The Real Victims
The six "flying imams" who were taken off a flight in Minneapolis last November have filed a lawsuit over the matter. But the real targets of the action appear not to be the airline or the airport. The target appears to be the average people who voiced their concerns. Katherine Kersten of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune provides the details.
The imams' lawsuit, however, asserts that US Airways and the MAC acted solely out of religious and ethnic discrimination. It includes 17 separate counts.
It also rehearses a catalogue of harms allegedly suffered by the imams, including fear, depression, mental pain and financial injury. They have not only endured exhaustion, humiliation and ridicule, but also have lost sleep and developed anxiety about flying.
Their lawsuit appears to be the latest component in a national campaign to intimidate airlines and government agencies from acting prudently to ensure passenger safety. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is advising the imams, is also calling for congressional hearings and promoting federal legislation to "end racial profiling" in air travel. If the legislation passes, airport personnel who disproportionately question passengers who are Muslim or of Middle Eastern origin could be subject to sanctions.
But the most alarming aspect of the imams' suit is buried in paragraph 21 of their complaint. It describes "John Doe" defendants whose identity the imams' attorneys are still investigating. It reads: "Defendants 'John Does' were passengers … who contacted U.S. Airways to report the alleged 'suspicious' behavior of Plaintiffs' performing their prayer at the airport terminal."
The complaint goes on to state that the imams will amend the lawsuit as soon as they identify those people to include them in the suit. The real targets are the people who cannot afford to defend themselves against a well-financed group like the imams, who have the backing of CAIR. This is what a real attempt to silence others looks like, folks. This is the real goal of the imams. Those yet-to-be-named defendants are the real victims here.
By Quilly Mammoth, Thursday, 15 March , 2007 @ 9:52 am
What’s gotten into the Strib???? In fact, what’s gotten into the MSM as a whole? There seems to be a movement away from the unreality of the “reality based community”. There are serious threats to this nation and it’s past time the Left and its house organs realized it.
By FireFireFire, Thursday, 15 March , 2007 @ 11:28 am
In response to this lawsuit by the “flying imams” I suggest a counter suit on behalf of all the traveling public who use the airlines.
This suit would charge the Imams with engaging in “Terrorist Like” behavior thereby bringing grievious mental and emotional stress to the flight crew,that flight’s passengers in particular and the greater traveling public overall.
In addition, I wish to be named as a defendant in the Imams action against the passengers of the flight from which they were ejected because had I been on that flight I would have grabbed the nearest Imam who was acting in a “Terrorist Like” manner and choked the living snot out of him and then moved onto the next Imam until all were rendered helplesss and hopefully lifeless.
It took me almost five years to return to the skies after the attacks of 9/11 which killed 3000 of my countrymen and it was with the firm understanding that if I were ever on a flight that was about to overtaken by mutt terrorists that I would attempt to kill as many of them as I could before the plane landed safely or crashed into the ground.
Terrorists: CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!!!
By Chris, Thursday, 15 March , 2007 @ 5:33 pm
I have to agree with the last comment. If this lawsuit succeeds in its aims, then the likelihood of vigilantism on airplane flights will rise. I don’t think this is really what these idiots want.
Sigh. No one really understands Americans, do they? Poke us in the eye, and we’ll kick you in the crotch. Count on it.