Muslim Family Kicked off of Air Plane!!

Sunni Man

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Aug 14, 2008
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WASHINGTON (Jan. 2) - A Muslim family was removed from an airliner Thursday after passengers became concerned about their conversation say AirTran officials refused to rebook them, even after FBI investigators cleared them of wrongdoing.

Atif Irfan said federal authorities removed eight members of his extended family and a friend after passengers heard them discussing the safest place to sit and misconstrued the nature of the conversation.

Irfan, a U.S. citizen and tax attorney, said he was "impressed with the professionalism" of the FBI agents who questioned him, but said he felt mistreated when the airline refused to book the family for a later flight.

AirTran Airways late Thursday said they acted properly and that the family was offered full refunds and can fly with AirTran again.
"AirTran Airways complied with all TSA, law enforcement and Homeland Security directives and had no discretion in the matter," the company said in a prepared statement.

Family members said FBI agents tried to work it out with the airline, but to no avail.

"The FBI agents actually cleared our names," said Inayet Sahin, Irfan's sister-in-law. "They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, 'There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,' and they still refused."
"The airline told us that we can't fly their airline," Irfan said.

The dispute occurred about 1 p.m. Thursday as AirTran flight 175 was preparing for takeoff from Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., on a flight destined for Orlando, Florida.
Atif Irfan, his brother, their wives, a sister and three children were headed to Orlando to meet with family and attend a religious conference.

"The conversation, as we were walking through the plane trying to find our seats, was just about where the safest place in an airplane is," Sahin said. "We were (discussing whether it was safest to sit near) the wing, or the engine or the back or the front, but that's it. We didn't say anything else that would raise any suspicion."

The conversation did not contain the words "bomb," "explosion," "terror" or other words that might have aroused suspicion, Irfan said.
"When we were talking, when we turned around, I noticed a couple of girls kind of snapped their heads," said Sobia Ijaz, Irfan's wife. "I kind of thought to myself, 'Oh, you know, maybe they're going to say something.' It didn't occur to me that they were going to make it such a big issue."

Some time later, while the plane was still at the gate, an FBI agent boarded the plane and asked Irfan and his wife to leave the plane. The rest of the family was removed 15 or 20 minutes later, along with a family friend,

Abdul Aziz, a Library of Congress attorney and family friend who was coincidentally taking the same flight and had been seen talking to the family.
After the FBI interviewed family members, it released them, Irfan said.

AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said the incident began when some passengers reported hearing suspicious remarks by a woman and alerted flight attendants. Two Federal Air Marshals, who were on board the flight, notified law enforcement about the security-related issue, AirTran said.

After the family and Aziz were taken for questioning, the remaining 95 passengers were taken off of the plane and rescreened, along with the crew and the baggage, AirTran said.
Irfan said he believes his family is owed an apology

"Really, at the end of the day, we're not out here looking for money. I'm an attorney. I know how the court system works. We're basically looking for someone to say... 'We're apologizing for treating you as second-class citizens.'"

"We are proud Americans," Sahin said. "You know we decided to have our children and raise them here. We can very easily go anywhere we want in the world, but you know we love it here and we're not going to go away, no matter what."

Aziz said there is a "very strong possibility" he will pursue a civil rights lawsuit.
"I guess it's just a situation of guilt by association," Aziz said. "They see one Muslim talking to another Muslim and they automatically assume something wrong is going on."

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It's understandable that a few people misconstrued the conversation and alerted authorities. That is what we are all hoping responsible citizens do when suspicion is aroused. What is disturbing is the actions of the Airline.

This kind of shit needs to stop.

Look to Israel's*El Al Airline on how to do profiling (I know it's not PC) on Arabic/Muslim looking/sounding people and we will all have a better experience at airports. Israel has a lot to teach us on how to live a relatively normal life when surrounded by fears because of terrorists and their supporters.

this is great:

"The FBI agents actually cleared our names," said Inayet Sahin, Irfan's sister-in-law. "They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, 'There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,' ...


but this part sucks
...and they still refused."
"The airline told us that we can't fly their airline," Irfan said.


this sucks:

"I guess it's just a situation of guilt by association," Aziz said. "They see one Muslim talking to another Muslim and they automatically assume something wrong is going on."
 
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How stupid is it for a big mob of Muslims to be discussing the safety of their seats in an airplane?

He doesn't deserve an apology or a seat on the damn plane. Now he knows what it's like to be a Muslim woman. They get shit on all the time.
 
Jeesh, lots of people wonder where the safest place to sit is in case of a crash.

How incredibly stupid.
 
If they were going to blow the plane up I don't think a debate on the safest place to sit would save any lives even if they came up with the answer.:lol:
 
I think it was a pretty good catch, and shows up how afraid people are.

They weren't mistreated, the guy says so himself. I think they're pissed that they were told they can't travel with the airline anymore.
 
They should have beaten a confession out of them.Then deported them.:lol:
 
I have an acquaintance who cannot board an airline now.

Why?

She doesn't know.
 
wonder who cleared all thos muslim men to learn to fly in the US? Fly but not to land? Weird! Just Weird!


The airline will get the pants sued off them, go out of business, and we will have less flights to worry about. oh well, that's life in the face of terrorism.. get over it.
 
I don't see anything particularly wrong in this day and age with asking people who display suspicious behavior to step off the plane for questioning. Passengers are asked to report that sort of behavior and apparently several passengers were concerned enough about the conversation to mention it...

Is it "fair" for the people who are having a conversation about where the safest part of the airplane is with no malice in mind to have to be put through that simply because they look "Arab?" No...it isn't "fair." But if short, pale girls with Irish names had committed heinous terrorist attacks against this country...I probably would be trying very hard not to talk about where the safest place to be in the plane is "just in case" it happened to crash...

I do, however, have a problem...with what the family had to deal with AFTER being cleared by the FBI. Seems to me that, once cleared, they should have been placed on the next available flight with an apology from the airline for any inconvenience and a great big thank you for being cooperative through the process.

The cynic in me, however...has to wonder if this was staged by the man in order to bring a civil suit against the airline?
 
Leave it to Baba to find fault in the Muslims for doing something that just about ANYONE would do.

Whites? Discuss seating all you want.

Muslims? Shut your fucking mouths you potential shoe bombers.
 

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