sorry if been posted. Six muslims taken off a flight

[BJ]

anyone blame us airways? They deserved it

US Airways Reviews Muslim Travelers' Removal From Jet (Update1)
By Mary Schlangenstein

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- US Airways Group Inc. is investigating why six Muslim scholars were removed from a flight after a passenger expressed concerns about their behavior.

The imams were taken off US Airways Flight 300 to Phoenix at the Minneapolis airport last night. Police and the FBI were called after the men refused the captain's request to leave the jet to discuss the matter, airline spokeswoman Andrea Rader said today.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations urged ``relevant authorities'' to investigate the detention of the imams, who were questioned and released without charges. They were in Minneapolis for a conference of the North American Imams Federation, the council said.

US Airways doesn't ``tolerate discrimination of any kind and will continue to exhaust our internal investigation until we know the facts of this case and can provide answers,'' the airline said in a statement.

Flight 300 was still at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport when the incident occurred. Before the imams boarded, they were ``praying loudly in the gate area. Some were heard to be making statements against the U.S. involvement in Iraq,'' Pat Hogan, spokesman for the airport, said in an interview today.

Some of the six repeatedly said ``Allah'' as they boarded, then asked to change seats and requested safety-belt extensions that they put under their seats, Hogan said. One was overheard to say he would ``go to whatever measures necessary to obey all that is set out in the Koran,'' Hogan said.

Multiple Agencies

The six were questioned by the U.S. Secret Service, FBI and U.S. Marshal's Office before being released, Hogan said.

``Our involvement was to see if there was any criminal activity,'' he said. ``There was no evidence to support that.''

US Airways, the seventh-biggest U.S. airline, is talking to crew members, ground workers and Minneapolis law enforcement about the incident. The Tempe, Arizona-based carrier also will talk to the men, who flew another airline to Phoenix today, Rader said.

Rader said she didn't know what the men did to cause concern by the passenger, who communicated the information to a flight attendant.

The imams' actions involved ``the performance of normal evening prayers offered by members of the group,'' the council said in a statement. They were ``humiliated'' at being handcuffed, the Washington-based council said.

``We are concerned that crew members, passengers and security personnel may have succumbed to fear and prejudice based on stereotyping of Muslims and Islam,'' Nihad Awad, the council's executive director, said in the statement.

[tony286]

its too crazy really it is.

[Verbal]

That would be like me running into a black panther party and yelling 'Die Darky' ... You just don't do it.

[Sly]

But hey, if nobody reported anything and they later went on to blow something up, then guess what would happen... everyone would go nuts and wonder why nobody "responded to the signs".

Fuck it. If the captain politely asked them to step outside for a few minutes and they refused then thats their problem. I never have any problem cooperating with "authorities" when asked, no person should.

[Xplicit]

Thats what happens when your race/religion is represented in the public eye by fucking TERRORISTS.

This is what happens when they allow people of the same race/religion to attack us and we don't see or hear any backlash from the American-Muslim community.

I'd feel better about them if there was an ANTI-BIN-LADEN movement also, but there isnt. They either support terrorism, or are silent.

So until we see them stand up and make it clear they're on our side, I hope its a pain in the ass for them to fly the same airline as me.

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by PureMeds

``We are concerned that crew members, passengers and security personnel may have succumbed to fear and prejudice based on stereotyping of Muslims and Islam,'' Nihad Awad, the council's executive director, said in the statement.

better judged by 12 than carried by 6

[BJ]

Before the imams boarded, they were ``praying loudly in the gate area. Some were heard to be making statements against the U.S. involvement in Iraq,''

I can't believe they are pissed from being denied

[Wiggles]

good they should of been detained. if a white person did that i'd expect the exact same.

[Sly]

Originally Posted by Xplicit

Thats what happens when your race/religion is represented in the public eye by fucking TERRORISTS.

This is what happens when they allow people of the same race/religion to attack us and we don't see or hear any backlash from the American-Muslim community.

I'd feel better about them if there was an ANTI-BIN-LADEN movement also, but there isnt. They either support terrorism, or are silent.

So until we see them stand up and make it clear they're on our side, I hope its a pain in the ass for them to fly the same airline as me.

I've said the same thing many, many times. Up until very recently, nobody in the Muslim world has said jack about what's going on. Recently the Egyptian President and the Pakistani President have stood up and said "hey, we need to show the world that these terrorists do not think like we do" and they both got blasted by the Muslim community.

I really have a hard time understanding it. No Muslim wants to condemn another Muslim, regardless of what atrocities they're committing. When a Christian militia does something stupid, the Pope is right there condemning and doing whatever he can to help. Where are the Imams of this "peaceful religion"? Why aren't they fighting against these people that are slaughtering the true meaning of Islam?

Until Muslims stand up and denounce what their fellow Muslims are doing, non-Muslims will be leery.

[Rochard]

Anyone who mentions Allah when getting on an airplane in the US should be removed and put on a damn bus.

[baddog]

mentioning allah should be handled with the same procedures as joking around about hijacks or bombs

[MyNameIsNobody]

Some of the six repeatedly said ``Allah'' as they boarded, then asked to change seats and requested safety-belt extensions that they put under their seats, Hogan said. One was overheard to say he would ``go to whatever measures necessary to obey all that is set out in the Koran,'

I wonder why people got nervous..

[GAMEFINEST]

it was handled properly, no exceptions enuff said