World

Muslim clerics barred from US flights

Imams were enroute to attend conference on Islamophobia.

Afp May 08, 2011

WASHINGTON:

Three imams including a US-born Muslim bound for a conference on Islamophobia were kicked off US domestic flights out of security fears, clerics and an airline said on Saturday.

Two imams boarded a flight from Memphis, Tennessee to Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday only to have it return to the terminal so they could be put through “additional screening,” said a spokesman for Atlantic South Airlines (ASA), the Delta Connection airline operating the flight.

US-born imam Al-Amin Abdul-Latif of Long Island was barred from boarding an American Airlines flight from New York to Charlotte late Friday and told to return to LaGuardia airport for a morning flight Saturday, only to be refused boarding again, without explanation, his son said.

“This morning we get to the airline, and the ticket agent told my father that the airline does not want him to fly. Those were her exact words,” Abu Bakr Abdul-Latif told AFP.

Masudur Rahman, a permanent US resident from India and former Memphis imam who teaches Arabic at the University of Memphis, said he and another cleric, a US permanent resident from Egypt were pulled off ASA flight 5452 and cleared through new security checks.

“But when we went to re-enter the plane, the Delta supervisor said ‘Sorry, the pilot is not allowing you to enter,’” Rahman told AFP. Delta negotiated with the pilot, noted Rahman who said he was told that “some passengers might be uncomfortable” with their presence on the plane.

“I think they were obviously upset...but they understand what’s going on in the world and particularly in the heightened sensitivities after the death of Osama bin Laden,” Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (28)

Is'haq | 13 years ago | Reply I think we should stick to the subject! As an African-American Muslim, I cannot tell you how many times other Muslims I know have been "routinely searched" after 911. Many Muslims in America, including me, have lost jobs or been the object of ignorant comments and one European-American tried to run me over with his SUV. Plenty of Muslim groups and individuals have condemned terrorism but I've never seen this reported in the media. Could the fact that it is Jewish-controlled possibly have something to do with that? Why was an African-American Imam stopped? Osama was not an African-American Then again, African-Americans have been stopped and frisked in record numbers long before 911 and it still continues to this day, No one is treating nuns or Catholic priests any different because of the indiscretions of the few that have crossed the line. Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist but no one dressed like him has gone through any problems. Let's not forget that America is considered a "melting pot" so people from all different colors and cultures live there and those responsible for security should be properly trained in dealing with all kinds of people - especially those en route to an Islomophobia conference or who wish to put a cultural diversity center near Ground Zero.

muzaffar | 13 years ago | Reply @Rakib: Mubarik/Congratulations. Thats what u call mature and realistic writeup/opinion. Rather thn the ones normally written on emotional grounds and/or for the sake of it.

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WorldCitizen | 13 years ago | Reply @Rakib: Everything you say is absolutely correct. India is not in the same literacy category as the other countries in that group that I had mentioned. If you read what I said again, you will see that that is not what I was trying to say. I was making the point about the difference in ATTITUDE toward education between Pakistan and other countries (including India). While India is behind the other countries I mentioned in the literacy rate, it is far,far ahead of Pakistan having started at the same point 65 years ago. INDIA VALUES EDUCATION and Pakistan does not. And therein lies the crucial difference. And your observation about SriLanka is also very correct. It also has a very high life expectancy despite the long political turmoil. It is very much like some of the southern states of India. However, it is a tiny country.

Rakib | 13 years ago | Reply @WorldCitizen: Making fantastic claims that can not withstand scrutiny dent credibility. Wrong claims made on behalf of India are damaging. The implied claim that India is as highly educated as USA, UK, France, Germany,Israel is quite a hyperbole. India has a long way to go before the masses are considered as educated as in Europe/USA. Even war-torn Sri Lanka has had a higher literacy rate than India. Undoubtedly India has made progress in 64 years and there are smaller States such as Kerala, Mizoram, Goa where literacy is high which is very good but that is offset by poor record of certain other huge provinces like UP-Bihar-Jharkhand where gender bias too is prominent. Being able to read & write is no mean achievement but it does not put one immediately in the same league as UK, Germany, France or Israel.

bob saget | 13 years ago | Reply we need to ban priests and nuns from wearing their habits

WorldCitizen | 13 years ago | Reply @Asad: What do you mean when you say you couldnt help but smile at the inclusion of India among the group of 'highly-educated' countries? Indians value education and Pakistanis value religion. There are more copies of Koran in Pakistan than an other book. There are more guns in Pakistan than books.

muzaffar | 13 years ago | Reply @ahmed: I wonder what let u to comment like this. I can counter but as you are a Pakistani( wrongly spelt by you) as a respect I withhold my comments !!!!

ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply @ muzaffar there are a 1.2 billion indians in the world...bulk of them educated, increasingly on internet, Osama was found out in Pak a week ago and this is an article on islamophobia and we have geniuses like you carving out a well orchestrated attempt by india to malign Pak. they dont need a tribune pakistan article forum to malign us, the whole world is doing it.. grow up and wake up... By the way I am a paksitani living in karachi, close to the baloch colony flyover (this to assure your myopic kind that I am not an Indian)

s. ali | 13 years ago | Reply Haha....Pilot did the right thing. after all hundreds of life are on risk. Muslim clericks dress like Osama,again some of them protest during checking....better don't travel or Buy ur private jets.What can the poor pilots do ?

Ad. | 13 years ago | Reply @Hasan: Many Muslims dress like Osama. Does not mean to insult them, while they have double checked them.

muzaffar | 13 years ago | Reply @David Salmon: I have studied in USA. Worked abroad. So listening to others is not the issue. What one writes and the quality/purpose is the reason I weote what I wrote. Read my and the Indian/ foreigner comments again and hope you will undersrand why and what I said.Interestngly there are more comments of foreigners/Indians. Further,in todays world are not people paid to do what I wrote?

Rakib | 13 years ago | Reply Admittedly Ahmad should have avoided using the phrase "ethnic cleansing" of Muslims wrt Kashmir. Demographics there continue to favour Muslims and a Muslim Chief Minister is ruling the State, as has always been. That does not mean terrible violations of HR have not taken place in the Valley and Muslims have not been killed. . However,overreaction of Indians to a side issue masks their indifference to the main one. Masudur Rahman who was pulled off ASA Flt5452 is of Indian Origin. Does that matter at all to the Indians crowing here? Would they have kept quiet if a non-Muslim Indian was involved? Too, are they certain that some day a Sikh-may be a private citizen MM Singh-will not be shoved off the plane when he goes to US to see his daughter because his turban and grey beard make him look like an ardent follower of OBL in the eyes of some idiot?

Funny Jo | 13 years ago | Reply How ironic is it that they were going to a conference about Islamophobia. As a christian I find this news very disturbing. And in the name of all of true Christianit's I would like to apologize to them for the discrimination which they have had to endure. Those people who did those things to them are not true Christian's nor do they follow true democratic values.

Adil | 13 years ago | Reply @Arijit Sharma: Alright then, so we must wear normal clothes which should have no similarity with the ones worn by Talibans,Osama Bin Laden,Hafiz Saeed etc....then I have a question, is it right for Americans or anyone else to wear Western clothes while visiting countries like Vietnam,Iraq,Afghanistan,Pakistan,Japan and certain African nations. I am asking so because all of them have been a victim of USA's dirty games....So how would American citizens feel if some Japanese,Arab or Afghan Airline doesn't allow them to board their flights because their clothes resemble the dress code of U.S. Presdients who have invaded many nations in the past including theirs?

Adil | 13 years ago | Reply @muzaffar: Exactly, I have also noticed that.....Some of them don't spare columns/blogs written by even Dr. Khalid Zaheer, the scholar from Al-Mawrid. If you watch his articles and videos,then can't deny his humble attitude towards others...he's a person with a pretty rational approach and doesn't abuse or criticize people of other religions. He also respects views of other scholars and experts such as Dr. Zakir Naik, even when he doesn't agree with them himself. His writeups were also targetted with negative comments. I wonder if that's the same reason why he's not writing any column for Express Tribune anymore these days after feeling discouraged. @ Indian friends here, If you wanna know why there’s so much hatred and extremism in Pakistan and different other Muslim nations, then please watch the following clip from one of your own movie. I haven’t watched the complete movie yet. But to tell you the truth, I have got a great respect for Vivek Oberoi as well apart from SRK and Salman Khan, after watching the clip. Here, Vivek has clearly explained the real fascist face of Western powers…..and the reason why terrorists and militants are born. Hope now someone will realize that why many youngsters in Pakistan and different other nations choose the path of terrorism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-LhnzszFOw&NR=1 Thank you

Asad | 13 years ago | Reply @WorldCitizen: I couldn't help but smile at the inclusion of India in the list of "highly-educated countries".

David Salmon | 13 years ago | Reply @muzaffar: I'm an American. I think this paper is followed by a lot of non-Pakistanis, especially about now. I think the reason so many Indians are speaking up right now is because they are trying to tell you something. Try listening and responding to the idea, not the name. imho.

anil raskall | 13 years ago | Reply @Omer: lets ban all the dresses together ......LOL

WorldCitizen | 13 years ago | Reply Why is it that Pakistanis feel that most of the highly-educated countries like USA, UK, France, Germany, Israel, India are anti-Pakistan. Also, the Pakistani population in these countries is at the bottom of socio-economic strata (feel free to check the data). Why dont Pakistanis believe in education? Pakistan has virtually no education budget.

Omer | 13 years ago | Reply @Arijit Sharma: I find your comment rather bizar, there are common set of liberties that are granted to every citizen of a country and dressing up a certain way is part of it. If tomorow all terrorist dressed up in suits would you ban suits on the flight?

muzaffar | 13 years ago | Reply @Ahmad: I agree with your point of view. You are thinking out of the box and not as you are told to think or being paid to think and write. Check out the names of people who have have commented. Most of them are from India. I wonder how come they have so much time to comment on article (not only yours)which have no relevance with them/India. Your answer or of who ever else is reading this - is as good as mine. Editor: Do have the courage to print this. Checkout the way the Indian media maligns us. I am still not doing the way they do .All I am doing is telling the fact. Check out what I have written in your other articles also. And you will wonder that how come there is always an Indian comment nad from similiar names.

G. Din | 13 years ago | Reply @Ahmad: You have got to be the most unhappy man in the world! Suits the world fine! Do not expect the world to bend to your will. If you do, you will die a disappointed man!

anil | 13 years ago | Reply Let Pakistan first give basic rights to Non-Muslims before commenting on USA. USA, Wesern Europe and India provides basic diginity and equal fundamental rights to people of all relegion. It is only in supposedly great Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that Non-Muslims live the life of 3rd rate citizen. Let the Islamic world first come close to providing same legal and constitutional rights to non-muslims in their countries before asking others to do more.

gunjan | 13 years ago | Reply @Ahmad Muslims too have killed many whenever they had an opportunity. You talk of Kashmir, but how many Kashmiri pundits were killed before they all left Kashmir to muslims. And if you go back few centuries in history, all of Kashmir was hindu, who were either ousted forcefully or converted to make way for a Kashmir, which you mention as a muslim region now. And I know that some must have converted voluntarily, so please let us not get into that argument. Jews, buddhists, hindus have had no such history. Everybody knows that. Believe it or not, like it or not, Jews have almost always suffered on the hands of other religions. Baudhs and Hindus are considered reflections of peace. There might be few exceptions, but this is the truth as we all know it. You portray muslims as victims and world as biased, but if you see around, you will be surprised to know how bad the reputation is and its all made by muslims. This was not pasted on to you by non believers.

let there be peace | 13 years ago | Reply @Ahmad: ethnic cleansing of Kasmiris? I thought it was non muslims who were cleansed from kashmir. Of course you also must be believing there has been ethnic cleansing of muslims from pakistan, bangladesh, arabia etc. above news is clearly a case of discrimination. at the same time “some passengers might be uncomfortable” is also understandable sentiment.

Ahmad | 13 years ago | Reply disgusting US media & admin. While kate wears the veil,Muslim women cant wear Hijab. So mich 4 freedom and US liberty. they cant even walk their talk. Hipocracy at its best. A jew Rabbi can sport a beard and wear his out fit with a turban like hat; but a Muslim cant. Of course wud it be too far fetched to say we R in the age of crusades? Of course my question wud be dismissed immediatley. We Muslims like to live in a permamnent stage of denial. We wanna fit in. Right. Lets condem Muslims and then lets condemn religions later. Thats why Quran was burnt in US. Drone attacks on innocent PK Muslims. million Iraqi deaths and ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims, and Kasmiris and Chechyns. Ofcourse therez no crusade, just coincedental really. Indiscriminate killings of nato in Lybia, yeah just coincidental!

Arijit Sharma | 13 years ago | Reply Muslims, I have noticed have the habit of provoking a reaction. There was absolutely no need to be dressed in Islamic garb while taking a flight. They could have worn a normal dress and then changed to an Islamic dress at the convention.

Hasan | 13 years ago | Reply If you're dressed like Osama bin Ladin what do you expect?

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