I think these guys were football fans also.
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 ...
More like illegal procedure.
Hmmm, so do these times to pray just spring up spontaneously or are they pre-arranged? From what I understand there are routine times to pray, so maybe the idiots could have planned ahead a little better to avoid embarassing themselves?
I think they got exactly what they wanted.
FBI spokesman Steven Siegel said the men aroused suspicion because they were near an air intake duct.
Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were both in the stadium because of their Katrina fund-raising efforts.
"You had 80,000 people there," said Siegel. "Bush 41 was there, and you had a group of gentlemen gathering in an area not normally used by the public right near the main air intake duct for the stadium, and a food preparation facility. It was where they were, not what they were doing."
Nice work FBI.
If the muslims were sincerely just praying, and not looking to stir up controversy, it's a shame they were inconvenienced. But the persons responsible are their coreligionists, who have brought this level of scrutiny down on their heads.
Probably just N.O. fans... they need prayers.
I know there are people who will disagree but, at least from what is presented in the story, I see nothing wrong with what these men did. I presume they were football fans but wanted to get in their prayers before the game started.
I know they couldn't get away with this in front of an abortion clinic (sidewalk praying is banned in front of those) but there is nothing that says you can't do that at a football stadium.
I can understand the nervousness of law enforcement but it should have been a quick Q&A and nothing more unless they had probable cause.
"Probably just N.O. fans... they need prayers."
I've been praying for them for years. Once, I actually thought I heard God chuckle.
"As Muslims, we just have to pray when it's time to pray,"
Clue to roots of Islamic fanaticism.
they are starting to sow seeds of discord in order to prepare others for what is to come-getting the unwashed masses ready they hope-to accept that white christians and jews are to blame for all their ills-AMERICA wake up before it happens everywhere and it cannot be stopped-time to start growing some b--ls for home defence
"I see nothing wrong with what these men did."
Neither did the authorities. It was where they were doing it that made them servous.
I think these guys were football fans also.
Does the Koran specify what times these prayers are to occur? Are they at specific intervals?
Could they not have prayed during their tailgate party, while they were roasting a goat, next to the guys in the F250 who were eating the ribs?
I also wonder if Allah might have communicated with them: "Hey sahib, what's the score of the game?
It should come as no surprise that this occurred at the hastily-scheduled game against the Saints in the aftermath of Katrina, since this was considered a "home game" for the Saints and many of these tickets were sold to outsiders who would never have a chance to buy them otherwise.
There was a similar "civil rights" incident a few years back when someone paid an airplane banner advertising company to fly around over Giants Stadium with some kind of controversial banner (maybe it was for an abortion clinic or something) -- just to make a public statement. The stadium authorities tried to quash the plan on the grounds that the message was somehow "not acceptable" to the fan base, and the group who purchased the ad may have even gone to court and won a case. And yet for some reason the story disappeared from the news and the banner was never flown over the stadium.
Don't they usually pray just before blowing themselves/something up?
"I know there are people who will disagree but, at least from what is presented in the story, I see nothing wrong with what these men did."
I would offer to you that the Security folks and the FBI did nothing wrong either. You ask for probabale cause, the years and years of islamic produced terrorism is that cause indeed.
This was activity that OUTSIDE the norm and it was noticed, reported and investigated. noone was harmed, maimed killed or worngly arrested.
How can you be so sure this was not a test run to see reaction? I offer this very reason is why is was right and proper to question these folks.
No. They spent all their spare time at titty bars, not football games.
But it's not a cult. Nope.
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