The case of the Jumpin' Imams

Hmmmm...given the reputation for non-violence. distaste for terrorism and tolerance justly earned by many adherents of the Religion of Peace, what would you do if six obviously Muslim appearing fellas came on your airplane making what were characterized as `anti-American comments about the war in Iraq ' by various witnesses before boarding, asked for seat belt extensions the flight crew noticed they appeared not to need and then all rose up at the same time and began moving around the plane before takeoff, when everyone is supposed to be seated?

Would you be just a little bit nervous and perhaps concerned?

That's the scenario that was faced by the flight crew airport personnel and passengers on a US Airways flight taking off from Minneapolis-St Paul International after the behavior of six Muslims was noted by the crew and several passengers passed notes to the flight crew about it.

Their decision? They asked the Muslims to explain their behavior and then asked them to leave the plane. When they refused, the police were called, and the Muslims were escorted off the flight and left. Then the rest of the flight's 141 passengers and five crewmembers were re-screened for boarding and the plane took off about three hours after the men were removed.

Turns out that the six had attended a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imam's Federation, and got up together reportedly `to say prayers'.

Omar Shahin of Phoenix, president of the group, was one of those removed from the flight.

"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," Shahin said after the incident on Monday night.

When the imams went to the airport Tuesday morning to try to use their tickets or buy new ones, US Airways refused, and said their payment for Monday's flight had been refunded.

The next morning Shahin called for Muslims and non-Muslims to boycott US Airways. And of course, CAIR is planning on filing a complaint, according to CAIR spokesmouth Ibrahim Hooper.

"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," Hooper said.

According to Hooper, the meeting drew about 150 imams from all over the country, and those attending included ex Nation of Islam member and U.S. Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, (D-Minneapolis), who just became the first Muslim elected to Congress....with CAIR's help and backing.

Here's my take on it.

First of all, these imams weren't removed strictly because they were Muslims..but because of certain behavior, combined with the fact that they appeared to be adherents of a religion that has many members who condone violence against non-Muslims.

And the fact that they were imams, given what I already know about a great many imams sponsored by the wahabi front The Islamic Society of North America might just say something about the beliefs and backgrounds of these particular Muslims.

It's no secret that radical Islam in America, as elsewhere is nurtured in the mosques and madrassahs.

No one likes to be inconvenienced, but it is asking for trouble to ignore context and behave as if it didn't exist.

An example...I once made my living in the music biz and had a fairly flamboyant, rockn'roll appearance. As a result, I got stopped while driving in residential areas a bit more often than normal, had to answer questions on what I was doing in the area, and even had my car searched a few times.

After one confrontation with the local cops that resulted in some `inconvenience', I was blowing off steam and giving grief to an old school friend who happened to be a member of that same police department when he clued me in.

"You're getting stopped because you look like you fit a certain profile, and guy on patrol who's job it is to protect and serve is just doing his job - he doesn't want to have to answer questions later about why he saw you and didn't try and find out whether you were legit or not, after the fact. It's not personal. Believe it or not, he's protecting your behind as well by getting in front of a possible perp (coptalk for criminal), even if it doesn't seem so at the time. Plus, you're acting like a jerk in response to him, which increases his suspicion . Lots of cops get shot at routine traffic stops.



Try this, next time. When you're stopped, and the guy comes over to the car, be extra polite and cooperative instead of annoyed and angry. Don't act out or indulge in any behavior that might raise his hackles...keep your hands in plain sight on top of the steering wheel , don't make any sudden moves. When he asked for your ID, tell him it's in your pocket and reach for it slowly..for all you know, somebody might have been shooting at the guy ten minutes ago.


Answer any questions he has, and if he asks you to get out of the car, do it, slowly and make sure you're always where he can see you. Above all, let the cop see you have an understanding of what he's trying to do and show him some respect..and you'll get the same back."

Of course, he was right. And using his advice, I still get out of even legitimate traffic tickets with just a warning, more often than not.


It's the profile, added to the behavior and the attitude that results in the unpleasantness.

And that's something Muslims are unfortunately going to have to deal with, given 9/11 and the unfortunate reluctance of a number of Muslims to publicly take our side in the War against Jihad. Now, talk about offensive...