Posted on 11/03/2005 9:48:37 AM PST by nickcarraway
Players routinely do it at midfield, and fans say their prayers before field-goal tries, but five Muslim men were offsides when they gathered in prayer too close to a Giants Stadium airshaft, the feds say.
The men held a press conference Tuesday charging Meadowlands security and the FBI humiliated them for partaking in their regular evening prayers during a nationally televised game against the Saints last month.
The men arrived about an hour before the start of the Sept. 19 Monday night game — originally scheduled for New Orleans but played at Giants Stadium because Hurricane Katrina left the Saints homeless.
They picked an isolated spot near Gate D to conduct their evening prayer ritual: kneeling and touching their foreheads to the ground in sets of three.
Being devout followers of Islam, they are required to make five daily prayers in the direction of Mecca.
"As Muslims, we just have to pray when it's time to pray," said Sami Shaban, 27, a second-year law student who was born and raised in Mahwah, N.J. "We thought nothing of it. I pray in malls — I pray everywhere."
He and his friends went to their upper tier seats and watched the game until halftime, when they were approached by stadium security guards.
"We were sitting there, then they came, three behind us, three in front of us, and they said, 'Get up.' I said, 'Why?' " Shaban recounted.
The men said they were given no reason for being detained and were roughly escorted to an interrogation room in the stadium where FBI agents were waiting.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
"a second-year law student who was born and raised in Mahwah, N.J."
We are nicer and more accomodating to illegals, here with expired visas, than to our own citizens. Figures.
"He who would avoid suspicion should not tie his shoes in the pumpkin patch."
Giants Stadium ping.
No penalty on the play. Ref picks up flag. Game continues. Move along.
Not relevant. They are in our country, not the other way around. Their intolerance should be no excuse for ours. Otherwise, I'd have the right to chop off the hands of theives or cut out the sex organs of adulterers.
I accept that stadium security had a legitimate interest because of the potential terror threat. If it was a threat, they should have gone to them as they were praying, waited for them to finish then ask them then and there what they were doing rather than haul them out of their seats long after they had left the vented area.
Okay, okay... They were "half-football" fans! ;-P
"Their intolerance should be no excuse for ours."
Their intolerance as exhibited is exactly WHY these folks got questioned. The difference between them and us is the fact they were questioned and not beheaded.
"If it was a threat, they should have gone to them as they were praying, waited for them to finish then ask them then and there what they were doing rather than haul them out of their seats long after they had left the vented area."
Could it be that it took some time to get the information to the people who make the decisions, and then some more time for them to review video of that area so they just didn't go detain these folks on someone's word alone?
A ducks in a row thing?
Foot ball, especially American style is haram for a devout Muslim. They should have been at a mosque or at home, not where the devil could tempt them and they would see western decadence.
And let them spread Anthrax throughout the air ventilation system while getting permission from higher ups?
If you're going to run a police state, you need to be able to act faster than that.
What I posed to you shows the difference between a police state and this nation. The ducks ina row thing....
If you oppose this action state your alternative. Seems to me your only one is to not have questioned them at all. THEN had they actually SPREAD anthrax you could preserve your argument that MORE shoulda been done.
Circular arguments get you nowhere.
I understand the NY Post is about one noch above the NYTimes on the "rag-meter" (which happens to be at rock bottom). But this title is entirely false. They were questioned for congregating at the main air intake of the stadium, with the president in attendance.
So it wasn't for 'Praying', and where the hell was this supposed 'Penalty' that the paper referes to?? MSM is in septic shock.. organs a-failin...Goodbye MSM. Hello FR.
"tossing the old pigskin around" No good Islamo-fascist would attend a football game.
There are Christians that pray often throughout the day. They just don't make a public show of it for others to notice.
Wonder what took them so long to go public? Could it be that they couldn't find a lawyer?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.