The latest piece from the department of "we don’t just assume people are terrorists because they’re Muslims, honest": celebrity Muslim Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) has had his plane diverted and been refused entry to the US on ‘national security’ grounds.
Now, Mr Islam holds some fairly silly views, and the Americans are entitled to refuse to let him in their country. However, he’s very clearly not a terrorist (for example, he’s being put on a plane home, rather than a plane to Guantanamo Bay).
Throwing a full-scale terror alert, diverting a planeload of passengers to an airport 500 miles from their destination – and making them think they were in serious danger – is not a sensible way of dealing with a non-dangerous undesirable alien. Perhaps the Department of Transportation’s security systems need a little work…
Fish from Marrilion was on that plane.
In that case, I withdraw all criticisms made above.
Fish from Marrilion is not in Marillion anymore. Fish was not on that plane. The bloke who took over from Fish in Marillion was on the plane. Do you withdraw your withdrawal?
You would be a good lad if you did.
In that case, I withdraw all withdrawals made above.
Aha! Good lad.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Dennis Murphy said Islam was "denied admission to the United States on national security grounds."
A second government official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. authorities think donations from Islam may have ended up helping to fund blind sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel.
In July 2000, Islam was deported hours after arriving in Jerusalem. A local paper reported then that the government claimed he had delivered tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas during a visit in 1988. Islam denied ever knowingly supporting Islamic terrorists.
Don’t Be So Catty, Johnny Bee
Anyway, I agree they shouldn’t have diverted the plane and all that. Here’s what I thought was a great suggestion
If donations from as far back as 1988 to non-AQ terror groups make you Too Dangerous To Fly, then we need to divert all Irish-Americans trying to fly into Heathrow to Glasgow instead, and then send them back home.
Actually, that’s a top plan.
Ah, but look what happened to John Lennon while he was in the States.
If we take a look at the post above, and write a cheque for £10 to a non-AQ terror group in the name of each of the celebrities mentioned (thus making them Too Dangerous To Fly), we could do much to raise the level of popular culture in the UK.