Posted on 07/09/2007 2:09:55 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
A young Muslim was booted off a plane at a North airport after asking cabin crew if he could pray before his flight, we can reveal.The incident happened when the country was on high alert last weekend after an alleged terrorist attack at Glasgow airport.
A source told us that the man - who has not been named - boarded a Thomsonfly flight at Newcastle International Airport bound for a holiday in Malaga, Spain, with friends.
He asked staff if he could go in the galley area - which can be curtained off from passengers - and offer prayers before the flight took off.
However - according to our source - the flight attendant asked the plane's captain who promptly ordered the man off the aircraft.
Northumbria Police officers were waiting for the man in the departure lounge and searched him under terrorism laws.
All they found was a bottle of water, used by Muslims to wash themselves before prayer, a compass to ensure he was facing the holy city of Mecca, and a traditional prayer-mat.
The flight - TOM 4125 from Newcastle to Malaga - took off an hour later than its scheduled 4.20pm departure time last Sunday.
A spokeswoman for Thomson said: "The captain has the right to remove passengers from a flight if he feels their behaviour is detrimental to other customers. For legal reasons, we are unable to comment any further."
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "We were called to the airport just before 5.15pm on Sunday after concerns were raised about a passenger.
"We attended and searched the man and found that no offence had been committed and everything was in order. The man was not arrested."
Azad Ali, executive leader of the counter-terrorism section of the Muslim Safety Forum, which liaises with police forces, appealed through the Sunday Sun for the man to come forward.
He said: "If the man feels hard done by then he will be upset by this.
"If he feels it difficult to gain resolution in Newcastle he can log onto our website and email us his details.
"We will then go to the Association of Chief Police Officers and ask them to look into it.
"However, it looks as if the airline itself is guilty of over reaction in this incident.
"There is a tendency for some people to blame an entire community for the actions of individuals. It's guilt by association."
The drama unfolded at a time that the security level was at its highest following the abortive car bombs found in London and the attack on Glasgow Airport where two men drove a Jeep Cherokee into the main terminal building.
The vehicle had gas cylinders on board . . . which have the potential to cause huge explosions. It is believed the gas cylinders and the car came from Teesside.
A total of eight suspects, all of them connected with the NHS, have been arrested since the Glasgow airport attack and the two failed car bombs discovered in central London the previous day.
I hope it had already reached altitude ...
I say good for the airline! At least the British appear to be growing some stones!
“There is a tendency for some people to blame an entire community for the actions of individuals. It’s guilt by association.”
Wrong. Its guilt by cooperation.
Headline should read “Terrorist attack thwarted”
Bullseye!
The airline is guilty of common sense.
He asked staff if he could go in the galley area - which can be curtained off from passengers - and offer prayers before the flight took off
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sure.....take your backpack in there, too....
So, Allah doesn’t listen to quiet prayer, conducted in private?
Catch a clue, Mohammed. Britain has a right to be at least a bit overreactive.
Go to a church or synagogue to pray.
Go to an airplane to fly.
Go to a mosque to plot against evil western imperialist kaffirs.
Well, at least he asked.
Should have done it at home or his friendly, local mosque before heading to the airport, given the situation.
‘Course if he had any sense at all, he wouldn’t even be a muslim.
He can pray on the wing............
Prayers for what? Does he think that the Wright brothers were wrong?
A wing and a prayer ?
those Brits better watch out... the ACLU is going to sue them! don’t they know that potential terrorists have rights too! now AFTER the bomb went off.... and everyone was dead... then they could have removed him from the plan... when will they ever learn....
The captain will probably be fired for acting prudently.
The ACLU doesn’t seem to find fault with Muslims wailing and yelling their prayers in public, but if a school offers prayer before the day starts, they will be forced (by the ACLU) straight into court. Or, heaven forbid, if someone says the Pledge of Allegiance with the words “Under God” - big trouble.
Why don’t they go after these ‘entitled’ Muslims?
Malaga seems like a less than ideal location for a strict Muslim vacation anyhow;)
Who give rat***
You know this guy going file lawsuit I just hope airliner don’t collapse from their arguement of allow this jerk to pray
If this happened in America, there’d be national coverage for about a year and the guy would sue for 50 trillion dollars.
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