No doubt many people that follow current events have heard of the airline incident in Minneapolis, involving the six imams.
If you read the article at the end of the link, it sounds like officials made the right call. But, to no one's surprise, the imams and Islamic rights groups like CAIR and others are not happy.
From the sounds of things, there was something not quite right about this. It could have been one of a few things, here are some that stand out, in my mind.
1) A planned attack. I am not sure we can determine this without doing a more thorough investigation, but there is the likely possibility, it could been legit.
2) Dry run, to test and probe our procedural activities. They could have been looking for potential weaknesses in this specific airport. The enemy has psy-ops too. They study, they note, they report. Then, they analyze and tweak things.
3) Dry run to test our policies. The likelihood that there will be a lawsuit, is high. What a better way to soften up our security than to tie frivolous lawsuits up in our court system. Trying to tie the hands that are looking for them, weakens security and creates a better environment for terrorists to operate. They hope they will get lucky, in the future.
4) A mean-spirited effort to purposefully and willingly, intimidate other flyers. This is the least likely (in my opinion), yet, it is a possible theory.
Regardless, of what kind of spin CAIR (and the other fine people that make excuses for this kind of thing) puts on this, I cannot believe that they didn't know their behavior was unsettling. There are smarter people than me in this world for sure, but what kind of idiots do these people take us for?
We spend lots of money on increased security. (I don't think we are doing as good as we should, but hey, I will take whatever extra they are willing to put into it.) It would only stand to reason that officials be supported in their right to remove and detain those that openly display suspicious behavior. Period.
You get little opposition to this practice in other parts of the world. Why must we endure it, here? We cannot profile by ethnicity, will we lose our last hope for prevention of another attack, like 9/11?
8 comments:
LAS: so happy that with my new job, I am able to access your site while "working."
My theory is that this was a deliberate attempt to create a situation where these activists could scream "racial profiling." It's part of their propaganda campaign.
That doesn't mean there isn't a more sinister motivation, however. A new tactic I've seen lately is the islamist who gets himself interviewed on TV and introduced as a "moderate." The islamists are trying very hard to hide among us. Perhaps this incident is part of a campaign to make us timid about confronting islamists.
Think about it. What is the message here? That when you see a group of "devout Muslims" acting suspisciously before a flight and then on the airplane, you should keep you mouth shut or be branded a racist? Perhaps these particular Muslims are the ones in need of some sensitivity training. Or, like a said, maybe they cooked this whole controversy up on purpose.
Anyway, I find your blog a refreshing change from the left-wing blog I usually visit. Keep up the good work!
Thank you and welcome, Greg. Come back anytime and do feel free to jump right in, just as you have today.
If the six were really trying to make a point and stick it to TSA or something by praying in public in a manner attracting attention, that would be deplorable. Islam more than allows for modest ways to pray; but don't discount the basic human impulse to defy suspicions toward one's identity.
This and the other allegations aside (e.g., asking for seatbelt extensions, putting them on the floor, changing their seating positions), I wonder what pro-Saddam and anti-American statements they have made.
I caught the "pro-Saddam" statement, too, which is kind of weird considering we wouldn't expect Imams to have ever had a good opinion of the Butcher. It would have made more sense to have said "Osama", which leads me to wonder whether it was some kind of Freudian-like slip.
As to the event, I believe the US Air gate employees and the pilots over anyone else. They deal with people every day and aren't likely to blow things out of proportion for no reason. That and the fact that US Air has yet to apologize seems to back Greg's idea this was a publicity stunt--probably discussed during closed-door sessions at their Minneapolis meeting.
Anonim,
// Islam more than allows for modest ways to pray//
My thinking exactly. I pray, quietly and to myself, when I feel the need and I am around others. I cannot imagine God being any less accepting of silent prayers, than those uttered out loud for all to hear.
AC,
//That and the fact that US Air has yet to apologize seems to back Greg's idea this was a publicity stunt--probably discussed during closed-door sessions at their Minneapolis meeting.//
I am leaning towards this too, by virtue of the fact of what Greg said and the fact that there has not been much of a statement from USAir.
Thanks for pointing this out.
I agree with Greg.
Related story from my neck of the woods. These defendants argue that raising money for terrorists is protected by the first amendment. By prosecuting them, the gov't is, they say, "discriminating against Muslims." http://tinyurl.com/y7nqb4
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