Muslim Taken Off Plane By AirTran Speaks Out

[Stan]

Muslim Taken Off Plane By AirTran Speaks Out

All Things Considered, January 2, 2009 · A Muslim-American passenger, one of nine members of a family detained and questioned at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after fellow passengers on their AirTran flight reported hearing a suspicious conversation, says the family is trying not to be angry at what happened.

Atif Irfan, a lawyer from Alexandria, Va., says a conversation with his sister-in-law about the safest seats in an airplane were misconstrued by fellow passengers.

"It was pretty, you know, a benign comment," Irfan tells NPR's Robert Siegel. "We didn't use any of those buzzwords like bomb or anything like that. ... Obviously, people that heard this gleaned something very different from it — that we were about to attack."

He adds: "People a lot of time, I think, hear what they want to hear."

Irfan, who was born and raised in Detroit, says his group was traveling with three small children at the time of the incident.

At first, Irfan was briefly questioned by federal marshals and later by FBI agents.

"The FBI agents ... very quickly realized that not only did we not pose a threat to that airline or that plane, but that, quite frankly, we were ... model citizens," he says.

The plane, however, had taken off without them and, Irfan says, despite FBI agents' requests, AirTran did not let his family board a later flight. Irfan praises the FBI's handling of the incident, noting that the agents then discussed the issue with US Airways, which did let them fly to their destination, Orlando, Fla.

"Normally, my wife and I are very careful about this kind of stuff," Irfan says. "This was, I guess, some time that we should have been a little more careful."

AirTran has since refunded the group's original tickets and reimbursed them for their US Airways flight to Orlando. The airline also offered to fly them home free and apologized.

Irfan says the entire episode was "somewhat humiliating.

"We try not to let it be infuriating."

[Stan]

AND FWIW he is an anesthesiologist at our Hospital in the DC area.

[Stan]

When i first started flying years ago, it was common for people to ask what the safest seat was, the ones over the wings were a common answer.

[John317]

Yes, I saw a news report about this incident. I'm sorry to see these sorts of things happening. This was obviously a wonderful family, model citizens.

[LifeHiscost]

Yes, I saw a news report about this incident. I'm sorry to see these sorts of things happening. This was obviously a wonderful family, model citizens.

OTOH, the improperly suspected family did receive apologies with all their costs to destination forth and back paid. I am assuming since this unfortunate family had the good fortune of some who were discerning enough to investigate a suspicious remark, would as Christians, be thanking God they live in a country where we still have the freedom to draw attention to the possibility we could be blown out of the air. Are we so intent on not being inconvenienced that whatever the possibility, we dare not rock the boat.

I find it not surprising the world trade centers were attacked almost with impunity, as many are afraid to say that something is suspicious since we must not profile. Sneaky enemies demand something more than our demand not to be inconvenienced if we also want the safe conditions that will protect us from same sneaky enemies.

Also if this family works in a Christian Adventist institution, is it safe to say they probably know something about forgiving their trespassers.

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Matthew 6:15 KJV

Regards!

[Neil D]

Yeah, but what does that say about people in general?

They were next to this anesthasist and his family. they didnt have an accent, they were talking about the SAFEST seat on the plane and they had children with them...

Just what DID they hear? just what is going on in thier minds? are they stereotyping first and asking questions second?

Are we not supposed to listen first and be slow to speak? Is America still living in fear of another 9/11 attack that they will just look at you and tell the airlines that they want thier money back because the airlines lets possible terrorists on board? as if the airlines are not screening you and me 2-4 times before we get on the airplane? Just who are we, as Americans? You can't call us great if we live in fear and are stereocasting people...

[Tom Wetmore]

...OTOH, the improperly suspected family did receive apologies with all their costs to destination forth and back paid. I am assuming since this unfortunate family had the good fortune of some who were discerning enough to investigate a suspicious remark...

What exactly was suspicious about the remark!?!? A conversation about safe seats on a plane?!?! You have got to be kidding! This a classic case of racial/ethnic profiling, by over-zealous paranoid citizens. If that very same conversation took place between two blond haired blue eyed people, nobody would have given it a second thought. And those two blond haired blue eyed people could have even been more specific and talking about "in case we get blown up" or "I'm not worried, I am ready to die" or whatever.

Whoever reported it no doubt were already suspicious of these Iranians only because they looked like terrorists to them. All black haired, dark eyed, darker complexion people are suspicious, you know. Even when they are with their wife and children. We know these people happily sacrifice their own children. You just can't trust any of them. It didn't matter what they were saying. In fact they could have been sitting quietly reading a book. Talking about the weather would have been suspicious and interpret as "Isn't this such a lovely day to go to Allah's bosom." A discussion about a meal would have been interpreted as what do you want for your last meal before you die. Discussing diaper changes of the infant would have been suspected as some code for "Is everything set and ready"...

Put yourself in their shoes. How humiliating would it be? If you are singled out of the security line to be frisked and wanded it is embarrassing. But to be taken off a flight and interrogated and not allowed to re-board even another AirTran flight?!?! Most people get upset if their flight plans are just delayed. Forgiveness is good and the comments by the man indicate a level of graciousness that is commendable. But this story still stinks...

The blond haired blue eyed guy that has had the above conversation...

Tom

[Dr. Shane]

I built a construction project at an airport and before we were allowed to start we had to take a class by TSA. And they want people to be paranoid and report anything that is even the slightest bit suspicious. It is better to error on the side of safety. 9/11 isn't ancient history like Pearl Harbor. We are not best allies with those that did it like were are with Japan. In this story it sounds like everybody did everything right except for Airtran. They should have boarded the family on a later flight as instructed by the FBI. Apologizing is a good step. Refunding their money and reimbursing them for the US Airways fare is something that should have been expected. They should show the family that their policy has changed and that they will follow the FBI's instructions in the future.

[Robert]

It is better to error on the side of safety.

Please! With our borders wide open and all the shipping crates coming from China into our docks it is a matter of time before we have another serious attack. America has sold out...its about money, not security.

Here's what I would do if I were a terrorist: I have folks come up through the border and then have small atomic bombs placed in all the large cities (LA, Atlanta, NY, etc). Then I would detonate them all at the same time. You would have mushroom clouds over all the major cities.

It could happen! National security is a joke!

[Dr. Shane]

The Department of Homeland security monitors the terrorist chatter. This past year we started building a wall on our southern boarder because it is such a security risk. We are paying $7 million/mile for the boarder wall. We could put a lot of boarder patrol agents on a mile stretch of boarder for $7 million so there has to be more there than meets the eye.

[Neil D]

Tunnels.......

[Dr. Shane]

The fence is being built with anti-tunneling features like sheet piling. That will only prevent one type of tunneling. There are three major types of tunneling. They will happen with or without a wall. The Boarder Patrol has various means of finding tunnels. It is like a game of cat and mouse that never ends.

The groups of people that make deep tunnels are well financed. It is doubtful the wall will cause more people to make tunnels than already are making tunnels. The wall will basically stop those that can't afford to make tunnels. Those that can afford to make them are already making them.

[Stan]

How many of those who hijacked the planes came illegitimately? They all had green cards, correct?

They Homeland security says the word MAY to much.

Front page just after 9/11 They MAY have come in from Canada.

page 122 6 months later, no they did not come from Canada.

[Dr. Shane]

The last statistics I saw had about half of the illegal aliens in the US coming here legally with a tourist or student visa and then overstay them. Unfortunately most of the drug runners, Mexican mofia and Central American gangsters come across the border illegally. Most of the migrant workers that come here with TB also come across the boarder illegally. What we, the public, don't know is the data Homeland Security has on terrorists coming into the country.