inital findings on the six imams and US Airways

[Lueyen]

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061205-112831-5995r.htm

I loved the CAIR statement:

"The imams are obviously concerned about a number of false and distorted representation of the facts and events, and one example is initial reports that all suggested they refused to get off the plane when personnel asked them to, and the police report said they all got off and cooperated," a CAIR spokesman said.

Understand that the US Airways personnel requested they leave the plane, and then so did the police once they arrived. The police report citing cooperation in leaving the plane at the request of the police is not conflicting with crew reports that they would not leave at the crews request.

[Arlos]

Please find a more credible source than a newspaper so far right that Goebbels would've considered it as having gone to far that is run by the Moonies. (yes, it really is owned and run by the Moonies)

-Arlos

[Bodin]

I am having a hard time with any logical person taking the side of these 6 morons. Crazy liberals to fucknut right wing wanting them dead.

They were in the wrong, admit it and figure out the way we want to deal with it. Stop making it a political issue. It is common sence.

[Arlos]

Honestly, I haven't followed the case terribly closely, but I have 1 simple question:

Whatever they did, would they have gotten other passengers talking about "Suspicious actions and anti-american comments" if they'd NOT been islamic?

Say it was 6 rabbis? How about 6 Southern Baptist Ministers doing *EXACTLY* the same actions?

If the outcome of the situation would have been ANY different, then there's an issue with racism. If what they did is so bad that 6 white guys in business suits who did it would've been pulled off the plane, detained by DHS, etc., then sure, throw the book at them. If the ONLY reason they were subject to such treatment is the fact that they're Arab/Muslims... then there's a problem.

-Arlos

[Bodin]

Arlos ya would prolly think the same as I. Check into it some, both sides of the story.

They were praying in english then in islamic to Ala to wish the luck, split into pairs into unassined seats, asked for seatbelt extentions when none of them needed them ect.

Exscuse my spelling~

Just not things you do today, unless you want to be a ass that means to make trouble/scare people.

[Lueyen]

Honestly, I haven't followed the case terribly closely, but I have 1 simple question:

Whatever they did, would they have gotten other passengers talking about "Suspicious actions and anti-american comments" if they'd NOT been islamic?

Say it was 6 rabbis? How about 6 Southern Baptist Ministers doing *EXACTLY* the same actions?

If the outcome of the situation would have been ANY different, then there's an issue with racism. If what they did is so bad that 6 white guys in business suits who did it would've been pulled off the plane, detained by DHS, etc., then sure, throw the book at them. If the ONLY reason they were subject to such treatment is the fact that they're Arab/Muslims... then there's a problem.

-Arlos

Statements by the Imam's, various Islamic interests groups are trying to paint the issue as one that arose not out of racial prejudice but out of religious intolerance. Mainly the assertions are that the issue arose for the most part over prayers.

If you consider the number of people of Arabic decent who fly every day without incident, and the general seriousness and sensitivity our society currently places on racial issues, the idea that it was religious prejudice is a much more buyable angel if you will.

That being said, with everything I've seen and read on the issue (Washington Times article aside), especially with Shahin's past involvements and affiliations, and statements made by CAIR, this appears more and more to me as a political ploy and setup.

[Arlos]

Perhaps it is all a political ploy and setup. That is actually only vaguely tangential to my concerns, honestly, so ultimately I don't care.

From my point of view, and for the issue that *I* am concerned about, it doesn't really matter WHY they did what they did.

I repeat: If a set of 6 white, southern baptist preachers, visibly wearing crucifix's, etc. who committed the EXACT same set of actions would have been subject to passenger suspicion, and been removed from the plane and detained by the DHS, and so on, then I have no further interest in the case, let the law throw the book at the imams.

However, if what they did ONLY warranted the suspicion and reaction it generated (no matter wht they did or why they did it) because they were Arabs and/or were Muslims, then there's an issue that needs to be addressed. ALL people, regardless of origin, faith, race, etc. deserve equal treatment under the law. Period. And that's what I'm concerned about. Not why they did it, etc. But the REACTION to what they did, and what the real motivations were.

-Arlos

[Lueyen]

I think it's likely that yes the same actions by any group of six people would have been handled in a similar manner by those in official positions, simply because of the ramifications of acting out of bigotry or intolerance.

As for the attitudes and bias of the other passengers it would be far more likely that actions and attitudes taken by them could have been based on biases due to religion or ethnicity... but they are not the ones making the official decisions. Unless they made up blatantly false information there isn't much that can be done in a finite scope of the situation to change peoples biases, certainly something that can't be feasibly legislated.