Posted on 02/12/2010 12:22:21 PM PST by James C. Bennett
WASHINGTON: Some Muslim-American groups are supporting a fatwa issued by a body of Islamic scholars forbidding Muslims from going through full body scanners at airports, a media report said.
The Fiqh Council of North America issued the religious ruling this week that says going through the airport scanners would violate Islamic rules on modesty, Free Press reported.
"It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women," reads the fatwa issued Tuesday. "Islam highly emphasises haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts."
After the Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit by a Muslim suspect from Nigeria, some US airports are now in the process of buying and using the body scanners to find explosives and other dangerous materials carried by terrorists.
But Muslim groups say the scanners, which show in graphic detail the outlines of a person's body, go against their religion. One option offered to passengers who don't want to use the scanners would be a pat down by a security guard. The Muslim groups are urging members to undergo those instead.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it endorses the fatwa. "We support the Fiqh Council's statement on full-body scanners and believe that the religious and privacy rights of passengers can be respected while maintaining safety and security," Nihad Awad, national executive director of CAIR was quoted as saying.
Currently, there are 40 full-body scanners at 19 airports in the US, including two in Detroit, said spokesman Jim Fotenos of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). There are plans for 450 more body scanners in US airports, he said.
In a statement, the TSA said it is committed to keeping passengers safe and also protecting their privacy.
"TSA's mission is to keep the travelling public safe. Advanced imaging technologies are an important tool in a multi-layered security system to detect evolving threats such as improvised explosive devices.
"TSA's use of these technologies includes strong protections in place to safeguard passenger privacy. Screening images are automatically deleted, and the officer viewing the image will never see the passenger."
The TSA stressed that the body scanners are "optional to all passengers". Those who turn them down, "will receive equivalent screening that may include a physical pat-down, hand-wanding, and other technologies".
"Physical pat-downs are performed by transportation security Officers of the same sex as the passenger in a private screening area, if the passenger requests."
Body scanners "do not produce photos", the agency said. Rather, the images "look like chalk outlines".
Well good. Anything that keeps muzzies off planes is fine by me.
Muslims should quit flying. That would solve all the problems.
Guard patting down muslim woman: “My those are big explosive breast implants.”
It works 100 percent of the time.. no more terrorists..
I like the way you think.
I call a fatwa on you. I KEEEL YOU!
Let them walk.
This is not a problem. All body scanners should be completely voluntary, for everyone. If your Islamic teachings give you pause, then you should be able to refuse a body scanning. In lieu, you will receive a full physical body search to include a search of all body caviities, and, if female, a search of your breasts to ensure that whatever implants may be in place do not contain explosives. These searches will be done in private by same sex searches, and may take a number of hours. Bring some reading materials.
I think there would be far less violence to women and the rest of the world if the Muslim cult/religion ceased to exist.
I think there will be at some time a world wide war of Islam with the rest of the whole world which can’t stand their constant low brow violence.
A fatwa. In America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatw%C4%81
Following the Salman Rushdie affair, Western media frequently use the term to mean an Islamic death sentence upon someone who is considered an infidel, apostate or a blasphemer.[2] This is indeed one possibility, but is a rare use for a fatwa, and the equation of fatwa with capital punishment is considered offensive by many Muslims. The term’s correct definition is broader, since a fatwa may concern any aspect of individual life, social norms, religion, war, peace, Jihad and politics. Most Islamic opinions—millions of fatwa have been issued over the 1,400 year history of Islam—likely deal with issues faced by Muslims in their daily life, such as the customs of marriage, financial affairs, female circumcision or moral questions.
I think we have a winner here.
;-)
"I fatwa in your general direction!"
Fine. No muzzies on airplanes, then. Next time they want to go to Pakistan, they can walk.. and, of course, bring swim trunks.
If they don’t go through the screening, no get on plane. If they are still unhappy, let them go back to whichever country they came from.
Actually, I’m not sure I’m in favor of the body scanners. On the other hand I think Moslems should flat out refuse to fly.
I absolutely agree.
Problem is they are already at war with us and we so far are too stupid to realize it.
They’re fine putting their “private parts” into sheep and little boys, and they’re concerned about this?
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