Posted on 11/21/2006 4:29:09 PM PST by xcamel
Spokesman for 6 Muslim clerics barred from US Airways flight
One of six Muslim imams pulled from a US Airways flight in Minneapolis last night by federal authorities is affiliated with a Hamas-linked organization and acknowledged a connection to Osama bin Laden in the 1990s.
Omar Shahin, who served as a spokesman for the clerics, is a representative of the Kind Hearts Organization, which had its assets frozen by the U.S. Treasury pending an investigation, notes Islam scholar Robert Spencer on his weblog JihadWatch
Treasury spokesman Stuart Levey in February said KindHearts "is the progeny of Holy Land Foundation and Global Relief Foundation, which attempted to mask their support for terrorism behind the façade of charitable giving."
The imams had attended a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, who is president of the group.
"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," Shahin said after the incident last night.
Today, Shahin called for Muslims and non-Muslims to boycott US Airways unless the company changes its policy.
"They know what they have to do, they have to be fair and just with everybody," he said.
The Washington, D.C., based lobby group Council on American-Islamic Relations planned to file a complaint, said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper.
"Because, unfortunately, this is a growing problem of singling out Muslims or people perceived to be Muslims at airports, and it's one that we've been addressing for some time," Hooper said.
CAIR, however, has its own ties to Hamas, having been identified by two former FBI counter-terrorism chiefs as a spinoff of a front group for the Palestinian terrorist organization.
A Sept. 28, 2001, story in the Arizona Republic that said Arizona appears to have been the home of an al-Qaida sleeper cell, named Shahin as one of three part-time Arizona residents who "fits the pattern" of the terrorist group.
Shahin, identifed as being with the Tucson Islamic Center, said members of his mosque may have helped bin Laden in the early 1990s when the al-Qaida leader was fighting against the Russians.
The CIA at that time, Shahin said, called bin Laden a "freedom fighter."
"Then they tell us he is involved in terrorist acts, and they stopped supporting him, and we stopped," he said.
In the story, Shahin expressed doubt that Muslims were responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks and said he "didn't trust much of what the FBI has divulged - including the hijackers' identities."
As for Al-Qaida nests in America, Shahin said, "All of these, they make it up."
Witnesses to the imam's explusion last night said some of them made anti-American comments about the war in Iraq before boarding the flight, according to Minneapolis airport spokesman Patrick Hogan.
Also, some of the men asked for seat belt extensions even though a flight attendant thought they didn't need them.
"There were a number of things that gave the flight crew pause," Hogan said.
Shahin claimed three members of the group prayed in the terminal before the six boarded the plane. Last night, however, he said they had prayed on the plane.
The imams boarded the plane individually, Shahin said, except for a blind member who needed assistance. They didn't sit together and "did nothing," he contended.
That would probably make US Airways THE safest airlines in the United States. Hopefully Muslims will extend the boycott to include United and Southwest, since they are the airlines that I usually fly.
What could the belt extensions be used for? Exactly what does a seatbelt extension look like?
I have never heard of seat belt extensions. So these fellows have heard of them even though they aren't obese. How many of them asked for these extensions? Seriously, trial run?
"Today, Shahin called for Muslims ... to boycott US Airways"
Well, that would go a long way towards solving the problem.
I was wondering why they were released too. The one item I had heard was some lady saw them move in pairs to unassigned seats throughout the airplane. It wasn't until AFTER this ACTION (plus the prayers and the anti-american comments) that the lady told the flight crew and they were kicked off.
To me that makes the case much more significant and threatening.
bump for publicity
I wrote an email to US Airways earlier, praising them for their bravery and concern of passengers. I have never flown with them before but because of this, I will do it in the future. This is exactly what I told them. I read in a forum somewhere that this guy rebooked his flight with them at considerable cost in support of their actions.
I suggest other Freepers write to US Airways to praise their actions.
Yeah. I bet they even put panties on your head and smacked you with shoes. Based upon your history of disregard for the principles by which this country was founded . . . bite me.
A seat belt extension is for a person who is more "girthy" than the standard seat belt will accomodate. It is approximately a foot long with both a male and female end, it hooks to the exsisting seat belt. Each aircraft carries several. Typically a girthy person will ask a flight attendant for one and then steal it when they depart the A/C so they don't suffer the embarressment of having to ask again. I work line maintenance for a major airline. Here's a good one, answering a callback at departure time because the seatback won't stay upright. I board the plane, ask the F/A which seat has the "problem" and look down the aisle to see a girthy person barely fitting into the seat. I tell the F/A that she will have to explain to the passenger that his/her leg is so big it is mashing the recline button.
They complained that they were being treated like terrorists. I want to treat them like terrorists we treat in Iraq - death.
Seat belt extension.
Thanks for the explaination. What do you think they had in mind for these extensions. As a weapon to swing? Or do you think that we are barking up the wrong tree? Do you have any opinion on this?
Why do they have to inconvenience passengers by waiting to land before throwing them off the plane?
BINGO! US Airways did it RIGHT!!!!!!
Thanks for the link to the police report. Very interesting reading. Plus, it's good to have straight facts and some curious details not being reported.
These Muslim extremists have been on the news all day today here in Phoenix, telling their ridiculous "woe-is-me" tale, including the "blind" Imam crap, and I'm sick of it. Thanks to the police report, it looks like Omar has been exposed as a lying quasi-terrorist.
Here's the number of CAIR-AZ is anyone wants to leave them a little message - 602-262-2247.
I heard once on the local (Mpls) news that Rep Keith Ellison had attended the meeting that these Imams had attended.
Never heard any more about it.
CAIR, how's that lawsuit coming along?
Did you see on the other thread where the MSNBC news reader compared these "men" to Rosa Parks.
Just remember 5 of those degrees end with you dead, and them living in your house.
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