All six imams had boarded together, with the first-class passengers - even though only one of them had a first-class ticket. Three had one-way tickets. Between the six men, only one had checked a bag.
And, Pauline said, they spread out just like the 9-11 hijackers. Two sat in first, two in the middle, and two back in the economy section. Pauline’s account is confirmed by the police report. The airline spokeswoman added that some seemed to be sitting in seats not assigned to them.
One thing that no one seemed to consider at the time, perhaps due to lack of familiarity with Islamic practice, is that the men prayed both at the gate and on the plane. Observant Muslims pray only once at sundown, not twice.
“It was almost as if they were intentionally trying to get kicked off the flight,” Pauline (a passenger who was a witness to the events) said.
The FBI should investigate these imams to see if they were in fact trying to provoke an incident. Trying to give the impression that they were guilty of "flying while Moslem" rather than "flying like a bunch of jihadi suicide bombers" would have the effect of weakening our defenses for actual terrorists. Criminal charges should follow if appropriate.
US Airways should consider a law suit for civil damages for the attempt by the Flying Imams to portray the airline and its employees as violating their civil rights.
Passengers should file suits for damages both to their lost time and the fear that the imams appeared to deliberately inflict on pasengers and employees on that flight. A jury should have the option of weighing the evidence.
Our enemies and their sympathizers engage in lawfare to tie us up under our rule of law to inhibit our ability to fight our enemies. If such incidents dull our responses, the effect will be that actual terrorists will get on our flights. It is time for our goverment, corporations under threat, and citizens who are the targets of our enemies to use lawfare to the extent we can.
Our society should not be the ones being judged in this incident, it seems. Further inquiry is in order rather than just accepting the Flying While Moslem conclusion. Investigate the Flying Imams and take the appropriate criminal and civil remedies to end efforts that result in softening up our institutions for actual attackers to successfully hit us.
I mean, as one witness said, it was almost as if they wanted to provoke an incident and get kicked off the flight.
