The Flying Imams controversy is a controversy concerning the removal of six Muslim imams from US Airways Flight 300, from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Phoenix, Arizona, at 6:30 PM on November 20, 2006. The removal of the imams was initiated when several passengers, as well as crew, became alarmed by what they felt was suspicious behavior.^[1][2] Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Flying while Muslim, or Muslim while flying, is an expression referring to the problems Muslim passengers on airplanes can face on account of their religion. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... US Airways is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, owned by US Airways Group, Inc. ... Nickname: City of Lakes Motto: En Avant (French: Lets go!) Location in Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

The airport police and Federal Air Marshal agreed the circumstances were suspicious enough to warrant asking the men to leave the airplane. The airline has stated that the captain delayed takeoff and called up airport security workers to ask the imams to leave the plane; the men refused, and that the captain then called police. The plane left without the imams on board about three hours later. The imams were detained, questioned, and then released. The Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) is a law enforcement agency of the United States federal [[Government of the United States|government] and chicago bears]. The Air Marshal service is meant to promote confidence in civil aviation by effectively deploying Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) and Federal Flight Deck Officers... Baggage is scanned using X-ray machines, passengers walk through metal detectors Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and by extension aircraft from crime and terrorism. ...

The imams, along with the Muslim American Society, the American branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have brought high-profile complaints and demonstrations against the airline, saying they were removed from the airplane solely due to religious discrimination. Investigations by the airline and police so far have reported that the airline and ground crews responded to security concerns properly in removing the men from the plane. ^[3] The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a nonprofit organization. ... The Muslim Brotherhood or The Muslim Brothers (Arabic: الإخوان المسلمون al-ikhwān al-muslimūn, full title The Society of the Muslim Brothers, often simply الإخوان al-ikhwān, the Brotherhood or MB) is a world-wide Sunni Islamist movement founded by the sufi schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. ... The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is an advocacy group which seeks to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. ...

Identities

The six imams were Didmar Faja, Mohamed Said Mitwaly Ibrahim, Marwan Sadeddin, Omar Shahin, Ahmad al-Shqeirat (also known as Amad Tafish Shqeirat) and Mahmoud Sulaiman. Sheikh Omar Shahin is a Jordanian native. ...

According to current reports, all six live and work in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Suspicious behavior

According to some passengers and flight staff, a number of whom didn't identify themselves, the suspicious behavior of the imams included the following: ^{[4][5] [6][7][8]}. Some of these observations have been disputed by Omar Shahin in reports to the press, see "conflicting accounts" below.

• The imams refused to sit in their assigned seats. Instead, it is claimed that they fanned out in the cabin, sitting in pairs close to the front, middle and rear exit rows.

• Shahin and the two imams seated in Coach Row 9 requested seatbelt extensions (a strap with large metal buckles normally used by obese individuals to lengthen their seatbelts) even though flight staff say none seemed to need it. They then placed the extensions on the cabin floor in front of them instead of attaching them to their seatbelt.

• Three of the imams travelled with no checked baggage and one-way tickets.

• According to a nearby passenger who spoke Arabic, the two imams sitting in the back of the plane, while speaking to each other in Arabic, mentioned Osama bin Laden and condemned America for "killing Saddam".

A three-point seat belt. ... Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, is increased to a point where it is associated with certain health conditions or increased mortality. ... Aircrew members may include pilots, flight attendants, flight engineers, navigators, Taccos, signallers, observers, (air) gunners, weapons specialists, loadmasters and various electronics system operators depending on the age during which the aircraft operated and the type of operations. ... The Luggage. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957[1]), most often mentioned as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden, is a Saudi Arabian militant Islamist and is widely believed to be one of the founders of the organization called al-Qaeda. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Saddam Hussein during his first appearance before the Iraqi Special Tribunal Saddam as he is being sentenced The image above is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: [1]; April 28, 1937[2] – December 30, 2006[3]), was the President of Iraq from July 16, 1979, until April 9, 2003. ...

Aftermath

The day following the incident, Imam Omar Shahin, the spokesperson for the group, had the opportunity to speak to the press who had gathered when he returned to a US Airways ticket counter to buy new tickets for the group. He told media that the incident was, "humiliating, the worst moment of my life," and asked, "To practice your faith and pray is a crime in America?" When US Airways would not issue him and the other imams new tickets he called for a boycott of the airline and said, "I'm not going to stay silent...I came to this country to enjoy justice and freedom".^[9] He has said it is incorrect that any of the men had one way tickets, and that he had alerted the FBI to the conference in order to prevent this kind of incident from occurring.^[10] Sheikh Omar Shahin is a Jordanian native. ... Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

On November 27, Shahin and others, including Imam Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center of Philadelphia, Reverend Graylan Hagler of the United Church of Christ, Hillary Shelton, director of the NAACP-Washington National Office, held a "pray-in" consisting of a press statement, public prayer and flight departure at a US Airways ticket counter at Reagan National Airport.^[11] November 27 is the 331st day (332nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a nonprofit organization. ... Rabbi, in Judaism, means ‘teacher’, or more literally ‘great one’. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ or ‘distinguished (in knowledge)’. Sephardic and Yemenite Jews pronounce this word ribbÄ«; the modern Israeli pronunciation rabbÄ« is derived from a recent (18th... Arthur I. Waskow, also known as Arthur Ocean Waskow, (born 1933) is an American author, political activist, and rabbi associated with the Jewish Renewal movement. ... The Shalom Center is a Jewish Peace, Justice, and environmentalist organization founded by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Ph. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City  142. ... The Reverend is an honorary prefix added to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. ... Disambiguation: This article is about the United States denomination known as United Church of Christ. ... The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP, generally pronounced as EN Double AY SEE PEE) is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. ... Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (IATA: DCA, ICAO: KDCA) in Arlington County, Virginia is the closest commercial airport to Washington, D.C. Originally Washington National Airport, it was renamed after former President Ronald Reagan in 1998. ...

Another protest, organized by the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, took place on December 1, 2006 in front of US Airways headquarters. The spokesman for the group stated, "We want to tell US Airways that second-class citizenship is not an option." Other speakers at the gathering included a Jewish leader, a Catholic cleric, and a Presbyterian pastor who told the crowd that the "Imams did nothing to merit their exclusion from the flight". A spokesman for the Muslim American Society said that several of the affected imams did not attend the gathering because they are shy about publicity and have been humiliated.^[12] December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Presbyterianism is a form of church government which is most prevalent within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity. ...

One of the imams, Ahmad al-Shqeirat, spiritual leader of the Islamic Community Center of Tempe, said in an interview that the imams are likely to file a discrimination lawsuit against US Airways, saying that "it was handled in an unprofessional way, and the decision (to remove them from the plane) was made by unprofessional people."^[13] Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , ) Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Incorporated November 29, 1894 Government  - Mayor Hugh Hallman Area  - City  39. ...

Congressman-elect Keith Ellison, who gave a talk on "Imams and Politics"^[14]" at the meeting the flying imams were returning home from, attempted to organize a meeting between US Airways executives, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, and other legislators and community members to discuss the incident.^[15] Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who became the first Muslim[1][2] to be elected to the United States Congress when he won the vacant seat for Minnesotas 5th congressional district in the House of Representatives, one of eight congressional districts... Imam is an Arabic word meaning Leader. The ruler of a country might be called the Imam, for example. ... The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) is the owner and operator of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minnesota as well as six other reliever airports in the Twin Cities region, which primarily provide service to private individuals and businesses, but also have regional transportation service. ...

Investigations by the airline, the Air Carrier Security Committee of the Air Line Pilots Association, and the Department of Homeland Security, have thus far supported the actions of the airline and found no evidence that the men were removed from the airline due to religious discrimination because they were "merely praying," but rather for security reasons. A US Airways spokesperson said, "We've done what we typically do in a situation where there is a removal or some kind of customer service at issue...We talked with crew members and passengers and those on the ground....We found out the facts are substantially the same, and the imams were detained because of the concerns crew members had based on the behavior they observed, and from reports by the customers....We're looking at it as a security issue and as a customer-service issue and where we might need to do outreach." A meeting, between the six imams and the airline as part of this investigation was cancled at the imam's request^[16]. The Air Line Pilots Association, International, is the elected bargaining representative for over 64,000 pilots of 41 U.S. and Canadian airlines. ... The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a Cabinet department of the federal government of the United States that is concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. ...

The imams retained the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as their legal counsel^[17]. Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, sent a letter to the airline seeking a settlement agreement and said, "otherwise, the group is prepared to go to court.” Awad told CNN, “This is very important. Otherwise we have no guarantees such incidents with US Airways and other airlines would not happen again.” No information about the amount of damages sought was given.^[18] The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is an advocacy group which seeks to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. ...

Lawsuit

On March 12, 2007, the imams' lawyer, Omar Mohammedi, filed a lawsuit on their behalf for unspecified damages, citing "fear, depression, mental pain and financial injury" on the part of the imams.^[19] The lawsuit targeted US Airways and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission, along with several unnamed passengers on the flight, who had reported on the imams' behavior to the flight crew, referred to as "John Does" in the lawsuit. The decision to include passengers among the targets of the lawsuit was a controversial one, with some legal experts saying it could have a "chilling effect" on airline security.^[20] The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, an anti-religious-discrimination organization, filed a brief on behalf of the passengers, and called this aspect of the lawsuit "legal terrorism".^[21] The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, interfaith, legal and educational institute dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions. ...

As a result of the lawsuit, on March 22, U.S. Representative Steve Pearce introduced the "Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007" into Congress, a bill that would outlaw the suing of airline passengers who report on suspicious activity. On March 27, this bill was scrapped, and the wording placed into the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007 instead.^[22] At the same time, the imams amended their lawsuit to sue only those "John Does" who had acted "with the intent to discriminate".^[23] Stevan E. Steve Pearce (born August 24, 1947) has represented New Mexicos second Congressional district (map) as a Republican in the United States House of Representatives since 2003. ...

Conflicting accounts

Shahin denied allegation of suspicious behavior^[24] and said everyone in the group had round-trip tickets and that he has the documentation to prove it, that he asked for a seatbelt extension because he weighs 290 pounds, and that the group conducted their sunset-time prayers in a quiet manner.

The police report shows the imams sitting in seats 1B, 9C, 9D, 21B, 25D and 25E.^[25] Regarding the claim that the Imams did not sit in their assigned seats, Omar Shahin stated that only one Imam, Sadeddin, switched seats. Marwan Sadeddin, who is blind and claimed to need assistance, convinced a coach passenger to exchange seats so that he could sit next to Mahmoud Sulaiman^[26] on Row 9. Explaining his seats in first class, Omar Shahin said that he is a frequent flyer and had received an Elite Member upgrade to first class. ^[26] Sheikh Omar Shahin is a Jordanian native. ... Sheikh Omar Shahin is a Jordanian native. ...

US Airways has not published the seat assignments of the Imams, so their actual seat assignments are unknown.

Conflicting accounts about the use of handcuffs have put that aspect of the controversy into question. On November 21, 2006 Imam Omar Shahin told the Associated Press, "Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."^[27] Amy Goodman reports a similar statement made on November 29. ^[26] However, on December 1 The Washington Times stated, "Mr. Shahin says they were not led off the plane in handcuffs, as reported, nor were they kept in handcuffs during their five-hour detention, and they were not harassed by dogs."^[28] This is not necessarily a conflict, since the Imams could have been handcuffed at a later time, while in police custody. A pair of metal double-locking police handcuffs A woman cuffed with handcuffs and thumbcuffs Handcuffs are devices to secure two wrists close together. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Amy Goodman (b. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washington Times[1] is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States. ...

However, a Washington Times editorial on December 2 claimed that Shahin had stated that the Imams were already handcuffed when they were taken off the plane.^[29] To add to the confusion, a passenger on the plane told a group of news reporters a few hours later that "apparently they [the imams] were all in handcuffs by the end" of their time on the airplane, though it appears that she did not observe this directly.^[30]

The Washington Times reported that, according to Shahin, the US Airways refused to sell the imams a plane ticket, despite the intervention of an FBI agent, who tried to persuade the airline in favor of the imams. FBI spokesman Paul McCabe disputes that an agent talked to US Airways on behalf of the Imams.^[28] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ...

Criticism of US Airways

The group had initially attracted attention by praying loudly in the departure lounge before boarding the plane. Spokespersons for Muslim advocacy organizations the Muslim American Society and CAIR argued that rather than doing anything suspicious all the men did was pray and that the removal from the plane represented religious profiling. CAIR's Arizona chapter spokesperson said that "All these men did was pray, and it was misunderstood. The bottom line is that they were Middle Eastern-looking men ... and that scares some people," and, "We are concerned that crewmembers, passengers and security personnel may have succumbed to fear and prejudice based on stereotyping of Muslims and Islam." The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a nonprofit organization. ... The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is an advocacy group which seeks to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ...

Criticism of the imams

An editorial in Investor's Business Daily questioned whether the imams were "victims or provocateurs" and suggested that it is possible the incident was planned in advance to gain publicity for planned congressional legislation against profiling.^[31] The Muslim American Society also backs this legislation expected to be introduced by Rep. John Conyers of Detroit.^[32] Denouncing "the provocative agenda of these imams," Debra Burlingame opined that "it is nothing short of obscene that these six religious leaders (…) chose to turn that airport into a stage and that airplane into a prop in the service of their need for grievance theater."^[33] Investors Business Daily is a national newspaper, published Monday through Friday, that covers business and finance. ... Look up Polemic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Polemic is the art or practice of inciting disputation or causing controversy, for example in religious, philosophical, or political matters. ... The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a nonprofit organization. ... John Conyers, Jr. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Deborah (Debra) Burlingame (born 1954) is the sister of Charles Chic Burlingame III, the pilot of the American Airlines Flight 77 that was crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. ...

A former federal air marshal has expressed the fear that the situation "will make crews and passengers in the future second-guess reporting these events, thus compromising the aircraft's security out of fear of being labeled a dogmatist or a bigot, or being sued," and that "Instilling politically correct fears into the minds of airline passengers is nothing less than psychological terrorism." ^[34] The Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) is a law enforcement agency of the United States federal [[Government of the United States|government] and chicago bears]. The Air Marshal service is meant to promote confidence in civil aviation by effectively deploying Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) and Federal Flight Deck Officers...

Other commentators have pointed out the ties of Omar Shahin and others of the imams involved to extremist groups, and pointed out the numerous statements made by the imams in connection with the incident that were contradicted by multiple eyewitness reports.^{[35] [36] [37]} Sheikh Omar Shahin is a Jordanian native. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Critics have also noted Omar Shahin's prior involvement with a similar case. Two Arizona college students and members of Shahin's mosque, Muhammed al-Qudhaieen and Hamdan al-Shalawi, were removed from an America West flight after making two attempts to open the cockpit. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, the FBI had suspected this had been a dry run for the 9/11 hijackings. The students filed racial-profiling lawsuits against America West, now part of US Airways with Shahin as their defense attorney^[38] Sheikh Omar Shahin is a Jordanian native. ... A dry run is a testing process where the effects of a possible failure are intentionally mitigated. ...

Media treatments

This controversy was the subject of a segment of talk show host's Jerry Klein radio show. During the show Mr. Klein purposely pretended to support forcing American Muslims to wear "identifying markers" such as armbands or tattoos (as Nazi Germany did to Jews in before and during WWII) to provoke listener reactions (see Jerry Klein’s 2006 Islamophobia Radio Experiment). Jerry Klein of WMAL 630 AM Radio On Nov. ...

See also

• Flying while Muslim

Flying while Muslim, or Muslim while flying, is an expression referring to the problems Muslim passengers on airplanes can face on account of their religion. ...

References