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Islamophobia in the US, Updated and Connected to Fear
Mongering
By mickielynn on 2011-05-10 17:05:21
I remember the big debate right here on Waging Peace when the term “Islamophobia” was first used to describe the outcry
against the Islamic Cultural Center planned to be built in Manhattan at Park 51. At the time many of our commenters said
that there was no such thing as “Islamophobia” even though the events at Park 51 led to protests against other US mosques.
To vandalism and minor violence and ultimately to the Koran burning incident. There were more graffiti and other attacks
on US mosques after the assassination of bin Laden as well. Now, just this week there are a couple of incidents that indicate
that the constant fear mongering and targeting of all Muslims is creating a climate of discrimination and of decreasing civil
rights for US Muslims. The first incident took place on Saturday, May 7th while Muslim clerics, Masudur Rahman and
Mohamed Zaghloul were traveling to a conference in Charlotte, NC. The topic of the conference, ironically, was
Islamophobia! These two prominent and well respected imams were kicked off a US domestic flight from Memphis,
Tennessee to Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday. They had been screened and then secondarily screened before they
boarded the Delta connection flight. Before takeoff they were asked by the pilot to leave the plane because he claimed that
their presence made the other passengers “uncomfortable.” They were taken off the plane by TSA workers to be “put
through additional screening” and again were found to pose no security threat. In the meanwhile the Atlantic South Airlines
employees boarded the airplane and asked the passengers if anyone was uncomfortable and would like to take a later flight.
The passengers all declined the offer and none expressed discomfort. But after the airline staff talked with the pilot for about
30 minutes he still refused to allow them onboard and took off without them. What was their crime? Evidently it was being
Muslim. They were dressed in traditional dress. Zaghloul wore a Tohpe, a long robe that Muslims often wear, also called a
kufi. He also wore a traditional Muslim skullcap. Rahman said he was dressed in traditional Indian clothing. Rahman, who
is a professor at the University of Memphis, said that the incident reminded him of the prejudice Rosa Parks faced during the
civil rights movement. "That history I found today in that plane, and it shouldn't happen with any other person," he said The
two imams did not say or do anything to indicate that they were at all threatening to anyone. So it was their obvious dress as
Muslims that seemed to disturb the pilot. Was his illegal and discriminatory behavior aggravated by the media events
surrounding the recent execution of Osama bin Laden or had he always been a bigot?
http:/Avww.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/05/07/muslims.kicked.off.plane/index.html En route to the same conference US-born
imam Al-Amin Abdul-Latif of Long Island was prevented from boarding an American Airlines flight from New York to
Charlotte late Friday. He was told to return to LaGuardia airport for a morning flight on Saturday, only to be refused
boarding again, without explanation, his son said. "This morning we get to the airline, and the ticket agent told my father
that the airline does not want him to fly. Those were her exact words," Abu Bakr Abdul-Latif told Agence France-Presse.
"There was nothing he could do," said the son, who traveled on to the Charlotte conference without his father
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/05/08/11/3-muslim-clerics-barred-us-flights Then there was the political
maneuvering that was the result of the anonymous "official statements" about the terror plots discovered in the documents of
Osama bin Laden. An indication that even as a dead person he can be used to whip up fear and discrimination. Since it
was suggested that there were possible plans to disrupt the US rail system our own New York Senator, Charles Schumer
came up with even more restrictive travel ideas. “Procedure would create 'no-ride list' to keep suspected terrorists off
US. rail system" 08 May 2011
A senator on Sunday called for a "no-ride list" for Amtrak trains after intelligence gleaned from the raid on
Osama bin Laden's compound pointed to potential attacks on the nation's train system. Sen. Charles Schumer
(D-N.Y.) said he would push as well for added funding for rail security and commuter and passenger train track
inspections and more monitoring of stations nationwide. He called on the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security to expand the Secure Flight monitoring program, which cross-checks air travelers with the terror watch
list in an attempt to prevent anyone on the "no-fly list" from boarding, for use on Amtrak.“
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/08/us-security-trains-idUSTRE7472CEF20110508 And another New York based form
of prejudice: Early this morning, (May 10, 2011) there was a hearing held at the Kings County Supreme Court to ask for
dismissal, counterclaims, and sanctions against the “Bay People” a right wing, extremist group who have filed a lawsuit to
try and stop the building of a mosque in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. An attorney from the NYC National Lawyers Guild is
defending the Muslim American Society(who have plans to build the mosque). Both the MAS and their lawyer have
personally come under vicious, racist attack. Additional background information can be found here:
