On November 20, 2006, six Muslim Imams were removed from Phoenix-bound US Airways Flight 300 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at the request of the pilot and crew members. The men were questioned for several hours and subsequently released. Following the incident, the six Imams issued statements declaring their removal as discriminatory action due to the ignorance over the fundamental principles of Islam. Despite these claims, their suspicious behavior, consistent with that of security probes undertaken by terrorists, warranted their removal from the aircraft.
Suspicious Behavior
According to police reports, aviation security officials, and witness accounts, the six Imams engaged in distinctive actions that attracted the attention of those on the flight, including:
– The Imams prayed loudly in the concourse while waiting to board, repeatedly shouting the word ?Allah.? The men spoke in English and Arabic, criticizing the American people and indicating their extreme fundamentalist views, to include discussions on al-Qaeda , Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein.
– The men refused to sit in their assigned seats and instead formed a pattern associated with the 9/11 attacks : two seated in first class, two in an exit row in the middle, and two at the rear of the plane, thereby assuming control of all entry and exit routes onboard.
– One of the men appeared nervous and made several trips to the rear of the plane to speak with another Imam.
– Two of the Imams requested seatbelt extenders, although neither was oversized. The individuals did not use the belts and instead placed the straps on the floor.
Following their removal from the flight, authorities discovered that three of the men held one-way tickets and did not check any baggage, both red flags for security personnel.
Ties to Terrorists
One of the six Imams, Omar Shahin, is linked to several terrorist organizations. Shahin heads the Islamic Center of Tucson (ICT), a US$1.5 million mosque that is tied to both Hamas and al-Qaeda and is involved in raising money for terrorist front groups. The previous director of the mosque, Wael Hamza Julaidan, holds close ties with Osama bin Laden and is often referred to as a co-founder of al-Qaeda. One of the 9/11 hijackers, Hani Hanjour, who piloted the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, also attended the ICT. Furthermore, Omar Shahin was previously a representative of ?Kind Hearts,? a charity that was a front for Hamas financing and was shut down by the US government following an investigation into its alleged connections to terrorist groups. Shahin also teaches at an Islamic school connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and whose founder preaches Sharia law.
Conclusion
The six men were removed from the flight while returning from a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation that included a workshop on the relationship of Imams and the media, heightening suspicions that the incident was arranged to impact airport security by creating public sympathy for their cause. Although these contentions cannot be confirmed, US Airways has asked for feedback from passengers and other travelers on the incident, as it believes it acted appropriately to ensure the security of those onboard. This and similar events will serve to impact airport security measures, as they highlight the security and cultural dilemmas faced in protecting the American people.