Omar Shahin, left, president of the North American Imams Federation, spoke to the news media with fellow Imam Marwan Sadeddin after they were removed from a US Airways flight in Minneapolis in November 2006."
Posted on 11/21/2007 4:20:13 AM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
A federal judge on Tuesday rejected most defense arguments to dismiss a lawsuit filed by six Muslim imams who were arrested last November on a U.S. Airways jet in Minneapolis after passengers reported they were acting suspiciously.
The imams have said that three of the men in their party said their evening prayers in the airport terminal before boarding the plane, then entered the aircraft individually, except for one member who is blind and needed a guide. Once on the plane, the men did not sit together.
A passenger raised concerns about the imams through a note passed to a flight attendant. Also, witnesses reported that the imams made anti-American comments about the war in Iraq and that some asked for seat belt extensions even though a flight attendant thought they didn't need them.
U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery, in a 41-page opinion and order, said it is "dubious" that a reasonable person would conclude from those facts that the imams were about to interfere with the crew or aircraft. She said the plaintiffs had stated a plausible claim that Metropolitan Airports Commission officers violated their constitutional rights.
"We're thankful for the order and are obviously in full agreement with the judge's conclusions," said Frederick Goetz, one of the imams' attorneys. "This has always been a straightforward civil rights case. You had six individuals ... doing absolutely nothing wrong. They prayed in the airport and got arrested. That's unconstitutional, and they deserve redress."
MAC spokesman Pat Hogan said the commission's attorneys were still reviewing the judge's decision.
"We'll continue to pursue the case in court," Hogan said. "Our goal remains to protect the safety of the flying public and we'll continue to argue for our ability to do that."
U.S. Airways, also a defendant in the lawsuit, said it was studying the order.
"We continue to stand by the actions of our crew members and employees, but at this point we can't say anything definitive about next steps," said spokeswoman Andrea Rader.
Ahmed Shqeirat, Mohamed Ibrahim, Didmar Faja, Omar Shahin, Mahmoud Sulaiman and Marwan Sadeddin were arrested as they returned home from the North American Conference of Imams on Nov. 20, 2006. Ibrahim lives in California, the others in Arizona.
The judge rejected the defendants' responses to a variety of the imams' legal claims, including false arrest, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
However, she did strike a couple of claims made by the imams, slightly narrowing their case. But Goetz said his clients were happy with the ruling.
"They'll have their day in court on certainly the most significant issues," he said. "You don't arrest people because of their faith. You don't arrest people because of their national origin. That's just fundamentally wrong."
Who would have thought, another lame lib Clinton appointment...
Not yet, Pelosi, Reid, and the ‘rats sunk it.
Omar Shahin, left, president of the North American Imams Federation, spoke to the news media with fellow Imam Marwan Sadeddin after they were removed from a US Airways flight in Minneapolis in November 2006."
The same people who are so eager to vote for Hillary now (or who say we need the Dems to clean up the mess Bush made) won’t stop to think about judicial appointments. Even people who have voted Republican in the past and have been brainwashed into thinking Bush is evil and change is needed will be voting Dem this time and not considering all the consequences. Pretty sad. The GOP nominee, the RNC, and NRCC and NRSC had all better make an issue of this.
But not by the Senate? Was it retroactive to cover this fiasco?
Very true. I get tired of people talking about the warning signs of 9/11 - yes, they were there...but even now, people prefer to turn a blind eye. Can you imagine if GWB had proposed our current airlines search procedures on 9/10?
Amen! I don’t fly often but that is my primary thought and “what if” planning when flying.
You are correct. Apparently, I missed that development, but I do remember the ‘rats defeating the first bill, which was just shameful.
Indeed.....
“Chicks on the bench” aren’t the problem, LIBERALS on the bench are the problem.
These types of decisions are the reason that judges tend to be inclined to remove firearms from the public’s hands.
‘Nominated by William J. Clinton on November 27, 1995’
I knew immediately she was either a Clinton or Carter appointee when I saw this.
Thanks for confirming it.
“Lawsuit or no, if you attempt to hijack another airplane, I will personally do everything in my power to kill you dead.”
Amen.
I have a bad feeling the imams are going to take the airlines to the cleaners for “mental anguish”. Another poster brought up the fact the news crews were waiting for them on their 2nd try to fly the next day. SO...who’s to blame for everyone knowing who they are ,what they did,and their embarrasment?
I don’t necessarily believe this was “casing” or a trial run, but I do think professional victim group have learned to use our courts and freedoms to enrich themselves and make us all nervous about being “too wary” .I don’t think they should get rich for being culturally tone deaf morons.
“Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.”
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