Muslim Imams detained
From BREITBART:
Six Muslim imams were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport on Monday 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.
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.
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.
"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."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has announced that it will be filing a complaint.
"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."
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.
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.
I must have missed the memo, did CAIR complain when terrorists wiped out 3,000 people on 9-11? I didn't think so. It seems to me that those attacks - and several similar threats since - are the reason behind this detention, not American "racism".
Islamic fundamentalism in a Muslim problem that the rest of the world is trying to deal with. Anyone who doesn't understand that simple fact is in for a very rude awakening.
I think everyone should be treated fairly and equally. However, I also favor criminal profiling. If you match the criminal profile of a terrorist or hijacker (i.e. Arab or Muslim appearance, male, aged 16-30, traveling in a group of similar people, praying on an airplane, speaking an Arab language) in this day and age, you will - and should be - detained.
If you are innocent, you should be free to continue your travels. And you should accept and understand the reasoning behind your detention. If you don't, well, try reading a newspaper or watching the news.
And if you are a terrorist, we will ultimately find you and kill you.
No apologies will be forthcoming.
That is all.
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