The Grounded Imams; Stranger Behavior Than Prayers
Remember the Imams that CAIR was so quick to defend after they were booted from a Minneapolis flight last week? Remember how they claimed they were only praying and how humiliated they were by our reactions? They’ve been staging protests and making as much noise as possible over all of this ever since.
Well, Audrey Hudson reports a fuller picture of what happened in today’s Washington Times. It looks like these Islamic religious leaders were engaging in much stranger behavior than simply praying.
Muslim religious leaders removed from a Minneapolis flight last week exhibited behavior associated with a security probe by terrorists and were not merely engaged in prayers, according to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials.
Witnesses said three of the imams were praying loudly in the concourse and repeatedly shouted “Allah” when passengers were called for boarding US Airways Flight 300 to Phoenix.
“I was suspicious by the way they were praying very loud,” the gate agent told the Minneapolis Police Department.
Passengers and flight attendants told law-enforcement officials the imams switched from their assigned seats to a pattern associated with the September 11 terrorist attacks and also found in probes of U.S. security since the attacks — two in the front row first-class, two in the middle of the plane on the exit aisle and two in the rear of the cabin.
“That would alarm me,” said a federal air marshal who asked to remain anonymous. “They now control all of the entry and exit routes to the plane.”
A pilot from another airline said: “That behavior has been identified as a terrorist probe in the airline industry.”
Of course the Imams are latching on to the old race card here and trying to claim they were the victims of racial profiling. They are making a lot of noise and have even called upon Congress to create laws against passenger profiling. But make no mistake, it wasn’t the color of these men’s skin that got them kicked off the plane, nor was it any religious practices or American ignorance and insensitivity. The reason these men were not allowed flight was because of a combination of strange behavior.
According to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials, the imams displayed other suspicious behavior.
Three of the men asked for seat-belt extenders, although two flight attendants told police the men were not oversized. One flight attendant told police she “found this unsettling, as crew knew about the six [passengers] on board and where they were sitting.” Rather than attach the extensions, the men placed the straps and buckles on the cabin floor, the flight attendant said.
The imams said they were not discussing politics and only spoke in English, but witnesses told law enforcement that the men spoke in Arabic and English, criticizing the war in Iraq and President Bush, and talking about al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
The imams who claimed two first-class seats said their tickets were upgraded. The gate agent told police that when the imams asked to be upgraded, they were told no such seats were available. Nevertheless, the two men were seated in first class when removed.
A flight attendant said one of the men made two trips to the rear of the plane to talk to the imam during boarding, and again when the flight was delayed because of their behavior. Aviation officials, including air marshals and pilots, said these actions alone would not warrant a second look, but the combination is suspicious.
“That’s like shouting ‘fire’ in a crowded theater. You just can’t do that anymore,” said Robert MacLean, a former air marshal.
“They should have been denied boarding and been investigated,” Mr. MacLean said. “It looks like they are trying to create public sympathy or maybe setting someone up for a lawsuit.”
Indeed, they may have been looking for a lawsuit. As Aviation security officials pointed out, thousands of Muslims fly every day and conduct prayers in airports in a quiet and private manner without creating incidents. These Imams seem to have went out of their way to get attention, create a scene, and then cry the victim. I think U.S. Airways made a very good decision. I hope that all the crying, protests, boycotting, and lawsuit threats don’t intimidate them and that they practice good judgement like this on all their flights. I think they have set a good example of how to correctly use behavior as a way of identifying potential threats. I know the next time I fly, the vigilant effort towards safety displayed by U.S. Airways will be a good reason to choose them.
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