6 Muslim Imams removed from flight., page 4

Oh Please

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Al Jazeera Wire Service, 21 November 2006

Six American men were removed from an SAA flight from Riyadh to on Sanaa, Yemen after passengers grew concerned about the suspicious behavior of the groups members. The passengers were removed by the Civil Airport Authorities and local Riyadh police escorts at the gate.

Witnesses described the actions of the group as highly suspicious, including reports of the men praying in a typical Christian ceremony in the gate area immediately before boarding. Fellow passengers mentioned that the ceremonies seemed more vocal and louder than normal, with "Amens!" and "Hallelujahs!" being shouted at the conclusion of the sermon.

Also, another passenger in the gate area from another flight who remained back to provide this detail mentioned how the Americans were vocally critical of the recent capture and subsequent torture in Bagdhad of Sunni Muslims by Shiite militiamen.

Later, on the plane, Flight Attendants noted that one of the men asked for a seat belt extension although he did not appear to be overweight. Also, the men lacked manners and seemed by be overly rude to other passengers, stepping on toes and bumping into people.

Later, Al Jazeera learned that the SIS (Saudi Intelligence Services) had issued bulletins in 2004 which mandated an Airline conformance to removing passengers from flights that met certain criteria, including: one way tickets, no checked baggage and flights booked within 24 hours of departure. In theory, SIS can force an airline to remove the passengers, although all airlines have voluntarily embraced and now enforce these criteria in their selection of passengers deemed 'terrorist risks'.

In a statement by the Saudi Airlines communications office, spokesman Ali Ghaeedan al Wazal said: "It is regrettable, but decision was made based on specific criteria in removal of the passengers from this flight. We were concerned because it was close to the holy Christian month of December, in addition all men were critical of recent issues in Iraq by locals, and also the baggage, ticket and newness of booking. So, we are confrimed in our decisions." Calls to the airline for more information have been unanswered.

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How do you like them apples? Right or wrong, it's all about context, perception and (perceived) reality. Grow up folks, it's life in the big world now.

And it's only going to get worse.