takeoff and starts praying. She is arrested after the plane lands for disobeying a flight attendant's instructions to "stow all carry-on items." Fuck her, too?

That's an excellent question, Bill.

Nervous little old Catholic ladies have never caused the deaths of 1000s of innocent people. Likewise, when their ilk did so, it was dealt with from within.

We are all engines of karma

[steveorino 7]

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Probably not, but what would they have done if six charasmatics coming home from a Rodney Brown meeting stood up speaking in tongues and rolling down the ailses in a prayer time as they are known to do at times. Hey, throw in a few snake handlings for good measure.

I don't know, maybe politely asked them to stop instead of throwing them off the plane?
Just an idea.

Vale

I agree. I'm not sure we have all the facts here. Were they asked and refused. Were they simply told to get off the plane the second they stood up to pray outloud?

steveOrino

[rehmwa 2]

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> nervous woman pulls out a rosary during takeoff and starts praying. She is arrested after the plane lands for disobeying a flight attendant's instructions to "stow all carry-on items." Fuck her, too?

If it's in the rules, then treat her like any other - ask her to stop. If she becomes belligerent and insists, the arrested her little old ass.

However, I don't think a rosary is in that list. Or I've been dodging some bullets while reading a book on takeoff and landing.

What's the whole story? Were the iman's requested to tone it down? Were they uptight and acted poorly? Did they insist on facing mecca and thus turned sideways or around and cause a ruckus? Or were they quiet and respectful of those around them? Were any of them breastfeeding? I don't know.

Shouldn't the flight crew have the option to make the call?

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[shropshire 0]

So all Muslims should be treated the same because a handfull commited atrocious acts on 11/9?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Butters 0]

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>In practical terms, I say fuck 'em. Let them get over it.

Take the opposite case.

A nervous woman pulls out a rosary during takeoff and starts praying. She is arrested after the plane lands for disobeying a flight attendant's instructions to "stow all carry-on items." Fuck her, too?

It wasn't one Muslim, it was six Muslims, and they (three of the six) were standing and praying together.

Which group is responsible for hijacking the most amount of airplanes? Which group is responsible for for hijacking the airplanes on 9/11?

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[SpeedRacer 1]

from the info in the article, there is no indication that the imams were doing anything scary or disruptive.

maybe something else was going on, but if it was just 6 guys praying, that's just not enough.

Speed Racer
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[shropshire 0]

Well as you seem to know... how many aircraft have been hijacked by each ethnic/religeous group?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[billvon 2,991]

>Nervous little old Catholic ladies have never caused the deaths
>of 1000s of innocent people.

You might want to research who pulled off the 2004 bombings that downed two airliners in Russia.

[billvon 2,991]

>If it's in the rules, then treat her like any other - ask her to stop. If
>she becomes belligerent and insists, the arrested her little old ass.

I agree.

>However, I don't think a rosary is in that list.

Right - neither is standing and praying in the middle of a flight.

>Shouldn't the flight crew have the option to make the call?

Of course; in the air they are in charge. But once they land, if they acted unreasonably, then action gets taken against _them._

As you said, the details are what's important. If the religious folk in this case started arguing with the flight crew, refused to sit down, threatened them etc then such actions are not inappropriate. Oddly, people here are arguing not that they may have done something inappropriate, but that "people like that are killers; of course it's OK to treat them differently." Which, to me, is a sad (but perhaps expected) take on this incident.

[Scoop 0]

The aircraft is private property and as such the management can refuse service to whoever they like and forcibly eject people if neccesary. The fact is passengers were nervous by their behaviour and complained so they were removed which resolved the issue and allowed the plane to carry on its merry journey stress free.

Seems like a good solution to me by the company.

People do feel scared when they see things like that, you can imagine what they are thinking and concerned about. Whilst not wanting to prevent religious expression you would have thought common sense would have them pray prior to boarding the aircraft or 'toning it down' a bit. What did they imagine people would think?

If you went in a shop making people feel uneasy by, for example staring. Thats not illegal either, but would upset the customers in which case if they don't want you to remain on the property any longer you will leave one way or another.

I personally think people should stop having little PC outcries about how this & that was outrageous when really in the back of your mind, you'd have the same concerns. You never know, that person that had the balls to share their concerns might have saved lives on any other occasion

[rehmwa 2]

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>Oddly, people here are arguing not that they may have done something inappropriate, but that "people like that are killers; of course it's OK to treat them differently."

I haven't argued that, you haven't argued that, and I see a lot of posts that are asking for details and not passing instant judgment.

My assumption is that people are not courteous and also are jerks. So I'm assuming the iman's made a self-righteous display. Ditto for the public breast feeder. Ditto for the obnoxious passenger who drand too much. It's not what they are claiming the issue is, rather their bevavior during and after it. But I'd like to confirm that.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[TrophyHusband 0]

if i was on a plane where three middle eastern men stood up and started praying in unison, i would be pretty fucking nervous. all political correctness aside, recent history has taught us that middle eastern men commit the vast majority of terrorist attacks against americans. if it had been little old ladies with rosaries that flew into the wtc, they would be the ones to make me nervous. my suggestion is that the mainstream mulsim community stand up against the extemist that are pissing on their religion. if they showed the same outrage for someone commiting terrorist acts in the name of islam as they showed for a picture of mohammed or towards the pope for quoting an ancient text, maybe this sort of shit wouldn't happen. until then, they will have to live with an occasional embarassing situation.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[Butters 0]

I am treating them as people who do not understand that different situations require different actions and their actions were inappropriate given the situation and recent events.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[shropshire 0]

Nice new avitar...... Brain on a Chain


If we are going to pick on people because they are different and cause some spineless dickheads to be a liitle nervous.. then we are on a slippery slope.
People are going to be dead scared on friday then, when I get on carrying my rig

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[billvon 2,991]

>I am treating them as people who do not understand that different
>situations require different actions and their actions were
>inappropriate given the situation and recent events.

Would you be willing to not speak english on a flight to Saudi Arabia, because arabs are made nervous by the people who have recently killed hundreds of thousands of Arabs? Would you be OK with being arrested at the other end because you didn't understand that speaking english traumatized an Iraqi on the flight who had his mother killed by a US bomb?

Or using the previous poster's example - would you be OK being arrested because you carried your parachute on board, causing people to think that you will destroy the aircraft and parachute to safety? Isn't that thoughtless, given the 9/11 attacks?

I have no problem arresting people who threaten flight attendants, disturb the cockpit crew etc. I DO have a problem arresting people who make other people nervous. That's your problem, not theirs.