The Friendly Skies

Just got wind of an on-going investigation involving a group of Muslim Imam's seeking passage from Minnesota to Phoenix, Arizona just before Thanksgiving. These Imam's, who boarded an American Airlines plane, where alledgedly seen praying loudly and talking of Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein all the while taking part in questionable actions, were escorted off the plane before take-off and questioned by the FBI and local authorities. Remarkably, even after they were questioned by the authorities, they still were denied passage to their destination. So appearently since then, they have been involved in an dispuited case in court for discrimination practices and are on Sean Hanntity's hit list.

Now, this event was unfortunately sandwiched in-between such vivid stories of "Kramer" Michael Richard's racial head fart and O.J. Simpson's latest attempt to cash in on his wifes murder(you guys will never get over that) and in a vain attempt to garner some sort of care, the Imam's and Mr. Hanntity haven't been able to scare the rest of the public much more harshly then a few ignorant Den Mothers and Soccer Moms. Fortunately, it'll take a lot more than this small sect of the electorate to break the endless nonchalant fever most Americans enjoy. I can only begin to imagine why this would make news. Seemingly it's only another sad attempt for Americans to justify their contempt for all things un-American, or at least what this sub-heart of America considered to be un-American. We've seen how during the election they want to legalize their contempt for gay people and hispanic Americans and they'll continue to find their shots at every other ethnic and religions minority in this country and this isn't much different.

Now, I don't want to say I don't understand what's their problem or what all the fuss is about. People are scared. They are scared that everyone in a beard and bedsheets want to kill them, which is highly unfotunate and just about as ridiculous. You have this culture of people in America who seem comfortable with doing all they can to get everyone in the country afraid of muslims because Islamic extremist attacked our nation proper years ago. Now, I'm not one to say we should forgive and forget, but we should forgive any quick resort to ignorance and not forget sight of perspective here. Okay class, can anyone describe to me what the individuals who hijacked four airplanes in 2001 look like? Did they wear beards? Did they have turbans? Were they even wearing dishikis? No. Let me repeat: NO. For those who are keeping score, any hijacker wishing to do this nation any harm wouldn't openly broadcast who they are to a plane of crowded people. Especially nowadays where people are easily caught up in a rapture of fear. The hijackers back in 2001 wore dress pants, button-up shirts, clean-cut, wallstreet haircuts and followed the letter of the law... up to the point they acted upon their zeal to kill people. So despite any clear evidence that anyone wishing to do harm to this country or its people would, I don't know, actually try by not sticking out like a sore thumb, these Imam's were still the object of people's fascination with fright of the unknown. And to top things off, after they were extensively questioned, they still weren't able to travel.

What get's me is the frightened who call radio talk shows and profess their fears of any muslim praying or doing anything relating to their own freedom and business. !!! They were praying on the plane and I were scared they were going to kill me! ??? They're muslim. That's what muslim's do. They pray. Just like us christians should, but religion is something people take a lot more seriously than us Americans. To them, it's more than a Sunday morning excursion. On any given day, a muslim is probably praying once every three hours. Coming across one praying is to be expected. Duh. But unreasonable Americans still find room to be afraid.

Now I can blame these fear-mongering talking (on) air heads for scaring people into being afraid and consequently suspecting every muslim that catches their attention, but really it's the people who give these airheads power. Their willingness to ignorances and readily lack-luster mis-informed opinions is what is turning reasonable and rational people and situations into something more than what it's not. It is these same people that seemingly want to forget that hijackers wishing to harm this nation did not come here illegally. They did not fly previously praying as loudly as they can. They were purposely unassuming. They purposely did not raise any flags. They purposely followed the law so any foolish laws of racial profiling or suspicious Den Mothers would not be any the wiser. The truth is we are truly vulnerable to any attack and if the commitment is there, which is sustain by headstrong motivations of eradication by our government, we will fall victim at their will. The truth hurts, one way or another.