Insensitive Imams
By Jan Larson (12/03/06)
Let’s assume that the six Muslim imams that were recently escorted off a U. S. Airways plane in Minneapolis were 100% innocent of any wrongdoing, had no intention of causing harm to anyone, were simply going about their business of returning to their homes after attending a conference and were, sadly, targeted by paranoid travelers and over-zealous security personnel based solely on the fact that they are Muslim.
Under that assumption, the finger of blame for their humiliating treatment and delay can only point in one direction – at the imams themselves.
Certainly, these six Americans – honest, hard-working, devout followers of Mohammad, must have at least heard of 9/11. They must know that it was a group of 19 fellow Muslims that were responsible for the deaths of 3000 innocent civilians on that day. Their 19 brethren terrorized passengers on four planes very similar to the U. S. Airways plane that the imams themselves boarded.
The imams must understand that airport security has been increased since 9/11 in order to prevent another group of terrorists from using similar tactics to bring down more planes and kill more civilians. The imams were subjected to those very security procedures before they began their pre-flight prayers.
These imams must understand that due to this increased security and the associated inconveniences that are brought to travelers every day that all airline passengers are much more acutely aware of the threat that potentially awaits anyone that boards a commercial airliner.
The actions of these six individuals, e.g. praying loudly before boarding the plane, sitting in seats other than their assigned seats, not sitting together, instead spreading out to the front, middle and rear of the plane, asking for seatbelt extenders when their respective girths suggested that extenders were not necessary, etc. were highly suspicious. Therefore, under the assumption of the imams’ innocence, these actions totally and inexcusably insensitive toward their fellow travelers in light of all that occurred on 9/11 and since with respect to airline travel.
So, pray tell, why would these six, honest, hard-working, devout followers of Mohammad, conduct themselves in an obvious and blatantly suspicious way before and after boarding U. S. Airways flight 300?
There are three possibilities and, unfortunately, all suggest that the assumptions of the first paragraph are incorrect.
First, the fact that three of the six had purchased one-way tickets and only one had checked a bag suggests that they were testing the behind-the-scenes airline security. Although it is possible to travel and not check a bag, it is very unusual to travel to a meeting (reference item [1] below) using one-way tickets.
Second, the behavior of the imams on the plane with respect to the way they boarded (all six boarded with the first class passengers although only one had a first class ticket), the requests for seat belt extenders, that they did not all sit in their assigned seats, etc. suggests that they were testing on-plane security procedures.
Third, the immediate rush to present their story to the media (see statement from U. S. Airways passenger “Pauline” in item [2] below) and the presentation of themselves as victims of discrimination indicates that while they made or may not have any intentions of actually bringing down the plane, they may have sought to either (1) extort money from U. S. Airways, and/or (2) elicit public sympathy which would lessen suspicion of similar behavior by others on future flights, ostensibly to pave the way for others to carry out a hijacking.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), who never leaves home with out a deck of race cards in her purse, said that the 9/11 attacks, “cannot be permitted to be used to justify racial profiling, harassment and discrimination of Muslim and Arab Americans.”
Rep. Jackson-Lee, as is often the case, is way off base in her outrage. This case is not about racial profiling, it was about behavior profiling. If you don’t think so, try walking into your bank wearing a bulky coat and ski mask. You’ll be profiled no matter your race, age or gender.
Is it possible that these six were completely innocent of any nefarious intentions? I suppose so, but the entire incident smells funny and I, for one, am not laughing. If something similar happens on another flight, I sincerely hope that the passengers and crew act accordingly. I know I would.
[1] Police report: http://pajamasmedia.com/upload/2006/12/FlyingImamsPolice%20Report.pdf
[2] Passenger “Pauline’s” statement to the media: http://pajamasmedia.com/upload/2006/12/paulinetousairways.pdf
Copyright ©2006 Jan A. Larson All rights reserved.
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