Flying Imams Lose in Court

Remember these guys?

The six Imams who boarded US Airlines Flight 300 and proceeded to behave in an intimidating and suspicious manner. Refusing to sit in their assigned seats, pairing off to sit near the front, middle and rear exits. Requesting unneeded seat belt extenders. Three of the Imams had no baggage and one way tickets, and one passenger who speaks Arabic says the Imams talked about Osama bin Laden and condemned America for killing Saddam Hussein.

The behavior clearly intended to cause an uproar among the passengers and it worked. The Federal Air Marshals delayed the flight and asked the Imams to leave. When the Imams refused they were arrested.

Of course the Imams went on to sue US Airlines and the passengers while CAIR threatened boycotts, and trying to promote a "flying while Muslim" campaign.

But it was all in vain.

The department’s assistant general counsel, Samuel Podberesky, informed the Council on American-Islamic Relations of the department’s conclusion in a Jan. 14 letter.

But the department did fault US Airways for refusing to book the men on another flight after the FBI cleared them.

The letter is among several exhibits entered last week in a lawsuit the imams filed against the airline and the airport in federal court in Minneapolis. The trial is scheduled for August.

Result: Victory for safe air travel, common sense, and courageous "John Does" who refuse to be intimidated.