Captain's Quarters Blog


« Carrots For Dear Leader | Main | These Are The Realists? »

December 6, 2006
'Allahu Akbar Was Just The Opening Act'

Debra Burlingame has written on airline security topics ever since her brother, American Airlines Capt. Charles Burlingame, died in the 9/11 attack at the hands of Islamist terrorists. Today she takes on the topic of the "flying imams" of Minneapolis in the pages of the Wall Street Journal:

Given that Islamic terrorists continue their obsession with turning airplanes into weapons of mass destruction, it is nothing short of obscene that these six religious leaders--fresh from attending a conference of the North American Imams Federation, featuring discussions on "Imams and Politics" and "Imams and the Media"--chose to turn that airport into a stage and that airplane into a prop in the service of their need for grievance theater. The reality is, these passengers endured a frightening 3 1/2-hour ordeal, which included a front-to-back sweep of the aircraft with a bomb-sniffing dog, in order to advance the provocative agenda of these imams in, of all the inappropriate places after 9/11, U.S. airports.

"Allahu Akbar" was just the opening act. After boarding, they did not take their assigned seats but dispersed to seats in the first row of first class, in the midcabin exit rows and in the rear--the exact configuration of the 9/11 execution teams. The head of the group, seated closest to the cockpit, and two others asked for a seatbelt extension, kept on board for obese people. A heavy metal buckle at the end of a long strap, it can easily be used as a lethal weapon. The three men rolled them up and placed them on the floor under their seats. And lest this entire incident be written off as simple cultural ignorance, a frightened Arabic-speaking passenger pulled aside a crew member and translated the imams' suspicious conversations, which included angry denunciations of Americans, furious grumblings about U.S. foreign policy, Osama Bin Laden and "killing Saddam."

Predictably, these imams and their attorneys now suggest that another passenger who penned a frantic note of warning and slipped it to a flight attendant was somehow a hysterical Islamophobe. Let us remember that but for their performance at the gate this passenger might never have noticed these men or their behavior on board, much less have the slightest clue as to their religion or political passions. Of course, that was the point of the shouting. According to the police report, yet another alarmed passenger who frequently travels to the Middle East described a conversation with one of the imams. The 31-year-old Egyptian expressed fundamentalist Muslim views, and stated the he would go to whatever measures necessary to obey all the tenets set out in the Koran.

Make sure to read the entire column; it's well worth your time. Also, Audrey Hudson continues her work on the story at the Washington Times today, noting that three separate investigations concluded that US Air acted appropriately when they removed the activists from the flight:

The Minneapolis airport police department's report on the incident said the imams' behavior warranted their removal. The imams were not accused of breaking any laws. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is reviewing the actions of department members who were involved in the incident. Secret Service agents questioned the imams, who are accused of making negative comments about President Bush and the Iraq war. Officials of the Transportation Security Administration were involved in screening the imams and their baggage. "There is no indication there is any inappropriate activity, at least no indication at this time," DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said. "To my knowledge, we are only doing a review, and that is a fairly routine practice with incidents like this." The Air Carrier Security Committee of the Air Line Pilots Association investigated the incident and said, "The crew's actions were strictly in compliance with procedures and demonstrated overall good judgment in the care and concern for their passengers, fellow crew members, and the company."

UPDATE: Fixed italics tag -- thanks to Kimsch at Musing Minds.

Sphere It Digg! View blog reactions
Posted by Ed Morrissey at December 6, 2006 7:02 AM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry is

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference 'Allahu Akbar Was Just The Opening Act':

» Debra Burlingame on the six imams controversy from Sister Toldjah
Just scanned Memeorandum this morning and came across this piece from Debra Burlingame, who lost her brother - American Airlines Flight 77 pilot Charles F. “Chic” Burlingame III, whose plane was hijacked by terrorists and slammed into the P... [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 9:16 AM

» Web Reconnaissance for 12/06/2006 from The Thunder Run
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention. [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 9:41 AM

» Poor innocent mistweated widdle flying imams -- Update 4 from Bill's Bites
Please see my previous related posts here, here, here, here, here, here and here. On a Wing and a Prayer [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 9:54 AM

» Flyin Im-ams…YuP from Woman Honor Thyself
Last week, six im–ams returning from a conference on religious tolerance were removed in handcuffs from a US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix after a passenger raised concerns about “suspicious behavior.” ... [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 10:10 AM

» The Future War With Islam from Lump on a Blog
This is the best synopsis of the future that awaits us I have ever come across. In the form of a short story, author Dan Simmons manages to capture the essence of our failings in the misnamed War on Terror and the fiasco of Iraq and paints a bleak fut... [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 10:55 AM

» The Flying Imam investigation concludes everyone did their job correctly- except the Imams- Updated from Leaning Straight Up
I have been saying it all along, and now three separate investigations confirm my contention:  The Crew, the Marshalls and the Police did exactly what the circumstances demanded.  The Washington Times via Hot Air: Probes dismiss imams’ ... [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 12:05 PM

» WTW: Oh, Those Silly Imams from Pirate's Cove
Morning, y'all. Jebediah here. Ya know, them Imam's critters are not going to be too happy Three parallel investigations into the removal of six imams from a US Airways flight last month have so far concluded that the airline acted properly, t... [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 12:10 PM

» Ass-rot, roundin’ up the strays! It’s whut ah do! from The Anchoress
As uz’al, I’ve got myself with 30 or so dad-blamed open tabs o’ stories “too good not to write about” ‘cept, you know…it’s 30 stories! and so they’s simply no tahme to write ‘em up - so’... [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 1:24 PM

» ISG Report Fails to Address Issue from Mensa Barbie Welcomes You
Anything less, is to pit terror upon the Free world, confusing aggression with prevention; and prohibiting function of a World in support of int'l laws. - ISG, Passivity, and other Posts on Iraq: Also read the Captain's: 'Allahu Akbar Was Just ... [Read More]

Tracked on December 6, 2006 8:38 PM

>Comments


Design & Skinning by:
m2 web studios





blog advertising



button1.jpg

Proud Ex-Pat Member of the Bear Flag League!