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Vanguard – December 5, 2006
Dangers of flying while Muslim
Jason Shepard
A priest, rabbi and an imam walk into an airport. What do they have in common? Aside from being a set-up for a horrible joke, the leaders of their respective religious communities have joined together to protest the tyranny of American racism. Specifically, the priests, rabbis and imams recently staged a "pray-in" at Reagan Washington National Airport and asked for an apology from U.S. Airways for their decision to kick six Muslims off a Minneapolis-to-Phoenix flight and to detain these imams on suspicion of terrorism.
Come to find out the imams were not terrorist at all. It is understandable that in today's reality of high-risk threats emanating from the potential actions of a few faceless terrorists, it's always better to be safe than sorry. But the fact of the matter is that there was no legitimate justification to even believe that these imams might have been terrorist. The most plausible explanation for their detention is plain and simple: They were victims of Islamophobia.
The imams in question visibly prayed prior to boarding the plane. As they were boarding, a fellow passenger overheard one of the imams making "anti-American" remarks. Once on the plane, they "moved around." A concerned citizen passed the pilot a note, and as a result, the imams were subjugated to humiliation and detention, not to mention the major inconvenience that goes along with such consequences. The only statement of the facts that seems potentially incriminating was the so-called "anti-American" remarks.
So what exactly was said? The comments were nothing more than part of a casual conversation that included harmless critiques of certain aspects of American policy. There was no outward display or remark of hate or even strong disgust for America or Americans. Nor was there even a hint of threatening language used. The comments were simply passing critiques of American governmental policies. There was absolutely nothing threatening or anti-American said.
The last time I checked, it is not only legal to critique the American government, but at least in theory, it is encouraged for all to participate in debates concerning our government and its policies. The freedom from persecution from engaging in such debates, or simply making passing comments while in public, is what separates a democratic society from a dictatorship. The day such comments, critiques and debates become characterized as anti-American is the day that the populace decides that "pro-American" implies anti-democracy, anti-liberty and anti-rationality. The day people start being persecuted, arrested and detained for such actions is the day that our country will have begun to make a slide towards fascism. Perhaps that day has already befallen our nation. Perhaps it has not. After all, I personally wrote a piece in which I suggested that Bush and company deserved to be sent to the gallows-a comment much more extreme than any that the imams made-without fear of persecution. I even feel I could make such a remark in an airport while boarding a plane without fear of being detained. So maybe the explanation is not that America is becoming a fascist country, but rather that America remains a country of ignorant bigots full of fear of the "others." …………..
http://www.usavanguard.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/12/05/4575fb5558b04
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