Maldini

On July 13, 1994, a documentary on the life of Charles A. Lindbergh broadcast on the Public Broadcast System (PBS - KENW-TV) said that when Lindbergh visited one of these few camps in Germany following WW2, he was told that 25,000 died in 1-1/2 years. Again, simple arithmetic tells us that 25,000 times a half dozen camps does not equal 6,000,000. In fact, it doesn't even equal 600,000

There are compelling reasons to believe that the so-called holocaust never existed. Page 223, in The Diary of Anne Frank, (Pan Horizons edition, Pan Books Ltd., London, 1989), indicates that the size of Auschwitz, the most notorious of all German work camps, WAS VERY SMALL, with only 11,000 people (many of whom may not even have been Jews) being evacuated by the Germans at the time of the Russian advance in 1945. Certainly, compared to Spielberg's film, Schindler's List (which Emilie Schindler, Oskar's widow, said was full of lies), and other Jewish propaganda, that millions upon millions of Jews were systematically exterminated, 11,000 people is a very small number. Simple arithmetic tells us that the Germans would have had to have had hundreds of camps, or else they would have had to exterminate 137 people PER HOUR, in order for six million Jews to have been exterminated at such small camps as Auschwitz, a feat that would have been humanly impossible considering that, according to Douglas Reed's Behind the Scene and The Controversy of Zion, a mere 850,000 soldiers and others were killed by the entire German and Japanese war machines combined during WW2 (see p.397-400 of Douglas Reed's book Controversy of Zion). People who would believe the Jewish propaganda that six million Jews were exterminated by Hitler must KEEP IN MIND THE SMALL SCALE CONSTRUCTION OF AUSCHWITZ AND THE VERY FEW OTHER GERMAN WORK CAMPS THAT EXISTED DURING WW2.

Mordechai Vanunu: “Having the atomic bomb is what has allowed Israel to fearlessly carry out its apartheid policy”

It's the most silly joke I ever heard, Israel the ideal of fundamentalism

If there any Jewish people died in this war, then they died like the other people died not for being Jews

Israel continues to receive trillions of dollars worldwide as retribution for Holocaust gassings. United States alone has donated more money to Israel than to any other country in the history of the world -- over $35 billion per year, everything included. If not for thier extravagantly generous gifts to Israel, every family in America could afford a brand new Mercedes Benz. Surely the American people would be outraged if they realized their hard-earned money is being squandered in these difficult times. With all this money at stake for Israel, it is easy to comprehend why this Holocaust hoax is so secretly guarded. The Jewish name for Holocaust is "Shoah." In Zionist circles, it is known as "Shoah Business." If nothing else, this unbelievable coverup demonstrates the irrepressible Zionist influence and control of the american country. Their only defense against the facts is to cry out "antisemitic," "Skinhead" or "Nazi," whereas the majority of those who question the Holocaust are ordinary citizens...though you would never know it from the media

Sudan dismisses Blair threats, welcomes UN mission By Alaa Shahine KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan on Thursday dismissed British Prime Minister Tony Blair threats of sanctions and a "no-fly zone" over Darfur, and said it welcomed the visit of a U.N. mission as long as it reflected reality. Blair's spokesman quoted him as saying during a visit to Washington last week that the option of a no-fly zone in Darfur should be considered as part of sanctions against Sudan if it did not agree to a U.N. peace plan. "Statements like this ... do not enhance peace," said Al-Samani Al-Wasiyla, the Sudanese minister of state for foreign relations. "They prolong the crisis," he told Reuters. The United States is also growing frustrated with Sudan's refusal to accept an international force in Darfur, and State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that, while diplomacy was the focus, other options were being explored. Sudan has rejected a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the deployment of 22,500 U.N. troops and police in Darfur, where experts say around 200,000 people have been killed since the conflict flared in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglect The UN says 4 million people in the region rely on humanitarian aid to survive, but that increasing violence and banditry are stopping aid getting through. Manuel Aranda da Silva, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, said in Geneva that in November relief agencies had managed to get aid to only 62 percent of those who needed it. Sudan says Western media have invented and exaggerated the crisis in Darfur and only 9,000 people have died there. GOOD FAITH The violence prompted the 47-state U.N. Human Rights Council to agree on Wednesday to send a high-level mission to Darfur to investigate allegations of worsening abuses against civilians. "We have never closed our door in the face of any committee, as long as it wants to help us," said Al-Wasiyla. "We will deal with it and want it to reflect what it sees on the ground. People talk about the situation in Darfur and they forget that most areas in Darfur are calm ... that the aftermath of war cannot be solved within 24 hours." Rights group, rebels and a former rebel group that signed a peace deal with the government say Khartoum has armed a proxy militia accused of war crimes in Darfur. The government denies supporting the militias, locally known as the Janjaweed. The militias have been accused of triggering deadly clashes in El Fasher, the main town in Darfur, last week that killed at least six people. Pekka Haavisto, the EU special envoy to Sudan, said he had complained about the Janjaweed activities in El Fasher to the government on Thursday. "The government response was: they are not Janjaweed, we are not calling them Janjaweed, because they are government border guards," he said. "And my response was that if you recognize (them) as being part of the government, you have even more responsibility for their behavior." There was no comment from the government, but state-run media have referred to one of the groups involved in the clashes as the "Border Intelligence Forces."

Top Israeli court upholds killing policy By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM - The Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Isreal's policy of targeted killings of Palestinian militants, allowing the army to maintain a practice that has drawn widespread international condemnation. The unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel fixed some legal limits, but it did not insist on prior court approval for the attacks, leaving the limits only theoretical and endorsing the killings in practice. Israel has defended the practice as necessary to prevent terror attacks, including suicide bombings. But the original justification of stopping "ticking bombs" has been expanded over the years to targeting militant leaders, including field commanders and the founder of Hamas. Palestinians and human rights groups, who have denounced the killings as assassinations and summary executions without trial, criticized the court for giving legal legitimacy to the practice. During the last six years of conflict, Israel has routinely targeted militants in airstrikes. The Israeli human rights organization B'tselem estimates that 339 Palestinians were killed in the targeted operations since 2000. Of those, 210 were the targets and the rest were bystanders. Israel has not carried out such an airstrike since a cease-fire went into effect in Gaza at the end of November. Targeted killings are usually carried out by attack helicopters or unmanned drones firing missiles at cars, acting on intelligence information from agents and informers on the ground. The tactic has since been adopted by the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan and Iraq. This was the last decision before retirement by Supreme Court Chief Justice Aharon Barak, who has often set judicial standards for human rights. Barak and his two colleagues ruled that "it cannot be determined in advance that every targeted killing is prohibited according to customary international law," while also noting that the tactic was not necessarily legal in every case. Every case needs to be evaluated individually to determine its legality, the court said. Israeli army Col. Pnina Sharvit, head of military's international law department, told The Associated Press that "everything in the decision is compatible with our existing policy." Two human rights groups, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment petitioned the court to ban the policy in 2002, but the court repeatedly delayed issuing a decision. Ismail Radwan, a spokesman for the Islamic militant Hamas group, criticized the decision, saying it "gives judicial cover for terrorist practices by the government." Hamas has carried out dozens of suicide bombings that killed hundreds of civilians in Israel over the past decade. The Israeli military began carrying out targeted killings of Palestinian militants after the breakdown of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the subsequent outbreak of violence in 2000, saying the tactic was the most effective way to stop Palestinian bombers targeting Israeli population centers. In July 2002, the air force dropped a one-ton bomb that killed Salah Shehadeh, a top Hamas operative wanted for masterminding suicide bombings, along with his bodyguard and 13 bystanders, including nine children. The Shehadeh killing led some international human rights groups to call for criminal charges against Israeli officers, including the current chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, who was the air force commander at the time. In 2004, an Israeli airstrike killed the leader of Hamas, the wheelchair-bound cleric Ahmed Yassin. A few weeks later, another airstrike killed his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi. In two important decisions released Tuesday and Wednesday, Barak angered Israelis on both ends of the political spectrum: He drew ire from hard-liners by ruling that Israel had to pay reparations for damages caused by some military operations in Gaza and the West Bak, and from doves by ruling that a section of Israel's separation barrier that juts into the West Bank near Jerusalem can be left in place.

Lebanon PM seeks Kremlin's help in Syria crisis by Sebastian Smith MOSCOW (AFP) - Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora was expected to press President Vladimir Butin to use his influence with Syria to help defuse a political crisis that Siniora sees as a Damascus-backed coup attempt. The Lebanese premier arrived late Thursday in Moscow as mass demonstrations against his Western-backed government continued in Beirut by supporters of the Syrian-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah and its Christian allies. On arrival overnight, Siniora urged Moscow to come to his help. "We are for the regularization of relations with Syria. I think Russia can exert some pressure in this direction," he was quoted as saying Friday by Interfax news agency. In addition to Putin, Siniora was scheduled to meet Russian security council chief Igor Ivanov and parliamentary leaders, ITAR-TASS reported. The Lebanese prime minister's arch rival, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is also due to fly to the Russian capital on Monday for a three-day visit, prompting speculation that Putin may attempt to broker a deal between the two leaders. Moscow is eager to reassert its influence in the Middle East, which has waned since the collapse of the Soviet Union. As its chief arms supplier, Russia is recognized as having influence over Syria, its longtime chief ally in the region. "Siniora has come knocking on the door to the one country that has privileged contacts with Iran where Western powers have none -- and also with Syria and Israel ," said Yevgeny Satanovsky, head of the Middle East Institute in Moscow. "Russia once again has a strong position in the region and can play the role of mediator." According to Siniora, Moscow could play a key role because Russia "not only supports Lebanon, but the whole Arab people.... This fact is very important for us," ITAR-TASS reported. He singled out what he said had been Russia's diplomatic influence in pressing for an end to Israel's conflict with Lebanon in July and August, triggered by a Hezbollah cross-border raid into Israel. "Russia gave political support to Lebanon this summer and did everything to end this terrible war." Ahead of the trip, Lebanon's ambassador to Russia said that Siniora's visit was aimed at providing Russia with "trustworthy" information about the situation in Lebanon, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported. Syria was the powerbroker in Lebanon for nearly three decades. It was forced to withdraw its troops last year amid a public outcry over the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri, widely blamed on Syria, a charge Damascus denies. Lebanon's pro-Syrian political opposition now wants to bring down Siniora's government over demands for greater power-sharing, seen by the government as a ploy to reassert Syrian influence in the country. Siniora warned the demonstrators Friday to show restraint, saying "these protests have no future." "They know the dangers, there are red lines in Lebanon ... A takeover of the state is not achievable," he said in an interview published in The Financial Times.

Progress reported in Lebanon mediations By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer BEIRUT, Lebanon - The government and opposition have agreed on a national unity Cabinet in which major decisions could be made only by consensus, the head of the Arab League said Thursday in a major step toward ending Lebanon's political crisis. A new Cabinet is the key demand of the Hezbollah-led opposition, whose thousands of supporters have staged mass protests and daily sit-ins since Dec. 1, forcing Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to live in his office complex in central Beirut, surrounded by security forces and barbed wire. Arab League chief Amr Moussa told reporters that more talks are required to conclude the deal, and he might return to Lebanon in the coming days. The Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah has demanded a veto-wielding one third of the Cabinet plus one seat. Saniora, who is backed by the United States and Europe, has rejected the demand and continued to convene meetings of the Cabinet, from which six Hezbollah-aligned ministers resigned last month. Moussa said the parties had agreed on a formula that would give the anti-Syrian allies less than two-thirds of the Cabinet and leave the opposition short of its demand for just over one-third. A neutral Cabinet minister would hold the balance. "We want to reach a formula of no victor, no vanquished ... a win-win situation," Moussa said. A Sudanese presidential envoy, Mustafa Osman Ismail, indicated the outstanding point of contention is over who will be the neutral minister. "The contacts will decide who he will be," said Ismail, whose country holds the chairmanship of the Arab Summit. He added there were "difficulties and obstacles" in the path of a final agreement. Moussa called on all the parties to defuse the tension and expressed hope that the remaining issues could be resolved in the next two weeks. "Progress is clear and consensus is rising. Please be patient a bit longer," he said. "We hope to finish in the next two weeks or at the end of the month." Ismail said he did not expect an escalation in street protests, but he doubted that the sit-ins paralyzing the city center would end soon. On Thursday morning, Saniora met with Sen. Bill Nelson ,a Florida Democrat and member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees. Nelson reassured Saniora of U.S. support — even if Washington decides to seek Syria 's help in curbing the violence in Iraq. "I want to make it very clear that the United States will not abandon Lebanon to gain Syria's cooperation in Iraq," Nelson told reporters after the meeting. Saniora later left his office under heavy security to fly to Moscow, a trip apparently intended to gain the support of Russia, a longtime Syria ally.

Army moves to reduce strain on troops By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The Army, strained by unrelenting violence in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere, is considering ways it can speed up the creation of two combat brigades while shifting personnel and equipment from other military units. Under the plan being developed, the new brigades could be formed next year and be ready to be sent to Iraq in 2008, defense officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans were not final. The Army's chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, told a commission Thursday that he wants to increase the half-million-member force beyond the 30,000 troops authorized in recent years. And he warned that the Army "will break" without thousands more active duty troops and greater use of the reserves. Though Schoomaker didn't give an exact number, he said it would take significant time, saying 6,000 to 7,000 soldiers could be added per year. Schoomaker has said it costs roughly $1.2 billion to increase the Army by 10,000 soldiers. Officials also need greater authority to tap into the National Guard and Reserve, long ago set up as a strategic reserve but now needed as an integral part of the nation's deployed forces, Schoomaker told a commission studying possible changes in those two forces. "Over the last five years, the sustained strategic demand ... is placing a strain on the Army's all-volunteer force," Schoomaker said during a Capitol Hill hearing. "At this pace ... we will break the active component" unless reserves can be called up more to help, he said. Accelerating the creation of two combat brigades would give the Army greater flexibility to allow units to return home for at least a year before having to go back to the battlefront. Brigades average 3,500 troops. Since 2003, the Army has been restructuring in order to increase the number of brigades in each combat division from three to four. The purpose is to increase the pool of brigades available for troop rotations into Iraq and Afghanistan and to make each brigade more self-sustaining. White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to characterize President Bush's response to Schoomaker's comments, but he said Bush "takes seriously any of the requests from the service branch chiefs." Schoomaker's testimony and the new Army plans came as Bush continues his assessment of the Iraq war. Bush held three days of urgent meetings with top generals and other advisers. Federal agencies have presented their options to Bush and the White House National Security Council and are providing additional details and answering questions. The military options being considered include a short-term surge in troops to stem the violence and an increased effort to train and equip Iraqi forces. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Schoomaker acknowledged that Gen. George Casey, the top commander in Iraq, is looking at several military options, including shifting many troops from combat missions to training Iraqi units. The Army in recent days has been looking at how many additional troops could be sent to Iraq if the president decides a surge in forces would be helpful. But, Army officials say, only about 10,000 to 15,000 troops could be sent and an end to the war would have to be in sight because it would drain the pool of available soldiers for combat. "We would not surge without a purpose," Schoomaker told reporters. "And that purpose should be measurable." A number of administration officials have suggested privately that — while Bush has considered the possibility of a short-term troop increase — there is no consensus from the military on the wisdom of injecting a large number of additional troops. Another option under discussion is increasing the number of U.S. troops who are placed inside Iraqi army and police units as advisers, boosting the training of the Iraqi forces so they can more quickly take control of their own security.

Russia asks Iran to pay on nuclear plant By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer MOSCOW - The head of the Russian state company building a nuclear plant in Iran urged Tehran on Tuesday to keep up payments to complete construction as scheduled, news reports said. The statement from Atomstroiexport's chief, Sergei Shmatko, was the strongest signal yet of financial disputes over the Bushehr nuclear plant. Shmatko said on a trip to Tehran that his company would start delivering nuclear fuel for the plant in March 2007, prior to its launch in September, provided that the Iranians provide stable financing to fulfill the contract signed in 1995. He said preparations for the fuel deliveries would start in January. Shmatko said that Iran already had paid Russia $900 million to build the plant, but he added that his company had been forced to provide a $140 million loan to Tehran because the Iranians had dragged their feet on payment. "We have confirmed that everything will proceed according to plan, but only if Iran provides $20-$25 million for the construction of Bushehr every month," Shmatko said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. He praised Iran for providing $22 million last month for the plant's construction, adding that he and the Iranian officials had agreed on stable funding for the project during talks in Tehran. "They have promised us that the Iranian side will maintain the pace," Shmatko said, according to RIA Novosti. Russia's Federal Nuclear Agency chief Sergei Kiriyenko has said the startup of the Bushehr reactor would take place in September, and that the plant would come online in November. Russia and China, which have major commercial ties with Iran, have been pushing for dialogue instead of U.N. punishment of Iran for its nuclear activities. A draft UN Security Council resolution circulated Dec. 8 by France and Britain drops all mention of Bushehr in an apparent hope of winning Russia's support. An earlier European draft that Russia opposed would have exempted the Bushehr nuclear plant, but not the nuclear fuel needed for the reactor. The new draft would still keep a range of sanctions and still would limit technical assistance to Iran by IAEA , as well as urging countries to prevent Iranian students from studying nuclear-related disciplines. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday the new draft was based on Russian amendments. The online Gazeta.ru said in a commentary Tuesday that Iran could be dragging its feet on paying Russia because of irritation over Moscow's joining the West in demanding that Tehran freezes its domestic uranium enrichment program. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, aimed solely at producing energy, but the United States and the Europeans believe Tehran's activities are ultimately aimed at producing weapons.

Hamas says Abbas seeks war By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - The ruling Hamas group accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah of starting a war after his security forces opened fire on Friday on a Hamas rally in the West Bank and firefights broke out in Gaza. "What a war Mahmoud Abbas you are launching, first against God, and then against Hamas," senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told a Gaza City rally of 100,000 Hamas supporters, who chanted "God is Greatest" and fired guns into the air. At least 32 Hamas supporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah were wounded by gunfire from Abbas's forces, hospital officials said. Several were in critical condition. Tensions were at their highest in a decade and followed months of failed talks to form a unity government between the ruling Hamas Islamist faction and Abbas's once-dominant Fatah. Hayya said Hamas would not agree to holding an early election or a referendum on the issue, a move that Abbas could announce in a speech planned for Saturday in an attempt to break the political deadlock. Hayya did not say what Hamas would do if Abbas made such a dramatic announcement. The fresh violence broke out after Hamas, which controls the Palestinian Authority accused a Fatah strongman and Abbas's presidential guard of trying to kill Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh outside the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Although Israel was not involved in the latest fighting, its decision -- with U.S. backing -- to prevent Haniyeh from entering Gaza with $35 million intensified the standoff in which Haniyeh's convoy came under fire late on Thursday. "We know who opened fire (on Haniyeh's convoy) and they will be punished hard. From now on they will never relax and they will never sleep tight in their homes," said Hamas leader and Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar. One of Haniyeh's bodyguards was killed in the incident at Rafah on Thursday. Another bodyguard, the prime minister's son and a political adviser were wounded. Hayya's comments was Hamas's strongest personal attack yet against Abbas. Friday's fighting in the occupied West Bank was the fiercest since Hamas came to power in March after trouncing Fatah in January elections. Outside Ramallah's main mosque, Hamas supporters taunted Abbas's security forces. "You look like Israeli soldiers. You are spies," they shouted. Dressed in riot gear, the Fatah-dominated forces used clubs and rifle-butts to beat back the Hamas demonstrators before shooting broke out. At about the same time, Hamas and Fatah forces in Gaza opened fire on each other on the streets. It was unclear if anyone was hurt. Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan singled out by name Fatah strongman and lawmaker, Mohammed Dahlan, as being behind the shooting attack late on Thursday on Haniyeh's convoy as it was leaving the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. He called on Abbas to remove his presidential guard from the streets. Dahlan said on Al Arabiya television that the accusations "are not worth answering." He blamed Hamas "gangs" for the violence, which has surged since unidentified militants shot dead three young sons of an intelligence official loyal to Abbas outside the boys' school early this week. "It (Hamas) is pouring oil on the fire," said Abdel-Hakim Awad, a spokesman for Fatah in Gaza. Abbas still plans on Saturday to outline his options in the wake of months of failed talks with Hamas to form a unity government, Palestinian officials said. Some Abbas aides say he might announce he has no choice but to call a referendum on elections, although he may not set any dates and leave the door open to fresh talks. Abbas might also decide emotions are too high, and refrain from overt threats. "Mohammed Dahlan bears the direct responsibility for the assassination attempt which targeted the prime minister and he bears responsibility for the blood of the martyrs in the incident," Rudwan told a news conference in Gaza. Rudwan offered no evidence of Dahlan's involvement. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah)

Eto, Iniesta and Messi will not playing with Barca at this Champion

Ahly: Won African Champions League 5 times [ overall ] Won African Champions League the latest 2 champions Defeat Real Madrid 1:0 [ 2001] Best African team in the past century AbuTrika best player in Ahly team nomination to the best African player 2006 with Drogba and Eto Won the Egyptian League more than 30 times Won more than 80 Championship [ overall ]

Auckland 0:2 Ahly

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC a S.Korea team not N.Korea, a mistake. Sorry

It's just one hour and the Champion open Who will win? 1- Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC 2- Ahly Sporting Club 3- Club América 4- Sport Club Internacional 5- Auckland City FC 6- FC Barcelona

It's just one hour and the Champion open Who will win :rolleyes: Go to the right thread http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36451 This is a wrong thread:confused:

If you late by 2 days, I'm late by 15 days:( Happy birthday Gareth:embarassed:

Omar Shahin a famous man and they upgraded him to first class because he frequent flier on the airline, so they must know him, then you came and saying he is suspicious. What a world

It's totally ridiculous and discrimination in the country alleged freedom.

In fact Gareth, I read it 6 days ago in Newsweek Arabic edition, but I didn't talked about it because I thought that nobady will care. I went through the Newsweek English edition to bring it here by searching the writer Matthew Philips. ‘Flying While Muslim’ When six Muslim leaders were pulled off an airplane this week, some advocacy groups said it was another example of religious and racial profiling. Janet Hostetter / AP Omar Shahin purchased a ticket from Northwest Airlines on Tuesday after being removed from a U.S. Airways flight the previous evening WEB EXCLUSIVE By Jessica Bennett and Matthew Philips Newsweek Updated: 6:00 p.m. ET Nov. 22, 2006 Nov. 22, 2006 - As a Muslim-American and president of the North American Imams Federation, Dr. Omar Shahin is no stranger to the heightened security of a post-9/11 world. On more than one occasion, the Phoenix, Ariz., resident says he’s been picked out of a crowd by the color of his skin—interrogated, finger printed or detained. So when Shahin headed to the airport Monday with five other imams for a flight out of Minneapolis—where the NAIF had met for a conference—the group did everything they could to avoid suspicion, according to Shahin. They wore Western clothes, he says. The men spoke only English. They didn’t book their seats together. And when it came time to conduct their sunset-time prayers, Shahin says, they did so quietly, and not all together—hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. But when the group boarded their U.S. Airways flight bound for Phoenix, on which Shahin (a frequent flier on the airline) had been upgraded to first class, they would never leave the ground. After finding their seats and preparing for takeoff, Shahin and the other imams were escorted from the flight in handcuffs after a passenger handed a note to a flight attendant expressing concern over the group's “suspicious activity,” according to the airport police report. After several hours of questioning by federal authorities, the group was released. Yet though the airline refunded their tickets, U.S. Airways—which released a statement Tuesday saying it does "not tolerate discrimination of any kind"—reportedly denied them passage on any of its other flights and refused to help them obtain tickets through another airline. "This was the worst moment in my life," says Shahin, who, after an overnight delay, was able to get himself and his colleagues a flight on Northwest Airlines. "When they took us off the plane, six big leaders, it was very humiliating." U.S. Airways told NEWSWEEK late Wednesday that it would not comment on the case beyond its issued statement. What was the group’s suspicious activity? According to the report filed by the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport police, the group’s loud chants of “Allah, Allah, Allah,” initially drew the suspicion of nearby passengers—one of whom said he heard the imams make anti-American comments regarding the war in Iraq. Once on the flight, the men—who allegedly boarded the plane with no carry-on luggage and used one-way tickets—seated themselves in pairs, two at the front of the plane, two in the middle, and two in the rear (all according to the police report). The men, three of whom are U.S. citizens, two of whom have green cards and one who has a worker's permit, also allegedly asked the flight crew for seat belt extensions. But Shahin, a lawyer, disputes many of these details. He says everyone in the group had round-trip tickets that he had booked—and that he has the documentation to prove it. The reason he was at the front of the flight was because he was upgraded to first class because he’s a frequent flyer on the airline. And the reason he asked for a seatbelt extension? Shahin says his 290-pound frame should make that obvious. As for the anti-American remarks, Shahin says the group was talking about the conference, which, ironically, was focused on building bridges to the non-Muslim community. And to avoid this very type of incident, Shahin says he’d already notified both the F.B.I. and local Minneapolis police department of the NAIF conference, as a precaution. “What they claim [in the police report] is just not true," he says. Shahin and the North American Imams Federation say they’ve consulted their lawyer, and have called for a boycott of U.S. Airways. They’re also being backed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based advocacy group that has demanded U.S. Airways launch an immediate investigation (which the airline says it has done) and has called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the Transportation Security Administration to conduct separate investigations of the incident. (CAIR says it has received a letter from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties saying that it has opened a review of the case.) “Since 9-11, we’ve seen a great number of racial and religious ethnic profiling resulting in people being taken off airplanes summarily because they are Muslim,” said CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar, who says the Imam case is another example of “flying while Muslim.” “Reactions like this to Muslims praying really strike at the heart of the fear and prejudice that’s still so prevalent in this country.” This is at least the second time this year that U.S. Airways has removed a Muslim from a plane. In August, Rima Qayyum, a 28-year-old substitute teacher, was taken off a flight and detained for 14 hours at West Virginia's Tri-State Airport when security officials reportedly mistook her facewash and bottled water for possible bomb-making ingredients. Nationwide, according to CAIR's latest civil rights report, for 2005, complaints of anti-Muslim harassment, violence and discrimination have gone up 30 percent since the year prior. Additionally, for the second year in a row, the 1,972 reports received in 2005 mark the highest number of Muslim civil rights complaints ever reported to CAIR in its 12-year history. Observant American Muslims—who must pray five times daily—are left with a dilemma. How do they maintain their religious faith without attracting attention in an environment of heightened fear? Some ask why they should be expected to change their behavior in a country that promises religious freedom. Amine Chigani, a Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech, raises some of these questions—and more—in a Wednesday e-mail to CAIR: “Is there anything that I should do so I won't have the same experience as our imams did?" she writes. "I mean, should I ask the plane crew while I get seated that I will need to pray at a certain time, or should I tell them during check in? Should I explain to the passenger next to me that I will be praying? And if the worst happens and they ask me to leave, should I? ... I am willing to do anything to avoid [causing problems], except not to pray. Please advise!” Chigani is traveling to Seattle in December. Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, says that everyone should have a right to pray, but that in this day and age, “people must be sensitive to how their actions might impact those around them.” But Shahin says his group took every precaution possible. “That's my question to the people,” Shahin says. “What more do I have to do? I am American, I speak this language, I do everything by the book and I’m still suspicious. I cannot change the color of my skin.” The link: http://ori.msnbc.msn.com/id/15856333/site/newsweek/

Happy birthday Fifi :D

I'am