Quote :

"A Winnipeg doctor is demanding an official apology and compensation from United Airlines after being kicked off a flight in the U.S. this week, an incident he has characterized as "institutionalized discrimination." Dr. Ahmed Farooq, a Muslim, was escorted off an airplane in Denver on Tuesday. According to Farooq, reciting his evening prayers was interpreted by one passenger as an activity that was suspicious. "The whole situation is just really frustrating," Farooq said. "It makes you uneasy, because you realize you have to essentially watch every single thing you say and do, and it's worse for people who are of colour, who are identifiable as a minority." Farooq said the allegation came from a passenger who appeared drunk and had previously threatened him during the trip. When flight personnel were alerted, the 27-year-old radiology resident and two colleagues — a man and a woman — were taken off their flight. They had been returning from a conference in San Francisco."

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/08/18/doctor-winnipeg.html

He's lucky he didn't have any lotion on him.

8/19/2006 2:05:38 PM

Sue the fuck out off UA.

8/19/2006 2:24:44 PM

its his own goddamned fault

8/19/2006 2:44:36 PM

I'd like to know a bit more about his "evening prayers"

Was he just mumbling to himself, or was he rolling out a carpet in the aisles and screaming at the top of his lungs?

8/19/2006 2:46:31 PM

i dont give a shit - someone says "allahu akbar" next to me on a plane, i'm takin his ass out or i'll die tryin

[Edited on August 19, 2006 at 2:51 PM. Reason : s]

8/19/2006 2:49:04 PM

He was coming back from a medical conference with 2 other docs...I'm assuming they weren't muslims. Don't they pray 5 times a day? This is stupid.

8/19/2006 3:08:35 PM

So now praying to Allah on an airplane is a prelude to suspicious activity? I'm assuming that it's okay if you pray to the Christian god, though.

8/19/2006 3:22:47 PM

Quote :

"bgmims: Was he just mumbling to himself, or was he rolling out a carpet in the aisles and screaming at the top of his lungs?"

You really think that's what he was doing?

8/19/2006 3:32:47 PM

Quote :

" someone says "allahu akbar""

watchout muslims, it's a trap!!!!

[Edited on August 19, 2006 at 3:34 PM. Reason : /]

8/19/2006 3:33:49 PM

well maybe more moderate muslims should reign in the crazy fucks


sucks for him, he'll get paid for his troubles however

8/19/2006 3:35:14 PM

I hope he sues for a fuckin lot, and I hope he wins.

8/19/2006 3:48:26 PM

well shit happens

if he wants to do this then:

Quote :

"well maybe more moderate muslims should reign in the crazy fucks"

8/19/2006 3:48:53 PM

I hope he loses

he should be aware that people are on edge and to start praying to Allah on a plane is going to inflame peoples fears

for a future doctor, he sure is a dumbass

8/19/2006 3:52:11 PM

yup

8/19/2006 4:34:01 PM

arent they supposed to pray. isnt it a big deal to them not to do so? kinda asshole comment to tell him tough shit cuz he shares a religion with a billion other people, some of which happen to be terrorists.

then again if he has to pray every few hours, he needs to schedule his flights better.

8/19/2006 4:45:09 PM

praying towards mecca must be a bitch on a plane

8/19/2006 4:52:36 PM

^ hahaha

8/19/2006 4:56:37 PM

imagine if you werent cleared for landing and it had to circle the airport during prayer time

8/19/2006 5:11:26 PM

he should realize that an american plane is not the best place to do that shit, especially in today's world.

8/19/2006 5:18:35 PM

Quote :

"Brandon Borrman of United Airlines told the Winnipeg Free Press this week that the airline is obliged to take any allegations threatening passenger safety seriously, particularly in the wake of last week's arrests in the alleged bomb plot on flights from Britain to the U.S. "Whenever these types of claims are made we have a duty to investigate," Borrman said. "Our flight crews are trained to make safety the No. 1 priority.""

This is good, but it is fucking inexcusable the action they took.

The guy was not throwing around karate chops, he didn't have any suspicious items in his hand, he was just praying.

Oh wait, maybe the idiot who complained and the crew were scared the guy was maybe praying to God to destroy infidels. But hey, if you get scared of that, that only shows the such prayers by Muslims come true.

Quote :

"Was he just mumbling to himself, or was he rolling out a carpet in the aisles and screaming at the top of his lungs?"

I don't know, the article didn't say. I have seen both on flights. Well not the screaming. I have seen people pray on their seats in a seated position, and I have seen people roll out a carpet in the aisle and pray for a few minutes [silently].

Quote :

"i dont give a shit - someone says "allahu akbar" next to me on a plane, i'm takin his ass out or i'll die tryin"

You are a fascist gothic ambisexual moron. Well I hope that situation DOES happen to you, and I hope you attack the person physically, and then I hope you will be sued the fuck out and jailed.

Quote :

"isnt it a big deal to them not to do so?"

Yes, it IS a big deal. A Muslims is supposed to pray 5 times a day at fixed times, and if one doesn't, then one is out of the fold of Islam. Majority of Muslims don't, but this doctor was definitely devout, and it is his right to be so.

Quote :

"then again if he has to pray every few hours, he needs to schedule his flights better."

Dude, you can't mold the world to yourself because of that. That's an ignorant statement you made. Flights are at specific times, and you gotta take one when you have to. He was coming from a conference, and that ended at some specified time. Should he have tried to change that also? And not to mention, he was with 2 other people, who were probably non-Muslims. He can't tell them, "hey let's take the midnight flight so I don't have to pray in an airplane."

Quote :

"praying towards mecca must be a bitch on a plane"

Not if you have a hint of spatial awareness Planes travel in a straight line most of the flight, and with something being very far from you (Mecca), you could face that thing (Mecca), and if you stay still, you will be facing it (Mecca) for a long time. And a prayer takes only a few minutes. And they have special compasses to find the direction towards Mecca no matter where you are on the planet.

Quote :

"he should realize that an american plane is not the best place to do that shit, especially in today's world."

I can agree with that. Either he should have prayed on his seat (we still don't know if he prayed on his seat or in the aisle), or he could have postponed it.

[Edited on August 19, 2006 at 5:31 PM. Reason : ]

8/19/2006 5:20:58 PM

It's a damned tough situation all the way around.

Praying seems like the sort of thing a religious fanatic might do right before hijacking or blowing up a plane, and while "taking his ass out" seems a bit extreme, I'll admit that hearing the phrase "allahu ackbar," especially in-flight, would kind of put me on edge.

I think the thing to do is keep it as quiet as possible, and possibly tell the flight attendants, "I gotta get my prayer on here in a little bit, just thought I'd let you know so you didn't flip out."

8/19/2006 5:50:52 PM

Wow, I completely agree with everything you said

8/19/2006 6:02:20 PM

good

8/19/2006 6:04:16 PM

Quote :

"Dude, you can't mold the world to yourself because of that. That's an ignorant statement you made. Flights are at specific times, and you gotta take one when you have to. He was coming from a conference, and that ended at some specified time. Should he have tried to change that also? And not to mention, he was with 2 other people, who were probably non-Muslims. He can't tell them, "hey let's take the midnight flight so I don't have to pray in an airplane.""

well, like grumpy said, it is a tough situation. my point was that it often can be difficult to be very devout and have your life run ultra smoothly, especially when your religion isnt a majority in said country. he has to know that these things will make people uneasy (though admittedly some responses have been a bit much). it would be wise of him to either 1) schedule his flights around his religion, or 2) inform the staff as grumpy suggested.

on a second note, i dont think it is unfair to ask your workmates to wait an hour or two extra because of your religion. i could respect that if someone let me know ahead of time.

8/19/2006 6:06:36 PM

the guy was doing just about the most peaceful thing someone can do: pray. the thing he WAS doing was singling himself out as a person of the islamic faith. and for that he was kicked off his flight.

8/19/2006 6:12:50 PM

he could have gone to the bathroom, pray in there, or just do it silently.

you would have to be totally ignorant to think it'd be okay, post 9-11, to consider publicly doing such an act on an American plane

punk doesn't deserve money from UA any more than i do. he's a doctor for crying out loud. i'm sure he's worried about where his next meal is coming from.

he didn't intend to do anything wrong? great. fantastic. sorry for the misunderstanding. try not to freak out people on our flight next time. bye. ~ UA

8/19/2006 6:22:51 PM

1) he had to catch another flight which they didn't pay for
2) he's a medical student, not a doctor. i'm assuming he's probably not rich. he's probably in debt.

8/19/2006 6:25:48 PM

next time I fly, I'm going to say Allahu Ahkbar mid flight.

8/19/2006 6:40:18 PM

radical islam is the common denominator

kill em all

8/19/2006 6:42:59 PM

Haha, this thread is great... Americans telling people to practice their religion in secret.

8/19/2006 7:19:52 PM

Quote :

"It's a damned tough situation all the way around. Praying seems like the sort of thing a religious fanatic might do right before hijacking or blowing up a plane, and while "taking his ass out" seems a bit extreme, I'll admit that hearing the phrase "allahu ackbar," especially in-flight, would kind of put me on edge. I think the thing to do is keep it as quiet as possible, and possibly tell the flight attendants, "I gotta get my prayer on here in a little bit, just thought I'd let you know so you didn't flip out.""

Pretty much my thoughts on the subject, and I'd like to add that I feel sorry for the 95% of Muslims who are having to pay any price for being associated with the militants, and I'm not sure that they can really reign anyone in. I mean, those terrorist fuckheads will attack other Muslims they view as "not devout enough".

Quote :

"So now praying to Allah on an airplane is a prelude to suspicious activity? I'm assuming that it's okay if you pray to the Christian god, though. "

Look...there's the way things are, and the way things ought to be. While there are indeed Eric Rudolphs out there, Muslim extremists are much more of a threat than Christian extremists. While the powers that be don't really use this choice of words (they prefer more politically correct euphamisms, such as saying we're "fighting terrorism"), we're fighting militant Islamists.

That's not the same thing as a war against Islam, but it's close enough that it could be spun that way (either by political opponents, or by parts of the Muslim world).

8/19/2006 7:39:56 PM

it's a war of modern civilization versus the dark ages, really

8/19/2006 7:44:20 PM

^^ did you miss bush's islamic-fascists?

8/19/2006 7:54:56 PM

Quote :

"Haha, this thread is great... Americans telling people to practice their religion in secret."

8/19/2006 8:09:43 PM

Its not really telling people to practice religion in private...its more common sense. I mean honestly, would you have gone to nc central wearing a duke lacrose shirt during the middle of that? You have every right to be there, and every right to support to LAX...but use common sense.

8/19/2006 8:28:14 PM

Quote :

"Haha, this thread is great... Americans telling people to practice their religion in secret and comparing it to the duke lacrosse rape scandal."

8/19/2006 8:33:39 PM

no..I'm not. Jesus, if you were a pagan would you go out and practice right in front of a catholic church..or if you were black would you go out to a kkk meeting.

Its called common sense. This guy could have easily closed his eyes and said the prayer to himself, or go to the bathroom and do it there. He was doing this to make a statement.

8/19/2006 8:35:58 PM

it may be "common sense" to not do this behavior but prayer is still protected by the constitution.

8/19/2006 8:36:50 PM

And so is wearing a hitler uniform outside a synagouge (yes the spelling is fucked up, but i don't care)

8/19/2006 8:41:43 PM

So should we make a law to stop Muslims from "offensively praying"?

8/19/2006 8:43:00 PM

Quote :

"i dont give a shit - someone says "allahu akbar" next to me on a plane, i'm takin his ass out or i'll die tryin"

8/19/2006 8:52:06 PM

I want more details on how exactly he was praying

8/19/2006 8:53:35 PM

Quote :

"bbehe: Its called common sense. This guy could have easily closed his eyes and said the prayer to himself, or go to the bathroom and do it there. He was doing this to make a statement."

Part in bold: you're the first to suggest this. I don't think you recognize the importance of prayer to some people.

Quote :

"theDuke866: Pretty much my thoughts on the subject, and I'd like to add that I feel sorry for the 95% of Muslims who are having to pay any price for being associated with the militants, and I'm not sure that they can really reign anyone in."

I'm gonna come out and say that I think 95 percent is a liberal estimate. I think there are a lot more militant Muslims out there than we like to consider.

[Edited on August 19, 2006 at 8:55 PM. Reason : I think...LOL]

8/19/2006 8:53:49 PM

I do realize the importance of prayer to some people. But correct me if I'm wrong, during the muslim call to prayer, they're suppose to do the prayer while doing the motion of it (standing, kneeling, bowing) I doubt he was doing this on the plane.

I don't see how it would have affected him if he had performed it later...He's a doctor, what if the call to prayer is during the middle of a very important procedure...do you think he would wait?

8/19/2006 8:57:56 PM

Quote :

"bbehe: He's a doctor, what if the call to prayer is during the middle of a very important procedure...do you think he would wait?"

I don't know.

But are you actually comparing a flight to a medical procedure?

8/19/2006 9:03:52 PM

I'm saying there are approiate times to do things....starting a muslim pray aboard a plane full of people who are scared that they're plane might get hijacked is not a good idea

8/19/2006 9:09:25 PM

The guy's a fucking moron, he's a doctor and he doesn't know people are suspicious of muslims on airliners in the first place? way to go with a big news blast Jon. Jhesh, way to adapt!!!

Btw, Muslims with switchblades, swords, and flammable objects aren't allowed either!!!

[Edited on August 19, 2006 at 9:12 PM. Reason : awesome]

8/19/2006 9:09:40 PM

^ which is why i honestly believe he was trying to make a statment/provoke a lawsuit

8/19/2006 9:16:57 PM

Quote :

"So now praying to Allah on an airplane is a prelude to suspicious activity? I'm assuming that it's okay if you pray to the Christian god, though. "

Yes, I think that this statement made in sarcasm should be taken at face value.

Those of you in denial about the fact that it is dark skinned muslims that are dedicated to laying ruin to this country, you need to wake up. My sister is married to a muslim and lives in Tunisia. He may not like the current state of affairs, but he is sympathetic to the security situation here and would never be so stupid on a flight.

Not only should the airline not apologize, but I think that this guy should be fined. I think it more likely that he was upset by someone drunk next to him who may have been intimidating and responded by playing on his fears. Throw him in jail for a couple of months.

8/19/2006 9:21:37 PM

Quote :

"My sister is married to a muslim and lives in Tunisia. "

YAY FOR ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE

8/19/2006 9:27:30 PM