Lawsuit to follow.
Six Muslim imams on Monday were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and questioned by police for several hours before being released, a leader of the group said.
The six were among passengers who boarded Flight 300, bound for Phoenix, around 6:30 p.m., airport spokesman Pat Hogan said.
A passenger initially raised concerns about the group through a note passed to a flight attendant, according to Andrea Rader, a spokeswoman for US Airways. She said police were called after the captain and airport security workers asked the men to leave the plane and the men refused.
"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," said Omar Shahin, of Phoenix.
Personally, I'm a big advocate of humiliating people in respectful ways. Like waterboarding.
The six Muslim scholars were returning from a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, president of the group. Five of them were from the Phoenix-Tempe area, while one was from Bakersfield, Calif., he said.
From here on out, when you read the phrase "Muslim scholar," think "Islamist activists who want all American laws rules and regulations subordinated to the Koran and who are on the payroll of Saudi Wahabbists."
Three of them stood and said their normal evening prayers together on the plane, as 1.7 billion Muslims around the world do every day, Shahin said. He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam.
1.7 billion? All saying prayers on airplanes? Wow, I was ignorant of that.
"I never felt bad in my life like that," he said. "I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."
Hey, pal, you think that's bad- read this: Planet U-Mass. It goes much worse if you're a white Christian Conservative on a college campus.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, expressed anger at the detentions.
"CAIR will be filing a complaint with relevant authorities in the morning over the treatment of the imams to determine whether the incident was caused by anti-Muslim hysteria by the passengers and/or the airline crew," Hooper said. "Because, unfortunately, this is a growing problem of singling out Muslims or people perceived to be Muslims at airports, and it's one that we've been addressing for some time."
No, Ib, the growing problem is that Islamist activists and terrorist front organizations (not mentioning any names) are allowed to exist in this country. Why is it that I have never seen any Muslim ever pop up for prayers on any airplane? I guess they are either bad Muslims (they are first on the Islamist hit parade, btw), or the good Muslims take flights that don't interfere with prayer time because they are considerate of everyone else's time and federal airline regulations.
Hooper said the meeting drew about 150 imams from all over the country, and that those attending included U.S. Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minneapolis, who just became the first Muslim elected to Congress. Shahin said they went as far as notifying police and the FBI about their meeting in advance.
Bet they didn't notify the FBI that they were going to stage an "Alahu Akbar Pray-in" on a flight out of Minneapolis.
Shahin expressed frustration that — despite extensive efforts by him and other Muslim leaders since even before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — so many Americans know so little about Islam.
"If up to now they don't know about prayers, this is a real problem," he said.
Uh, yeah, we know about the prayers. The Koran says you have to wash and stand and prostrate yourself to do your prayers, all at a particular time. Did they do all of those things or just the standing? I bet they made some strategic compromises because of the circumstances. So why not just sit in your seat and pray?
This is the superimposition of Sha'aria law on our legal system. The article is quiet on this point: when passengers get on a plane that is on the ground, they are in two modes: getting situated while being jostled by everyone else boarding, or in seat, belt on, trays and seat up, waiting to take off. I can't visualize three people praying while standing under these circumstances unless they (a) want to piss off a bunch of people who are trying to take their seats, or (b) call attention to themselves while keeping the plane at a standstill.
The Koran also says it's OK to kill infidels. Just thought I'd mention that.
Reached by cell phone just after his release, Shahin said he didn't know where they would spend the night or how they would try to get back to Phoenix on Tuesday. Hooper said US Airways refused to put the men on another flight.
This is the email for US Airways. Please send them a thank you note. And mention that Hooper should be on their "No Fly" list as well.
Hogan said more information would likely be released Tuesday.
The other passengers on the flight, which was carrying 141 passengers and five crew members, were re-screened for boarding, Rader said. The plane took off about three hours after the men were removed from the flight.
Wouldn't you like to have been on that flight, it being Thanksgiving week and all? The passengers should file a class action lawsuit against the Imams and CAIR. Right now.