6 imams

6 imams, Aviation Security, Debra Burlingame

Email judge who sided with terror-like ‘Flying Imams’

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Remember the ‘Flying Imams,’ the six whose terror-like activities terrorized passengers as U.S. Airways Flight 300, on November 20, 2006, prepared to take off? While they eventually dropped as defendants the ‘John Doe’ passengers who reported their alarming behaviors, WorldNetDaily reports:

The judge, U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery, has issued a ruling in a lawsuit brought by the imams that dismissed most of the defense arguments raised by U.S. Airways, saying it was “dubious” that a “reasonable” person would have been suspicious of the imams because of their behavior.

Dubious?

It was Nov. 20, 2006, when the six dropped to their knees in an airport terminal and prayed loudly to Allah… “Then they separated and individually boarded the jet. They asked for seat belt extenders which were considered unnecessary by the airlines because of the size of the men. The imams also made anti-American comments about the war in Iraq. Several passengers, as well as the crew, became alarmed by what they felt was suspicious behavior of the imams. The airport police and Federal Air Marshal agreed the circumstances were suspicious enough to warrant asking the men to leave the airplane,” the group said. The imams refused and police escorted them off the plane, and they later filed a lawsuit against U.S. Airways and others.

Some of the six also attempted to change from assigned seats.

The Florida Family Association asked:

“How safe will you feel if the federal courts ultimately rule that airlines and passengers cannot question or respond to suspicious behavior of passengers board their jets?”

In addition, they suggest that you email Judge Montgomery.

Debra Burlingame added that:

“[I]t is nothing short of obscene that these six religious leaders (…) chose to turn that airport into a stage and that airplane into a prop in the service of their need for grievance theater.”

6 imams, Aviation Security, CAIR, John Doe protection

CAIR and ‘Flying Imams’ drop lawsuit against ‘John Doe’

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Audrey Hudson, of the Washington Times, reports this morning:

A federal court yesterday accepted a request by a group of Muslim imams to drop all claims in a federal lawsuit against unspecified “John Doe” passengers for reporting the men’s suspicious behavior, which led to their removal from a US Airways flight last year. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota was amended to “hereby dismiss possible defendants ‘John Does’ as set forth in … the first amended complaint as parties from this action,” said the notice of dismissal. The lawsuit still targets US Airways and Minneapolis airport workers.

Gerry Nolting, a lawyer who represents one of the unnamed “John Doe” passengers, said the dismissal demonstrates the imams’ case did not hold water and that the passengers “were doing nothing but their important duty as airline travelers to report suspicious behavior to the appropriate authorities.” “Hopefully, this will encourage all airline travelers to continue to be the eyes and ears of the FAA and report suspicious behavior,” Mr. Nolting said.

The lawsuit had said that “plaintiffs are unaware of the true names and capacities of defendants sued herein as John Does and therefore sue said defendants by such fictitious names. Plaintiffs will … amend this complaint to allege true names, capacities, and circumstances supporting the liability of said defendants” after finding out that information. Passengers and the flight crew said the men were disruptive and did not take their assigned seats and formed a pattern similar to the September 11 hijackers. Some of the men asked for seat-belt extensions they did not need, criticized the war in Iraq and President Bush and talked about al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

The Becket Fund, a legal advocacy group that pursues religious freedom cases, demanded that the passengers be dropped from the suit and announced it would represent for free any passengers who were identified and formally named.

“Better late than never,” said Kevin J. Hasson, the group’s president. “They should never have sued the John Does in the first place, and they should have dismissed them long before now, but at last they have finally done the right thing.