Man removed from UK flight over 'prayer' message on phone

[Berkut]

So it is almost certain that he was targeted because the guy saw "ISI men" and thought it was "ISIS men". If I saw that, I would be concerned as well.

Let's not let that ruin a good story though, and just say he was targeted because he was praying.

What a non-story.

I think it is rather problematic what can happen to a person if
1) you happen to have the 'wrong' skin color

No evidence in this story that it had anything to do with that.

2) some busybody decides to look over your shoulder while you are texting

People look over other peopls shoulders all the time. Dickish move, but so what?

3) you get taken off the flight for security to re-check you, then after security clears you, pilot still won't let you on

Shrug. Sucks to be sure, but I think at the end of the day it is the pilot's discretion, and I certainly would not argue that they ought not to have that discretion.

Given that they do, it is pretty easy to imagine that the pilot is

A) Not going to have the time to go check out the story himself, what with being busy getting ready to take off, and
B) Going to simply err on the side of "Let someone else deal with it who has more time than I do".

Again, it sucks, but it is hardly evidence that there is some systemic problem.

4) then when wrongfully bounced from a flight then you have to deal with other passengers who call you out as a safety hazard even though you never were

He didn't have to deal with that at all. The fact that there are other stupid people in the world is not a systemic problem, or certianly not one that we can fix.

I guess with something that has little chance of ever happening to you, you can find it easy to gloss over.

Since I don't pray at all, I guess that is true.

I am sure there could be some set of circumstances however under which I would or could be mis-correctly identified as a danger and forced to miss a flight. Boo hoo.

Of wait - I miss flights all the time through no fault of my own. They are delayed, mechanical problems, they lose my luggage, my ticket is over-booked, etc., etc. So you are wrong - I get inconvencied when travelling with the exact same practical effect as this guy all the time. I miss a flight, and have to take a later one. Call the newspapers!

Note: I don't think the prayer bit is really relevant to the story as when I first clicked on article I had thought it would be about someone kicked off for praying on a plane. I don't think though that makes the circumstances any less concerning.

Some guy did something perfectly innocent that someone else (for good reasons or bad) mis-interpreted and he missed a flight as a result of the rather draconian security checks we have in place. Cry me a river.

Total non-story.

[Martinus]

I hope SJWs take on those horrible busybodies who report people leaving their luggage unattended at airports next.

[Martinus]

Btw, garbon, would your take on this change if, rather than this being found out by a "busybody looking over a shoulder", the passenger wore a badge or otherwise announced to fellow travellers that he is a member of the "ISI men" prayer group?

[Valmy]

I wish he was targeted for praying. That's nuts.

Why? It is a great way to focus your intentions and drop your bullshit.

[Martinus]

Could we also address the obvious elephant in the room and say that, sorry but a dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle-aged man on a flight is going to attract attention more than most other demographics, because dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle aged men are generally more likely to blow up planes than other people?

Yes, it sucked for this guys, but that's reality. Just as it sucks to be, say, a guy with visible tatoos applying for a job at a bank, or a middle-aged single socially awkward guy applying for a job at a kindergarden.

[Martinus]

I wish he was targeted for praying. That's nuts.

Why? It is a great way to focus your intentions and drop your bullshit.

I was being facetious.

[Valmy]

Could we also address the obvious elephant in the room and say that, sorry but a dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle-aged man on a flight is going to attract attention more than most other demographics, because dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle aged men are generally more likely to blow up planes than other people?

I think we did directly address this

[Valmy]

I was being facetious.

Ah sorry

I can never tell on this site.

[Martinus]

Could we also address the obvious elephant in the room and say that, sorry but a dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle-aged man on a flight is going to attract attention more than most other demographics, because dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle aged men are generally more likely to blow up planes than other people?

I think we did directly address this

I don't think so.

[garbon]

I hope SJWs take on those horrible busybodies who report people leaving their luggage unattended at airports next.

Do we actually have reports that such has actually prevented an attack? I recall the analysis on New York's "If you see something, say something" policy was that it has actually just wasted a whole of time and resources with little positive effect.

[garbon]

So it is almost certain that he was targeted because the guy saw "ISI men" and thought it was "ISIS men". If I saw that, I would be concerned as well.

Let's not let that ruin a good story though, and just say he was targeted because he was praying.

What a non-story.

I think it is rather problematic what can happen to a person if
1) you happen to have the 'wrong' skin color

No evidence in this story that it had anything to do with that.

When you start like that, well I know it isn't worth the minutes off my life to read the rest of your post.

[garbon]

Could we also address the obvious elephant in the room and say that, sorry but a dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle-aged man on a flight is going to attract attention more than most other demographics, because dark-skinned devout-looking young-to-middle aged men are generally more likely to blow up planes than other people?

I think we did directly address this

I don't think so.

Devout looking?

[Valmy]

He does look like a preacher 

[Martinus]

I hope SJWs take on those horrible busybodies who report people leaving their luggage unattended at airports next.

Do we actually have reports that such has actually prevented an attack? I recall the analysis on New York's "If you see something, say something" policy was that it has actually just wasted a whole of time and resources with little positive effect.

I am not talking about there being evidence of this preventing attack - but that's not the question. The question is whether the people in the scenario have acted reasonably.

[garbon]

He does look like a preacher 

Wearing a suit = looking like a preacher?