The Ever Changing Face of Airline Safety

A few posts ago I had written about how a group of Imams had been escorted off of a flight last week due to their praying at their seats hence making many of the passengers seated near and around them a bit nervous. Early reports indicated that the imams were asked to leave the plane and they refused; they were then forcibly removed by airport security and police and the flight was allowed to continue on. Although the imams claim they were praying quietly, many of the other passengers on the plane claim that during the course of their prayers they continuously took the name "Allah" quite loudly. This in and of itself was enough to worry many airline officials as well and they took action to escort them off of the plane.

In the wake of this incident there are many who have suggestions as to how to make the situation safer for all of those involved, be they imams or passengers on the same flight as them. It is an unfortunate thing that we live in the type of world we do. Everyone is suspicious of everyone else. In regard to the imams and any other practicioner of Islam who would choose to dress in their traditional attire, here are some suggestions that would seem to make the rest of the passengers feel safer. Wear clothes that are more western in nature. Don't wear your traditional robes or headress, wear jeans, and t-shirts and don cowboy hats or baseball caps. Don't take Allah's name or pray. Sit as far from your family and friends as you can on airlines. When boarding a plane, be sure to ask for shackles or any other form of restraint that will help make you 'less of a threat' to other passengers.

These suggestions aren't made in any form of seriousness whatsoever; it is the type of escalation we're seeing in people as time goes on. Because the vast majority of us out there don't look Middle Eastern or dress in that way, it is easy to single out this minority and choose to pick on them. We can pass a finger over them and lay blame for the worlds problems at the feet of all of them rather than the few. A few years ago the federal building in Oklahoma City was bombed. The immediate reaction was to look for all known or suspected Middle Eastern terrorists in the nation. It turned out to have been perpetrated by a white American Timothy McVeigh. In the months following this revelation, I don't think anyone will recall seeing white Americans being singled out for random checks at airports or being asked to leave aircraft for saying, "Jesus Christ" loudly.

It's all a matter of perspective and what we've come to see and accept. Yes, the terror attacks on September 11th were perpetrated by Islamic extremeists and yes, we must be vigilant against future attacks of this type. The imams on the flight were apparently overheard talking about Iraq, Osama bin Laden and other such suspicious topics. But I ask you to consider how often you think or talk about these things too. Just because you may not be Middle Eastern in complexion, does that mean that you are of pure heart? In the days following September 11th, I recall hearing so many people call for nuclear bombs to be dropped on the Middle East. It was just talk to help ease the pain, but is that an excuse? I talk with my family and friends about the war in Iraq and other such things. I have the complexion of a Middle Easterner though I am not one. Does that mean that I should be taken off a plane because I make someone nervous? What about the guy sitting in back quietly reading an issue of "Guns and Ammo" while a constantly wiping the sweat from his brow? Is he a nervous flier or the next terrorist? You decide.