Six Muslim imams taken off plane - CNN.com

A clear case of flying while Arab (FWA)

I watched some footage on CNN's website regarding the removal of the Imams from the plane. Specifically, I saw an interview with a young white woman and an older white man. When they asked them to recall what about the men seemed suspicious or of concern, they noted the following:

"One was wearing sunglasses and it was dark on the plane"
"They were kinda of keeping to themselves"
"They were together in the terminal, but sat in different seats when they boarded"
"They were praying together on the plane"

Every one of the things they noted was perfectly innocent. I'm not sure the average white person would recognize the fact that what they keyed off of was the muslim appearance of these men, not their behaviors, but anybody that has ever been profiled can see it a mile away. The guys were scholars in Minneapolis for a conference. The conference organizers even notified local law enforcement and the FBI ahead of time to help avoid issues. When asked to leave the plane, they refused and they got arrested. I can't say I blame them. I would have been pissed off and I think my attitude might have been, "F**k it, arrest me then". They took the guys off the plane, interrogated them, then released them. US Airways refused to put them on another flight. Its a crying shame. Comes with the territory these days, just like being scrutinized by the police when you are a brother, but still, its a shame.