9 Muslim Passengers Removed From Jet (Others on Flight Say a Remark Was 'Suspicious')

washingtonpost.com ^ | January 2, 2009 | Amy Gardner

[Free ThinkerNY]

Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark.

Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI.

Kashif Irfan, one of the removed passengers, said the incident began about 1 p.m. after his brother, Atif, and his brother's wife wondered aloud about the safest place to sit on an airplane.

"My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Irfan said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' I think they were remarking about safety."

Irfan said he and the others think they were profiled because of their appearance.

[Thrownatbirth]

a religious retreat in Florida

[OL Hickory]

They threw us off the plain..now a shout out to my homies in West india..

[OL Hickory]

They threw us off the airplane..now a shout out to my homies in West India..

[Steelfish]

You are being overly generous. Moslems should not be allowed into this country period. Of course that’s all daydreaming now when a certain Barack Hussein Obama will take the presidential oath. Who would have thought in just 8 years since 9/11.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

We will only feel better and fully healed after reparations.

[TheBattman]

The airline thought the incident serious enough to refuse to rebook them, but the FBI toes ahead and serves as their travel agent?

Practicing for their service to the Obama administration.

[machogirl]

some will keep doing it until passengers are too skittish to say anything.

[UCANSEE2]

I think it’s the lime dust that gets picked up on their shoes, and is detected by dogs, explosives-sensing equipment, etc.

[CaptRon]

When you think terrorism you think..

No amount of whining will make this untrue until the so called "moderate Muslims" come forward, which they never seem to do.

[UCANSEE2]

P.S. Lime dust and fertilizer.

[CyberAnt]

You’re damn right they were profiled .. and if they don’t like it .. then they can just move to a country where they won’t be profiled.

I refuse to excuse these muslims who taunt us with their words and then declare they’re being profiled.

We didn’t profile on 9/11 - and look what happened!!!

[The_Media_never_lie]

Irfan said he and the others think they were profiled because of their appearance.

Now how else could they be profiled? Should we go around with blindfolds on sniffing people up for cordite?

[Shadowstrike]

Not profiled because of your looks, but because of your Religion saying everyone but Muslims should DIE!

I wouldn’t have wanted to be on a plane with them either.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Apparently, they had no common sense.

Also, they might have had an attitude.

[Emperor Palpatine]

Along with their pals at the ACLU.....

[labette]

"...if you attended a funeral service at a graveyard before flying, it's a good idea to wash off the bottoms of your shoes first..."

OK, I bit. You can reel me in now :)

[blam]

Shoot the Islamic POS Bastards!!

[Minutemen]

9 Muslim Passengers Removed From Jet

Has anyone notified C.A.I.R. and the A.C.L.U. yet?

[Minutemen]

F.B.I. -------
F'ng Imbecilic Idiots!