When Imams Fly

Air marshals, pilots and security officials yesterday expressed concern that airline passengers and crews will be reluctant to report suspicious behavior aboard for fear of being called “racists,” after several Muslim imams made that charge in a press conference Monday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Six imams, or Muslim holy men, accused a US Airways flight crew of inappropriately evicting them from a flight last week in Minneapolis after several passengers said the imams tried to intimidate them by loudly praying and moving around the airplane. The imams urged Congress to enact laws to prohibit ethnic and religious “profiling.”
Federal air marshals and others yesterday urged passengers to remain vigilant to threats.
“The crew and passengers act as our additional eyes and ears on every flight,” said a federal air marshal in Las Vegas, who asked that his name not be used. “If [crew and passengers] are afraid of reporting suspicious individuals out of fear of being labeled a racist or bigot, then terrorists will certainly use those fears to their advantage in future aviation attacks.”
But Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Muslims “have to walk around on eggshells in public just because we don’t want to be misconstrued as suspicious. You have to strike a balance between legitimate fears which people may have, but not allow passengers to have so much discretion that they can trigger a process that would violate a traveler’s basic civil rights.”

“Violating a traveler’s basic rights” would include hijacking or blowing their airplane up, too, right? So I think safety and following the rules (or else…) trumps CAIR’s pitiful whining. Especially over six assholes who brought that unwelcome ‘attention’ on themselves. People would have been reporting K-Fed if he’d acted like that. Matter of fact, he’s the poster child for profiling ~ as soon as you see him you think ‘SCUMBAG‘.

My brain doesn’t automatically flash “terrorist” when I see a fuzzy cleric or the 7-11 Pakistani guy. I don’t start thinking that way until they get unruly on my airplane.
So in the spirit of the Friday FO thread, I nominate CAIR.
Via LGF.

2 Responses to “When Imams Fly”

1. terrorfree says:

   December 1, 2006 at 10:01 pm

   Islamonazi CAIR Relentlessly Undermining Airline Security
   http://www.terrorfreeoil.org/videos/MS112106-2.php – MSNBC video
   Free Patriotic Corner Banners: http://www.terrorfreeoil.org/cb/

2. Gunslinger says:

   December 2, 2006 at 1:04 am

   “But Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Muslims “have to walk around on eggshells in public just because we don’t want to be misconstrued as suspicious. ”
   Meanwhile, Muslims who understand and practice the old adage “Treat others as you would have yourself be treated” have not a single problem getting about anywhere.
   I must say, CAIR sure has adapted well since they sound like any other left-wing organization with a hard on for selling victimization by the shovel-full.