Arabic-speaking student kicked off Southwest flight.

a reply to: Hazardous1408

Story seems pretty one sided. Wouldn't surprise me, but it would be nice to hear more from other parties involved.

Reminds me of one time I was in the Middle East and the pilot said over the intercom, as we were coming in to land :

"We will be landing in Cairo in ten minutes, inshallah."

Made me chuckle. I have faith in the pilot to get that puppy down, and he has faith in a higher power.

Yes, it is a tag that many Muslims use at the end of a statement, and imho, has lost a lot of meaning/strength.

originally posted by: SonOfThor
a reply to: Hazardous1408

I think this situation is egregious, but airlines have a lot of leeway with who / why they can kick anyone off of a plane. I wasn't there, so who knows how these persons were acting towards each other? (I.e. either raising voices, etc.).

I had a recent situation flying for work that pushed my limits of open-mindedness, on a flight to DC from Dallas.

It was a super early a.m. flight and a middle eastern, Arabic speaking gentleman sat down next to me. He never looked at or spoke to me even after I tried greeting him. He then proceeded to film specifically all of the luggage being loaded onto our plane with his camera while praying in Arabic, then posting said video to an Arabic twitter site. At this point I felt an urge to communicate with the gentleman, because maybe he was a nervous flyer (I fly often and known to reassure folks sitting near me since I have a lot of friends in the industry). No response to me.

Then, he filmed a selfie video with his index finger pointed in the air while making pronouncing statements / prayerful tones in Arabic and posting to Arabic twitter after. I looked at him while he was doing this and he just smirked at me. At this point, I had a serious inner conflict of saying something. I am well travelled and have been around plenty of Muslims while in Germany and Austria, but this was a feeling I never had before.

The last straw was when he was putting his phone away the background was Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS (I know for certain because I had just read an article my friend sent me who is still active duty). I got up, quietly told the flight attendants, and their answer was to let me off the plane. As I was leaving a lady behind me (who I didn't know) also got off the plane.

We spoke with an airline rep. as well as a security agent at the airport, but the FBI (at least to our knowledge) wasn't even notified, and the gentleman was not removed from the plane.

I guess the question is, we face so much propaganda about these things I can see how ignorance reigns. However, I think every individual has a limit and a line to draw when it comes to political correctness versus a combination of factors that make one feel uneasy.

I think the difference is that I handled it quietly and just removed myself from the situation, rather than made a scene, and let the airline handle it their way without trying to get someone else removed from the flight.

Just another insight based on this intense experience I had.

Honest question - is the index finger pointing up to the sky another common aspect of prayer or communication in Islam in general? We just see that in every ISIS video so it would be good to learn the meaning behind that gesture.

The finger gesture means "one God". The christians do the same thing, with varying meanings. Go hang out at a tent revival or televised church service and you can see it in unbridled abundance, as much as you can stand. 😉

originally posted by: jimmyx

originally posted by: sHuRuLuNi

originally posted by: Psychonautics
Don't yell fire in a movie theatre?

Don't bring up the prophet on a plane?

What?

He only said "Insha'All-llah" - i.e. "God willing".

yeah....and....that's also what is said just before hitting the triggering device

Really? How would you know? Firsthand experience? Should we report you to the FBI now? Because that could mean you're one of them, you know. Asserting that you know what one of them said before "hitting the triggering device". Sounds like maybe you were there for one of those events.

Think that's silly? It's more damning than anything that the student said on that plane could possibly have sounded. And so unnecessary.

Actually as far as I know it is Allah Akbar (God is great) that is the usual final call by people who commit suicide in this way, but I stand to be corrected.

originally posted by: jimmyx

originally posted by: sHuRuLuNi

originally posted by: Psychonautics
Don't yell fire in a movie theatre?

Don't bring up the prophet on a plane?

What?

He only said "Insha'All-llah" - i.e. "God willing".

yeah....and....that's also what is said just before hitting the triggering device

Understandable. After all, following Islam is a form of mental illness. They dodged a bullet there.

originally posted by: LostThePlot
Understandable. After all, following Islam is a form of mental illness. They dodged a bullet there.

Aha ... ok.

a reply to: threeeyesopen

who was speaking in a similar fashion on the phone

I was ready to take action if anything was to occur.

I think people need to stop being scared of every thing and learn to be strong no matter

So you tell people off for being scared and yet you were ready to take action. If it wasn't fear that prompted you then was it the colour of their skin or that fact that you didn't understand their language?

a reply to: HawkeyeNation

If you are in America those who speak a different language need to be the responsible one's.

what like the Spanish?

What about the language that the MSM speak that has you "dumbed down and brainwashed." Ever travelled outside the USA?

a reply to: SonOfThor

Thanks for the heads up on that. I only fly international, won't fly domestic anymore, but if I have to I'll try that if I find myself in a sketchy situation.

Thanks!

This is insane. Just because you associate a word with something through nothing but sheer ignorance of another culture, you think you have the imagined right to criminalize that person?

Really, the level of ignorance we're seeing in America right now is absolutely shocking, and I mean SHOCKING.

a reply to: tigertatzen

That is good to know - quite interesting the symbolism people start to associate with often benign / spiritual gestures like that based on media overload (i.e. countless videos of ISIS these days making that gesture).

Seems like not so a different a gesture as when I or some in my circle raise a horn to our ancestors

originally posted by: HawkeyeNation

originally posted by: Psychonautics
Don't yell fire in a movie theatre?

Don't bring up the prophet on a plane?

I get what you are saying and I have to agree here.

The fact of the matter is everyone in the World right now is very vulnerable and very sensitive to anyone who may be from the middle east. Nothing is going to change that until terrorists stop doing what they are doing plain and simple. How many times have we heard in the media about a terrorist action and with that them saying "Allah Akbar"? A lot...so it's unfortunately embedded in our brains anything with "Allah" is going to raise a concern.

I can't say that what the woman did was right but I don't want to get to the point where we are blind to everything and we don't report. If you are in America those who speak a different language need to be the responsible one's.

.

Your post made me throw up in my mouth. Here's a thought. Since we are adults..why don't we educate yourself and all the others who think that speaking arabic on a plane is foolish. Instead of blaming the innocent party.

Are you really so afraid? So terrified of Muslims that just the sound of someone speaking arabic is uncomfortable to you?

With all due respect, i would suggest the problem lies with you and anyone who thinks like you rather than the man speaking in his native tongue (how DARE he??)