Does Muslim Family Booted From Plane Strengthen Case for Religious Literacy?

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Dan, your article begins by asking if the Muslims getting booted from the plan is a call for literacy. Then, you end the article askiung if it would have made a difference if the people doing the booting were more familiar with Islam. If you are going to assume that people are nervous around Muslims because they do not know them very well, then at least acknowledge the facts that make people nervous to begin with. Islam is a faith whose leaders unilaterally and consistently call for world domination through whatever means necessary. Muslim countries execute people for sodomy. How do you think they stand on gay marriage? You need only look at the Muslim movement in Europe to find Imams preaching "death to the West," and "death to America." Islam openly degrades Jews and asks for their extinction. Islam punishes its women if they are raped. They arrange marriages with child brides and defends the practice to the western world (just Google Saudi Arabia defends child marriage.) Muslims in Denmark have taken teaching positions and forced children to segregate. Even Danish girls are now seen wearing headscarves. Honor killings are a way of life to the Muslims and the crimes are spilling onto the streets of our western neighbors who refuse to condemn the practice out of fear of reprisal. Muslims are taking conscious advantage of European tolerances and breeding as quickly as they can to spread their religion. France has its first Muslim cabinet member now in office. You can bet policies will soften the approach for more Muslim immigration. I don't see how it can get much softer. In Demnark, 5% of the population is Muslim, yet consume over 40% of the welfare.
So, what about the Muslim family in the plane. Do you suppose the authorities are familiar with the name Fortuyn? Ask your readers to educated themselves and Google "Fortuyn Murder." Maybe they will be inspired to research a little deeper and consider that these Muslims were removed not because of ignorance, but because they were more enlightened than your average American.

Blue 12:14PM January 19, 2009

Germans did this to the Jews just before they put them all in concentration camps.
How long do you think it would take for Americans to exterminate all Muslims?

Rabbi Clive Rosenberg of AL 6:03PM January 05, 2009

Aviation is a much different place since 9/11, and a much different place to work. I don't care who you are, I've removed white passengers for the exact same thing. Its everyone responsibility these days to be cognizant of what's going on, because you never know who will try something next. The airline acted in complete compliance with the TSA and FAA (government agencies) So if you have a problem with the way things went down talk to your government not AirTran Airways. Everyone who says the airline is in the wrong are the same idiots who would complain that they and the TSA,FAA dropped the ball if something did happen. They deserve a refund, but NO apology, next time watch you mouth.

JD of GA 3:32PM January 04, 2009

How about just common decency literacy? We don't point at the physically handicapped and shout that they're weird looking and refuse to ride on a plane with them. We don't shun men in yamulkas because of what's happening in Gaza. We all have friends who are darkly skinned despite what's happening in a number of African countries.
Don't we?

LisaM 10:44AM January 04, 2009

As a Muslim, born and raised in the USA, I am appalled that this happened and anyone thinks the propagandizing of Muslims is a reason for you to fear. There are more "Christian" men in America who beat and sometimes kill their wives annually, than any other religion. Should I as a woman, fear Christian men. There are more "Christian" murderers, in jails throughout the America (72%), more "Christian" robbers, purse snatchers, abusers, incesters, drug dealers, etc than any other religion, but they are somehow excused from fear. Christians ill effect more people than any other religious people in America. Yet, I don't hear people fearing them. I have had to deal with this kind of racist, Islamaphobic behavior for all of the 40 years I have been a Muslim in America, and I have NEVER know anyone to ever apologize when they are clearly wrong. Instead, they say something like, "well, you can't blame us if we are afraid".
Well you are right. I don't blame you, I thank you. Everytime something like this happens, you force people to read about Islam and it usually increases their faith and they convert. For the first time in the history of religion, there are more Muslims in the world than Catholics. God, obviously don't like ugly. He keeps turning your knocks into a boost.
I and my friends travel alot. I'm glad we now know who not to book a trip with.

RM of CA 1:27PM January 03, 2009

hi Dan, I don't know about religious literacy, but I do have a strong opinion about AirTran in this.
The FBI cleared the passengers after investigating and told AirTran that but AirTran would not let them get on another AirTran flight.
AirTran has since apologized, but my decision about AirTran is firm -- I will never fly them.
I can't get over their arrogance at rejected a clearance from the FBI.
I suggest others boycott them too.
Also, I doubt they would have refunded the tickets or apologized without the press coverage. They were forced to buy tickets on another airline without any refund from AirTran initially.
Also, doesn't AirTran have a gov. contract for some troop transportation? Not sure but seems to ring a bell. If so, even worse, they are paid tax dollars in what no doubt is a lucrative contract. Then they reject an FBI finding. Who does AirTran think it is? This is America.

Anon of NY 10:40AM January 03, 2009

This should be mind-boggling ... but unfortunately it isn't - not in George Bush's America. These innocent Muslim passengers went through TSA security checks and had their baggage screened; their names were checked on a no-fly list and all of this was done IN security-conscious USA. Not to mention there were air marshalls on the aircraft.
Sounds like racial-profiling and rampant Islamophobia.
I hope they hire a good lawyer and sue the heck out of the airline!

Ralph of FL 7:55PM January 02, 2009

While they shouldn't have been booted from the plane, understanding is a two-way street. The west is under threat of attack from nutjobs from the middle-east, so muslims WILL have to be a little understanding too, over the fact that people are afraid of muslims because of it, and a large group in traditional garb would make people a little nervous in that situation. People don't want to be jittery alarmists as a whole, but then they get the terrorists slipping through security flashing in their heads and they'd rather over react than under-react. There's not much that can be done unfortunately.

Nobody of ME 4:41PM January 02, 2009

As they were walking to their seats, they discussed which area of an airplane was safest in the event of an accident. Even if some hysterical passenger was concerned, the fact that the crew and TWO federal air marshals on board took this to be a serious matter is mind bogling.
According to the family, the FBI agents quickly determined that they did not pose any threat and asked AirTrans to put them on a plane to their destination. AirTrans refused but eventually gave them a refund coupon so that they could travel on some future date.
If these people had looked and dressed like a family on their way to be contestants on TV's Family Feud and had conversed about which seats are safest, no one would have even raised an eyebrow.
In these kinds of cases, it is the airheaded passengers, crew and air marshalls who should be put off the plane.

BenE 4:20PM January 02, 2009

It looks to me like someone on the flight crew panicked, then (as is often the case with authorities that screw up) the airline refused to admit their mistake, and instead of apologizing and calming everyone down so that they could get to their destinations safely and on time, "made a mountain out of a molehill" and screwed everything up.
While it's remotely plausible that the airline was justified in responding to a vaguely suspicious question ("a passenger asked whether it was safer to fly in the front, middle or back of the airplane") by alerting the authorities, it's absurd that once the FBI interviewed and cleared the passengers and asked the airline to fly them to their destinations, the airline refused and forced the passengers to buy new tickets on another airline. If the airline crew were doing their jobs properly, they would have calmed down the jumpy passenger and gotten everyone to their destinations on time.
What makes it even worse is the fact that the passengers were flying to a conference dedicated to helping American Muslims "build bridges" to other religions, helping the many American Muslims feel a part of mainstream american society, instead of being marginalized and alienated. This means that the airline's paranoia not only cost the people traveling wasted vacation time and money, they did serious harm to the safety of the country.

Laird Popkin of NJ 3:44PM January 02, 2009