Group of praying imams ordered off American flight

[Blackleaf]

Group of praying imams ordered off American flight

Last updated at 12:49pm on 21st November 2006


Six imams, who had been saying their evening prayers on a plane, were removed from a US Airways flight yesterday and questioned for hours before being released.

The Muslim scholars were thrown off after a passenger expressed concern to flight crew. The captain and airport security workers asked the men to leave the plane bound for Phoenix, but the men refused so police were called. "They took us off the plane, humiliated us," said Omar Shahin.

The Muslim scholars were returning from Minneapolis where they attended a conference of the North American Imams Federation. Mr Shahin said any concerns by passengers or crew were down to ignorance about Islam.

Ibrahim Hooper, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said: "CAIR will be filing a complaint with relevant authorities to determine whether the incident was caused by anti-Muslim hysteria."

dailymail.co.uk

 

[Curiosity]

Blackleaf

It's their lucky day - they are suing the airline!!

In a normal world - the "Imam" could have made it known to the flight crew they were due to say prayers if the passengers would not be concerned - it would be a short interlude. I guess that's out of order ? I mean to be concerned about anyone except themselves.

A better idea would be to explain what the words were after prayers were said to anyone who was interested in learning something of their religion rather than being fearful of it.

If someone was going to barf - wouldn't they excuse themself and hit the john? Or at least apologize to the unfortunate seatmates???

Lord luv a duck! This is beyond ridiculous. Please don't tell me they had their rugs out on the aisle floor!

 

[Islamic_Canadian]

Blackleaf

It's their lucky day - they are suing the airline!!

In a normal world - the "Imam" could have made it known to the flight crew they were due to say prayers if the passengers would not be concerned - it would be a short interlude. I guess that's out of order ? I mean to be concerned about anyone except themselves.

A better idea would be to explain what the words were after prayers were said to anyone who was interested in learning something of their religion rather than being fearful of it.

If someone was going to barf - wouldn't they excuse themself and hit the john? Or at least apologize to the unfortunate seatmates???

Lord luv a duck! This is beyond ridiculous. Please don't tell me they had their rugs out on the aisle floor!

You don't know what the situation was, so don't even try to come up with conclusions because you don't know what was said to them, what they said to the flight crew and why the police were called.

However, since this is not the first such incident, I hope they sue the airline for millions and millions of dollars even though it is not going to bring back any respectability to the six men since they were humiliated. There was only three playing, why did all 6 Muslim men have to be removed?

I just pray to god they sue and bankrupt the airline.

 

[Curiosity]

Oh Please CM

Many devout religious fly public aircraft and have necessaries such as prayer duties to perform - but if they switched time zones for a bit they could have waited until the flight landed.

They could have cleared the prayer session with the attendants who would announce to the passengers what was going to happen - the unexpected by Islamic people on an aircraft does bring back some tawdry memories...and who was responsible for those?

Anyway how the heck did they know where Mecca was on an airliner 30,000 ft in the air?

Give me a break.... If they had been truly considerate of the other passengers they would have made arrangements before they began their ritual.

One woman earlier last week was removed for breastfeeding her child.... all kinds of things happen in the air. If they couldn't pray they should have taken ground transportation or rented a private plane.

How do you know ALL had to be removed. No doubt the other three immediately began the heated argument and I don't blame the air crew - they have had enough scare tactics in the past years to bother with this kind of behavior.
Either you follow the rules...or stop travelling by air. The three who didn't "pray" no doubt would not think of separating from their friends (and miss out on a lawsuit).

Next airlines are going to have passengers fill out a default/nofault release before they are allowed to board.

I just pray to god they sue and bankrupt the airline.

No doubt as you say.... that was probably a primary consideration!!

 

[Islamic_Canadian]

How do you know ALL had to be removed. No doubt the other three immediately began the heated argument and I don't blame the air crew - they have had enough scare tactics in the past years to bother with this kind of behavior.
Either you follow the rules...or stop travelling by air. The three who didn't "pray" no doubt would not think of separating from their friends (and miss out on a lawsuit).

Next airlines are going to have passengers fill out a default/nofault release before they are allowed to board.

All will be proven in a court of law, I still believe Americans believe in a court of law?

And if the imams win then the crew and the airline and the police were in the wrong.

 

[Sassylassie]

Islamic Canadian; let us reverse this tale of woe atlas it's albout Islam for one moment. You are sitting on a "crowded" Air Craft that is getting ready to take off and a group of Christian men in robes stand up and begin preaching in loud voices "God is good and all other faiths are false gods blah blah blah" would you be frightened? Society fears those who act in an inappropriate manner such as the Imams did, all they had to do was ask the Air Craft Captain to allow a few moments of prayer. Since September 11 those who fly remember seeing those planes hit the Twin Towers, and it's not an image that you can wipe from memory. Tolerance is a two way street.

 

[gopher]

This was widely reported here in Minneapolis and St Paul. There was no report of any illegal or menacing conduct on their part. But because of the Islamophobic paranoia that we see so much of today, they were harassed and illegally detained.

I also hope they sue but hopefully it will not be the local taxpayers who pay for the judgment!

 

[agentkgb]

:? That was a serious overreaction on the airline's part, like when some airline wouldn't let a passenger on unless he covered up the Arabic on his shirt.

 

[thomaska]

All will be proven in a court of law, I still believe Americans believe in a court of law?

And if the imams win then the crew and the airline and the police were in the wrong.

Are there or are there not situations where the Koran allows for missing a scheduled prayer time? Is using a little common sense too much to ask? I'm not defending the airlines actions, in fact the Airline personnel are idiots, but there is no way these guys couldn't have known that praying out loud in Arabic(if indeed they were)might make someone nervous.

And before everyone jumps all over me I would like to state again that I have relatives of Syrian descent who now live in Oman. And they think this is all a bit silly also. So save your islamophobe rhetoric, you are wasting your breath.

 

[gopher]

Here in Minneapolis, the airport authorities pride themselves on having state-of-the-art safety technology. In fact, not one safety violation has been found in anyone who has passed through the airport (at least, that's what they say). Therefore, these victims could not possibly have had any weaponry on them. And it is likely that they will say they submitted to screening and all safety rules.

Well, we'll see what happens in court.

 

[gopher]

I have relatives of Syrian descent who now live in Oman. And they think this is all a bit silly also. So save your islamophobe rhetoric, you are wasting your breath.


Nice point.:angel8:

I have mentioned that I'm 1/16th Arawak-Taino and 15/16ths Sephardic. Yet, nobody on this forum has been called an antiSemitic Jew hater more than I have.

Therefore, those critics have wasted their breath as well but it hasn't stopped them from repeating themselves.

 

[CDNBear]

I have relatives of Syrian descent who now live in Oman. And they think this is all a bit silly also. So save your islamophobe rhetoric, you are wasting your breath.


Nice point.:angel8:

I have mentioned that I'm 1/16th Arawak-Taino and 15/16ths Sephardic. Yet, nobody on this forum has been called an antiSemitic Jew hater more than I have.

Therefore, those critics have wasted their breath as well but it hasn't stopped them from repeating themselves.

So how much native do you have in you then? Or does your ethnicity change withthe topics?

 

[Curiosity]

Two things we can't refute regardless of who's cheering for whom....

1. The Imams knew exactly when prayer time was to take place;

2. The Imams booked their flight during which the prayer time was to take place.

Both situations were in their personal control.

If some dude got down on a mat in the aisle and began his prayers with his shoes removed, I wouldn't continue watching the little television screen and none of you would either...

And folks as I said before...they had other travel options.... they had their eyes on the prize!

 

[Nuggler]

the seeds are planted

:read2:Gotta great idea:

A bunch of us get on a plane somewhere in the US, one takes out a bible, and we start yellin PRAAAAAAAAZZZEEEE GEEEEEEESUSSSSS, a la televangelists everywhere. Then we start yellin, screamin, speakin in tounges, rollin on the floor.

When they chuck us off we sue big time.:evil3:

Who's with me????

Big money to be made folks, big money.........:blob6::blob6::blob6:

:mrgreen:

 

[gopher]

So how much native do you have in you then?

Read the passage you just quoted.

 

[gopher]

"Who's with me????
Big money to be made folks, big money..."


where do I sign ??????!!!!!!

 

[Nuggler]

the plot thickens

:evil3::evil3:You and Bear meet me in N.Y.. We'll go from there!!!

Lotsa room folks!! Don't push!! Lotsa room!!

:laughing7::laughing7:

 

[Curiosity]

OldNugly

Just stay north of those southern states....

If you fly through some of the good ole places... they'll join ya in your hollering and hooting...

 

[gopher]

OK, but there are certain parts of town that I would advise you to keep away from!

 

[thomaska]

OldNugly

Just stay north of those southern states....

If you fly through some of the good ole places... they'll join ya in your hollering and hooting...

Then theres the whole rattlesnake (take up serpents) sect might want to avoid them too..

But seriously just read that the Imams, three of them were praying inside the terminal, and not on the plane as the drive-by media would lead you to believe. So, somone passed a note to a stewardess, or wahtever the PC term is these days...and you know the rest.

I'm sure the note didnt say they were praying, just that they were acting "arabic" or something silly like that.

So, screw American Airlines imho, they deserve whatever they get.