COMMENT | Airborne profiling |  |
“Dry run” or harmless fun? Syrian musicians cause terror panic
A journalist's account of a terrorist "dry run" aboard a Northwest Airlines flight (by purported Syrian musicians) causes an internet frenzy. Fortunately, the musicians were who they said they were.
By Zahed Amanullah, July 28, 2004
When writer Annie Jacobsen noticed 14 Arab men acting strangely on a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles, her fear brought near panic to the airline and staff. The airline landed safely and all concerned parties were questioned and released. But the article Jacobsen wrote and her subsequent fire fueling follow up documented the incident as a potential terrorist "dry run" (although why terrorists would use the same m.o. twice is unclear), despite the fact that no one was held or charged. Arab and Muslim groups, naturally, were concerned. "Even those who are good people with good intentions cannot help but look at things in a very suspicious way," said Imad Habib, of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. "We've got to be vigilant as citizens, but we also have to be calm."
Soon enough, the lead musician was identified as Nour Mehana, a well known Syrian musician (Syria's Wayne Newton?), who flew in first class. His backup band, later accused of flying without visas, was the subject of the piece (returning to Washington DC on one way JetBlue tickets before leaving the country). Although the groups alleged on-board behaviour was odd (note to Arabs flying in groups in the US: don't play out your worst stereotypes), Jacobsen still seems convinced of the worst. "If terrorists can learn to fly planes, couldn't they learn to play instruments?" Ah, those terrorists. They'll always be smarter than you think.
Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.
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Well, I'd still like to hear an actual translation of the lyrics to Um El Shaheed. NOT just the paraphrases provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute.
It seems to me that you don't have to support sucide bombing to feel some sympathy for the mother of that bomber, and to sing about that. The title of the song alone does not tell me the guy's singing the praises of terrorism.
And the fact that it ends in Allahu Akhbar certainly doesn;t tell me that either. What's wrong with saying God is great? Among Christians it's common to console someone who has lost a loved one with similar sentiments, such as 'we can't understand God's wisdom'. Meaning, God is great, we must accept what he gives us, and what he takes away, he calls the faithful back to him. That some evil people have have compounded their evil by trying to appropriate this phrase for themselves is irrelevant.
And, for the record, I am really tired of everyone from the government on down over-reacting to every shadow and every perceived (often just in their own minds, based on their own biases) threat. That's the real victory for terrorists-- to keep everone in fear, to terrorize us. Why is everyone going along with it?
There's a follow up to Hysterical Skies by Patrick Smith in Salon today that's pretty much where my thoughts on this whole thing are.
- Posted by Julia (Boston) on July 30, 2004 at 05:57 AM
From Today's SALON, Patrick Smith on the visa issue:
But not so fast. While Jacobsen and others have seized on a visa's shelf life as reason enough to have to NORAD aiming its rockets toward Damascus, complicating matters is the fine print of the alien registration rules. The following is taken from a post on Michelle Malkin's blog site, which in the dearth of official statements has become a de-facto home page of the Jacobsen controversy.
"The period of an alien's authorized stay isn't governed by the visa. How long an alien can stay is governed by the date on his or her I-94. The I-94 is a form foreigners fill out on admission and approved by the immigration inspector. A musician on tour can apply for an extension of status. This extension allows the foreigner to remain in the U.S. longer, but has no effect on when the visa on which he or she came into the U.S. expires."
Queries to the public affairs office at the U.S. Department of State verify this. "The visa provides admission to the country and nothing more," a staff member explains. "The expiration of the visa itself is totally irrelevant." Not to the Washington Times it's not. Why muck up a good witch hunt with the petty specifics of law?
The bulk of evidence suggests the men were here in full legal compliance. "There was no legal basis for any manner of law enforcement," says David Adams, spokesperson of the Federal Air Marshals, a division of the Department of Homeland Security. "Everything was carefully checked out. Agents interrogated the men, attended their concert, and verified their stay at a local hotel." Adams tells me the men had played several gigs at numerous venues around the country.
- Posted by naeem (New York+Dhaka) on July 30, 2004 at 01:01 PM
From MuslimWakeUp.com
So letÌs review the evidence:
-The Northwest flight included 14 Arab passengers
-Some of the 14 Arabs spoke Arabic to each other
-One of the Arabs (Nour Mehana) wore sunglasses
-Some of the 14 Arab men had to go to the bathroom during the flight
-One of the Arab men went to McDonalds before boarding
-Two of the Arab men wore tracksuits
-Some of the Arab men displayed thumbs-up signs to one another
-One of the Arab men did not smile back at Jacobsen when she smiled at him, giving her a Ïcold, defiant lookÓ instead
-One Arab man carried a cell phone, another had a camera, and a third read from a book
Which all goes to show, if you want a nice quiet flight, make sure not to speak Arabic, smile when youÌre smiled at, donÌt wear a tracksuit (and certainly not a polyester one), try to hold it in, and if you can at all help it, please do NOT look Arab.
Better yet, instead of flying, just stay home, relax, and listen to Nour Mehana. He's not half bad.
- Posted by naeem (New York+Dhaka) on July 30, 2004 at 01:21 PM
>>AADC, CAIR, etc need to take a cue from org.s like GLAAD, NAACP, SAJA, ADL<<
Oh yes, Muslim organizations need to operate the way these organizations do. The ADl. a pro-Israel smear group which spies on Americans and shares "intelligence" with Israel. Then theres the NAACP which hasnt been the same since the late and great Fredrick Douglous passed on. Sexual deviency notwithstanding, I doubt behaving like shills will prevent innocent men and woman from being harassed.
After reading "Dave O'Maleys" rant, its apparent to me that Muslim nations need to engage in a tit-for-tat sabre rattling themselves. Maybe then insensitive ignoramuses might know how it feels to stereotype and harass people.
I believe some folks in Pakistan are on to something on this, there are proposals that any Americans who want to enter the country submit to a AIDS test as well as questions screening for terrorists. Sounds good to me.
- Posted by DrDriveBy (Coony island) on August 1, 2004 at 01:20 AM
DriveBy:
>its apparent to me that Muslim nations need to engage in a tit-for-tat sabre rattling themselves
Oh yes, that's worked so well so far hasn't it?
Spare me Muslim nation saber-rattling, they can't even get their own house in order.
- Posted by naeem (New York+Dhaka) on August 1, 2004 at 12:47 PM
>>Oh yes, that's worked so well so far hasn't it?<<
How would you know ? If Americans can do it in the name of security I dont see why Pakistan, Saudi Arania and host of Islamic nations which have been destabilized by US actions shouldnt.
>>Spare me Muslim nation saber-rattling, they can't even get their own house in order.<<
This coming from a guy who proposes that Muslim Americans model their organizations after corrupt criminal outfits like the ADL.
Pathetic, if not laughable, like saying that Muslims are humanists, or that Neocons exclude liberals.
- Posted by DrDriveBy (Coony island) on August 1, 2004 at 04:57 PM
I applaud Annie. Annie has written what many AMERICANS have been thinking. When I travel, I have always kept a close eye on who was on a plane with me. If I was on that plane with Annie and observed what she saw, then I too would have been doing exactly what she is doing. People need to know this is going on. There is nothing wrong with profiling. I as an American have nothing to hide. I carry a valid drivers license with me at all times. If I were profiled in some way in an airport or on a street, I would be very cooperative. I donÌt care what you want to call me but if it keeps EVERYONE (All races of people that do not have the intention of doing something illegal or endangering lives.) safe by profiling then so be it. Everyone knows how to behave on a plane. You would never yell out fire in a mall nor would you yell out bomb on a plane if there was nothing there. Why would they be lining up to go to the bathroom so many times? Simple, they were in fact doing a dry run on this plane. They wanted to see exactly what they could have gotten away with on that plane. People were lucky in all aspects on that day. God Bless America.
And Naeem_Bengali, You sir are an idiot.
- Posted by Bouncer on August 2, 2004 at 10:31 AM
Has anyone even talked to Nour Mehana about this? In all the stories, no one has asked him how he feels about this. How hard is he to get in touch with? People still seem to be acting as if he's not a real person.
- Posted by B Cubbison on August 2, 2004 at 08:13 PM
>If I were profiled in some way in an airport or on a street, I would be very cooperative.<
Sure you would. I doubt you've ever been "bounced " off a plane yourself, this explains why you support bigots like Annie, and ofcourse since they're Arabs they're guilty. Lets see how much you'll "cooperate" if somebody tries to finger you on a flight.
>Naeem_Bengali, You sir are an idiot.<
Not in this case he's not, the only idiot around here is you jim-bob.
- Posted by DrDriveBy (Coony island) on August 2, 2004 at 08:51 PM
Naeem wrote:
>(On Muslim nation saber rattling): Oh yes, that's worked so well so far hasn't it?<
DriveBy replied:
>>If Americans can do it in the name of security I dont see why Pakistan, Saudi Arania and host of Islamic nations which have been destabilized by US actions shouldnt.<<
But when America saber-rattles, it doesn't work either. Instead in Lebannon, Afghanistan, Iran & Iraq it has created millions of new converts to fanaticism. So my point is, saber-rattling by America, or Muslim nations, doesn't work.
<<This coming from a guy who proposes that Muslim Americans model their organizations after corrupt criminal outfits like the ADL.>>
I wasn't suggesting any modeling. I was pointing out that they are very effective and organized in going to full-court press when anti-semitic incidents surface. By contrast, our grumblings about profiling of Muslims is limited to AltMuslim website (which by definition is being read mostly by liberal Muslims), rather than getting our protests on national media (why does Annie get on national TV, but we don't?).
- Posted by naeem (New York+Dhaka) on August 2, 2004 at 10:31 PM
> Instead in Lebannon, Afghanistan, Iran & Iraq it has created millions of new converts to fanaticism.<
Hmmm so folks who dont like a bunch of greedy armed thugs and gangsters invading their countries, bombing their cities, torturing and sodomizing their loved ones is a convert to "fanaticism." Most level headed people would refer to this as common sense.
Its not even a matter of sabre-rattling really, its too teach Americans that if you treat innocent people like CRAP, you may not be welcome elsewhere.
>I was pointing out that they are very effective and organized in going to full-court press when anti-semitic incidents surface.<
WHAT ANTI-SEMETISM ? The only anti-semeticsm I've seen in the racism and hatred displayed towards SEMETIC Arabs by not AslheNAZI jews. The ADL is "effective" because many of its members are embedded in media to cover their rear end.
The only thing they've been effective at is spying on Americans for Israel and pulling of hoaxes.
- Posted by DrDriveBy (Coony island) on August 3, 2004 at 03:27 PM
As a high school teacher in the LA area, I am accustomed to teaching students of all backgrounds. I try to be as fair as possible to all of them. And while I have a deep belief in the equality of all people and try to act accordingly, I am painfully aware that we all have biases. I try to overcome this in my classroom by focusing on actions, rather than appearances. I lay down some guidelines at the beginning of each school year and expect all my students to adhere to them, no matter who they are. Kids are very quick to pick up on it when they think I am showing favor or disfavor to someone.
The issue, as I read it here and elsewhere, seems to hinge on whether the men on Flight 327 were indeed behaving suspiciously or if their innocent behavior was misinterpreted by Ms. Jacobsen. My take on Ms. JacobsenÌs report was mixed. My liberal, multicultural-minded side said, Ïthis is a cultural misunderstanding÷those men could have just been doing innocent things that looked odd to her.Ó And I answered each of her concerns with a logical possibility. But a part of me also thought, Ïif these men really behaved that excessively (in other words, if Jacobsen was not exaggerating the number of times they were out of their seats, etc.), I would have been concerned, too.Ó Frankly, I would have found that sort of behavior at the very least annoying Ò in a crowded environment people should keep from disturbing their fellow passengers as much as possible. That there were other reports corroborating her story, including the fact that the flight crew and captain were concerned enough to call the authorities, caused me to believe that not only was the story true, but that their behavior was indeed a cause for concern.
(continued in next post...)
- Posted by elspethe on August 6, 2004 at 01:33 AM
Please read Patrick Smith's (Salon.com) excellent continuing analysis of this story. Any remaining doubts (expired visas, actions of the band members) have been resolved. There is nothing more to say about this story. So why all the continuing race-baiting?
As he says, the crime is not being concerned or taking precautions. The crime is inflating the fear and paranoia on a national level to an extent that resources are stretched and no meaningful progress is made in understanding the real threats that are out there.
Also read this article in the American Spectator, which references our article. Not exactly the most liberal of publications, but even they have problems with Jacobsen's conclusions. - Posted by zahed (london, england) on August 6, 2004 at 06:16 AM
DriveBy wrote:
>Ms. Jacobson is a zionist extremist
Annie Jacobsen is certainly a reactionary and hysterical attention-seeker, but there's no evidence to indicate that she's a Zionist.
Unless you took the surname Jacobsen, parsed it to its root and presumed Jewish origin, and therefore concluded that because she's Jewish, she's a Zionist?
But you wouldn't do something as simplistic as that, would you?
- Posted by naeem (New York+Dhaka) on August 9, 2004 at 06:03 PM
>>but there's no evidence to indicate that she's a Zionist<<
Yes ofcourse, Zionists are involved in promoting hysteria against Arabs or pretty much anyone who doesnt dance to their tune do they.
>>But you wouldn't do something as simplistic as that, would you?<<
Not as simplistic as a blantant liar like yourself who obscures hard facts about the Ahmedi cult for which you've been shilling with that little propaganda piece you made.
- Posted by DrDriveBy (Coony island) on August 12, 2004 at 09:04 PM
DriveBy wrote:
>Not as simplistic as a blantant liar like yourself who obscures hard facts about the Ahmedi cult for which you've been shilling with that little propaganda piece you made.<
But how do you know that I'm obscuring hard facts when you still haven't seen the documentary?
Islam teaches us to do bahas after reviewing the thing is question, rather than condemn sight unseen. - Posted by naeem (New York+Dhaka) on August 14, 2004 at 09:15 AM
>>But how do you know that I'm obscuring hard facts when you still haven't seen the documentary?<<
Its quite simple, you see I've read Ahmedi texts for over 12 years and there is no doubt in mind that they are NOT Muslims. I urge everybody to do the same. You're schilling for these imposters because you're either one of them or too ignorant along your marxist thinking to know any better. You dont know what a neocon is, just as erroneously as you mix humanism and Islam as the same thing. I think you're throughly confused.
>>Islam teaches us to do bahas after reviewing the thing is question, rather than condemn sight unseen.<<
Its been done by our best scholars who have reviewed and passed a ruling against the Ahmedis for the non-Muslims that they are decades ago. Try to keep up will you, instead of wallowing in your own ignorance.
There is nothing "unseen" about the Ahmedi cult...anyone who reads and writes the urdu knows this straight from their "Scriptures." T
- Posted by DrDriveBy (Coony island) on August 22, 2004 at 04:07 PM
>Its quite simple, you see I've read Ahmedi texts for over 12 years and there is no doubt in mind that they are NOT Muslims.<
They may be "Not Muslim"-- we can debate that. However, my documentary talks about whether the Bangladesh Govt should be banning their books. My position is, if their beliefs are wrong, Allah will punish them, not man or government.
>You dont know what a neocon<
I do know what a neocon is. You used the term "liberal neocon".
>There is nothing "unseen" about the Ahmedi cult<
I was referring to my documentary as "unseen" by you, not the Ahmadiyas.
- Posted by naeem (New York+Dhaka) on August 23, 2004 at 04:23 PM
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altmuslim this week - august 23, 2010 - This week, is there a connection between the heated rhetoric over Park51 and increased hate crimes against Muslims? Also, parallel struggles against anti-Muslim protests in Bradford, England and the innovation (and integration) on display in the 30 Mosques, 30 States and 30 Nights, 30 Grants projects. 
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How Miss USA will push the secret Muslim agenda - A leaked memo confirms a nefarious plot to infiltrate America using the one weapon we can't resist: Total hotness. (May 17, 2010)
South Park: The controversy continues - In a special for Salon.com, our Associate Editor Wajahat Ali offers his take on the controversy over South Park. If you think South Park's Muslim brouhaha was messy, you should see what's going on in the neighboring town of East Park. (April 28, 2010)
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altmuslim review 033 - We're baaaaack! We speak about the ongoing controversy over Park51 and what means for the future of lower Manhattan. Also, a discussion with Farhad Chowdhury of the M100 Foundation, which seeks to change the way Muslims pay zakat (August 13, 2010)
altmuslim review 032 - Muslim writers everywhere! We speak about the new wave of Western Muslim literature and interview two authors with recently released books. Our own Irfan Yusuf talks about his memoir, Once Were Radicals and Reza Aslan tells us more about his second book, How to Win a Cosmic War (June 11, 2009)
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Recent and upcoming talks and offsite articles by altmuslim contributors
It's the occupation, stupid, Wajahat Ali, Salon.com, June 4, 2010
Sex and the City 2's stunning Muslim clichés, Wajahat Ali, Salon.com, May 28, 2010
Draw Muhammad Day: Collectively Punishing Muslim Americans, Shahed Amanullah, Huffington Post, May 25, 2010
Shahed will be a guest on the BBC World Service's World, Have Your Say discussing the proposed French ban on niqab (and fines for husbands who compel their wives to wear them) on May 18, 2010.
Even Controversial Views Should Be Protected by Freedom of Speech, Asma Uddin, The Huffington Post, May 7, 2010.
What I understand about Faisal Shahzad, Wajahat Ali, Salon.com, May 6, 2010
No freak out about South Park, Zahed Amanullah, The Guardian, Comment is Free, April 23, 2010.
Shahed will be a guest on the BBC World Service's World, Have Your Say discussing the South Park controversy along with Zarqa Nawaz (Little Mosque on the Prairie) and other guests on April 22, 2010.
Shahed will be a guest on NPR's State of Belief discussing Barack Obama's outreach to the Muslim world, April 17, 2010.
Zahed will be attending a panel discussion entitled " Are Islam and Free Speech Compatible?" in London, England on Friday, March 26, 2010 sponsored by The City Circle. He will be accompanied by Riazat Butt (The Guardian), Hamid Khan (Consultant in Offender and Youth Development), Abu Muntasir (JIMAS), and Dr Usama Hasan.
'Jihad Jane': not the usual suspect, Wajahat Ali, The Guardian, Comment is Free, March 18, 2010.
Al-Awlaki, a new public enemy, Zahed Amanullah, The Guardian, Comment is Free, December 30, 2009.
Islamophonic: Review of the year, Riazat Butt, Zahed Amanullah and David Shariatmadari, Cif Belief (The Guardian), December 18, 2009.
Fort Hood has enough victims already, Wajahat Ali, Comment is Free (The Guardian), November 6, 2009
The pitfalls of filming Muhammad, Shahed Amanullah, The Guardian, Comment is Free, November 4, 2009.
Children of Dust (published by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins), the first book by longtime altmuslim.com contributor Ali Eteraz, is released in the US, Canada, and the UK on October 13, 2009.
Shahed will be attending the m100 Sansoucci Colloquium in Potsdam, Germany, September 14-16, 2009. He will be moderating a panel discussion on the Danish cartoon crisis with Denis MacShane MP, Jasim Al-Azzawi (Al Jazeera English), and Flemming Rose (Jyllands Posten).
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State-sponsored Sufism, Ali Eteraz, Foreign Policy, June 10, 2009.
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Media appearances and analysis featuring altmuslim editors
Helping U.S. reach out to young Muslims worldwide - Soon after Farah Pandith was named last year as the State Department's first special representative to Muslim communities, she sat down with the editor of an independent Muslim website for her first official interview. Altmuslim.com, a forum for opinion and analysis about current issues facing Muslims, was a fitting choice. Pandith has said a strong focus of her work is to reach out to younger Muslims around the world, often those most likely to use the Internet for news and networking. (June 5, 2010)
Censorship is in the ascendant - Zahed Amanullah, associate editor of altmuslim.com, has argued in a national newspaper blog that, since the warning came from an unrepresentative group, the media interest was not justified. As for events of the past – the fatwa on Salman Rushdie, the Danish cartoons, the murder of van Gogh – they were "three incidents over a 20-year period from amongst 1.6 billion people. These things do happen. But we all need a bit of perspective." (April 30, 2010)
Muslims say new security rules unfair, ineffective - ''Muslims are doing their duty. Muslim parents are being attentive. It's the TSA that's not being attentive. It's the TSA that's not doing its duty," said Shahed Amanullah, an editor at the Web site altmuslim.com. "There's nothing more that Muslims can do than turn in their own families." (January 7, 2010)
US Muslims & media… Lost love - "We have a big problem; it’s that other people are shaping the story about us," Shahed Amanullah, editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com, told IslamOnline.net. (December 16, 2009)
Moves to Seize Mosques Spark Outrage - "I'm extremely skeptical that the link between these mosques and this organization is so strong as to merit the seizing of a considerable amount of assets that do a lot of good for the Muslim community," says Shahed Amanullah, a prominent Muslim blogger based in Austin. "The government better be prepared to make a very good case, because this is unprecedented." (November 17, 2009)
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