More on the Flying Imams

The Washington Times analyses the behavior of the Phoenix Imams.

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.

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."

Here's some commentary from Hugh Hewitt contributor Dean Barnett.

I KNOW I’M LATE TO WRITING ABOUT this, but I still can’t think about the incident with the flying Imams last week without getting angry. The more you consider the facts, the more apparent it becomes that the Imams were serving as provocateurs. As everyone knows by now, shortly before the Imams boarded their plane to Los Angles, they gathered at the gate in Minneapolis to do their evening prayers while offering a surfeit of Allah Akbars.

It is inconceivable that the Imams were unaware that their prayer ritual would scare the stuffing out of their fellow-passengers. Since we know that Islamophobia is actually a fear and a not particularly irrational one especially when boarding an airliner, the Imams were at best insensitive.

But when you consider the facts that a few of the Imams requested extra-long seatbelts (that they didn’t need) and engaged in a loud dialogue condemning America’s role in Iraq, it’s obvious that the Imams had mischief on their minds. For whatever reason, they deliberately intended to unnerve the plane’s other passengers. One can only wonder, to what ends? Would they really get such a kick out of making the other passengers terrified for four hours? I know Shar’ia doesn’t allow much in the way of fun, but that seems kind of desperate.

Comments

[Scott]

Yeah, I am pretty sure the first item in the terrorist's handbook is to call massive amounts of attention to yourself.

Mind you, I wouldn't be surprised at all to find out this was an intentional publicity stunt.

[Josh]

That blurb from "Hugh Hewitt" was not by Hugh, but was by Dean Barnett, his co-blogger. Dean is OK, but I don't hold what he blogs in the same regard as that from Hugh.

You need just a few more high-profile intentionally provocative incidents like this followed by loud indignant protests and possibly some lawsuits. That should be sufficient to quiet those willing to speak out against this kind of suspicious and dangerous behavior. Everyone will be intimidated into inaction. You will have just set up the perfect enviroment to do the real deal.

Intentionally intimidating people into fear and inaction is the perfect definition of TERRORISM.

[The Klute]

I know one of the Imams who was booted, Ahmad Shqueirat. He was my Arabic teacher at MCC.

He never ONCE used his platform as a teacher to make anti-American statements or prostlytize about Islam. If class ran short, he would let us ask questions, and would answer them honeslty, taking any criticisms we had and responding in a calm, civilized manner.

He even spoke to Churches on outreach days

He's the father of 4 kids (maybe 5?) and not a man who seeks publicity or to convert you.

It's funny - not a few posts back, there's a whole hullabaloo about Christmas trees and religion, yet a man who adheres to a religion and practices it (in public, not secretly)is demonized.

Is public acknowledgement of religion only acceptable if it's one you practice?

As Scott said, it's not exactly in the terrorist handbook to draw as much attention to yourself before you act. Suicide bombers always announce their presence first. Richard Reid was chanting Sur'as before he lit his sneakers. I think Timothy McVeigh and Paul Hill sent out mailers.

[Joe Baby]

Now with the talk of a Muslim boycott of US Airways, the gang over at NR's "The Corner" was wondering how much business would RISE once people found out that Muslims might be avoiding the airline.

[Annonymous]

The Klute,

It was not the public announcement of religion that was wrong, if you want to say your prayers, then be my guest and do so, but what the Imams did was a step further than that. Their behaviour on that flight showed a blatant disrespect for the other passengers. It is one thing to practice your religion freely, but you also need to be aware of others around you. In a day and age when terrorism is on the mind of every passenger boarding a plane, to conduct themselves in the manner they did shows an inability to respect those other passengers.

Prayers are one thing. But extra long seatbelts, the 9/11 formation, and one way tickets are not expressions of religious freedoms. They are provactive, disrespectful, intimidating moves. While I do not believe that these men were terrorists I do believe that their behaviour may come across as such to a person on that flight and for that reason alone should be avoided.