Wolves in Holy Men's Clothes

By now everyone is, no doubt, aware that last week six imams were removed from a US Airways flight for behavior deemed suspicious. According to a Washington Times article written by Audrey Hudson these holy men were praying loudly in the concourse before boarding the plane bound for Phoenix. Once on the plane, they dispersed from their assigned seats in pairs, with two in the front row of first-class, two in the middle of the plane on the exit aisle and two in the rear of the cabin. Three of the men then asked for seat-belt extenders, which they then placed on the floor at their feet. The imams then allegedly began speaking loudly, in both Arabic and English, criticizing the war in Iraq and President Bush, and talking about al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. A passenger allegedly passed a note to a flight attendant voicing concern over the imams actions and, eventually, the imams were escorted from the plane in handcuffs. The imams, Mahdi Bray who is the executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, and Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee(D-TX) have now cried foul, suggesting that US Airways' response was not only humiliating and discriminatory, but racist. These honorable citizens have now called on Congress to pass legislation outlawing passenger profiling.

Let's deal with the imams actions as individual events. First, people certainly have the right to pray loudly wherever and whenever they wish. In my Center City Philadelphia neighborhood there are always crack-pots on the corner with megaphones proclaiming that I am destined to burn in the fires of Hell if I do not repent my evil ways. I ignore them routinely. The imams Muslim chants would have drawn more attention than the crack-pots, but by themselves the prayers would probably not have drawn much more that a scornful look. Most likely I would have seen it as self-aggrandizement designed to provoke attention. To what end they would have desired such attention I cannot presume, but in these litigious times a lawsuit is not out of the question.

Second, the seat-belt extenders would have probably gone unseen by me, with one exception. Since 9/11 I always sit in the last row of the plane with my back against the bulkhead. I also inform the nearest flight crew member that I am a former infantryman and that they can call on me in any emergency. So, due to my self-imposed positioning I might have noticed the request, and would have definitely noticed if, once received, the extenders were not immediately utilized. Would this have provoked a response? Probably not, but it would have prompted me to give them the hairy eyeball.

Third, the criticism in Arabic and English of the President and the war, as well as the references to al Qaeda and bin Laden would have set the bells ringing. I live in a very liberal neighborhood though, so I have become quite inured to that type of talk. A 70 year old member of the Granny Brigade for Peace was dining next to me just last night and made similar statements. At this point though, Arabic speaking would have caused me to visually locate each one of the imams.

Finally, having visually located each one of the imams I would have undoubtedly noticed that they had secured all the egress and ingress points of the plane. At that point I would have risen to my feet. I would have immediately notified the nearest crew member that their positioning was nothing short of operational security, and exactly the model of the 9/11 hijackers. You can rest assured that the plane would not have left the ground with them in that arrangement; even if my actions resulted in law enforcement having a conversation with me. As the saying goes, I would rather be judged by twelve than carried by six. Whether or not the situation would have become physical is only hypothetical, but I would not have left the plane voluntarily with the imams still in place.

The imams have said that all their behavior is explainable and innocent. The two who moved to first-class say they were upgraded, but the gate agent reports that the imams had been informed that no first-class seats were available. The imams, when removed from the plane were nonetheless in first-class. Likewise, the request for seat-belt extenders has been explained as a need for comfort. The flight attendants told police though, that the men were not over sized, and anyway they did not use the extenders. The imams also deny speaking in Arabic, or discussing politics, but several witnesses stated that they did just that. The imams, and the aforementioned Mr. Bray and Rep. Jackson-Lee have decried this as nothing more than an example of Islamaphobia and "flying while Muslim."

Nothing exists in a vacuum. We live in a post-9/11 world and, unfortunately for the imams, all the perpetrators of terroristic murder and mayhem have been fundamentalist Muslims. If the imams actions were innocent, and I do not believe they were, they should have known better than to provoke concern. Some have suggested that the imams actions were nothing more than an attempt to shine a light on the the unfair, discriminatory practices of the airline industry. After all the apologists offer, none of the imam's actions were illegal. They may not have been illegal, but they do bear a second look. Until white guys with Irish surnames start cutting people's throats with box cutters, and guys in pink pants and penny-loafers start blowing themselves up in Times Square, Muslims should bear extra scrutiny. I am not suggesting that white guys with Irish surnames, pink pants wearing preppies, or anybody else for that matter be given a pass on screening. I want everybody to take off their shoes at the security checkpoint and pass through the metal detector. Common sense though dictates that those who look like those responsible for the acts on 9/11 be given extra scrutiny. Look at the mugshots of the 9/11 hijackers. They all look the same. It is what it is. Profiling is the basis of all police work, and has been proven to prevent crime. If you are mugged by a one-armed, 5 foot tall white guy you would not want the police to stop the Harlem Globetrotters' tour bus in an effort to secure your wallet.

I have no idea what it will take to awaken the American public to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism. Already Americans are voicing hesitation to report suspicious behavior for fear of being sued. Little old ladies in wheelchairs are being twice-screened at airports for fear of offending anyone. That valuable, and limited resources are being diverted from catching the bad guys apparently means nothing to a certain segment of the population. I am no Constitutional scholar, but the last time I read it I noticed no right to be free from offense. In fact, the First Amendment specifically protects outrageous behavior because normal behavior needs no such protection. You can not yell fire in a crowded movie theatre though, and that is what the imams did, regardless of their intent. I personally believe that their actions were a security probe before a larger operation. I am nearly certain that something on a grand scale is currently in the works by those who would do us harm. I recognize that I am but one, albeit well-trained, infantryman, and not Superman. I could not have hoped to neutralize six men unarmed. I do know that I will not allow any terrorist act to go unchallenged on my watch, and as Drill Sergeant Estrada told me, it's always my watch. I can only hope that other freedom loving Americans would back my play if violence was needed. The passengers and crew on United Flight 93 lead me to believe they would. I am only sad that the politically correct crowd has placed us in the position where such action will someday soon be needed. How many more of my fellow citizens must be lost before we realize that we are in a fight for our survival, and serious action is needed to combat that threat?

View My Milblogging.com Profile