Claim that imams who acted suspiciously were “discriminated against”
by Bill Levinson

We will say up front that, based on Debra Burlingame’s “On a Wing and a Prayer” (Wall Street Journal, 12/06/06, A16), the imams were damned lucky. There are prominent signs in airports that remind travelers that “jokes” about bombs, hijackings, and so on are taken seriously by law enforcement personnel and can get the “joker” into serious trouble. We would say that chanting “Allahu akbar” could, especially given its context during the 9/11 attacks, (in combination with the display of a weapon like a seat belt extender with a heavy buckle) put bystanders in “reasonable fear for their lives”–the legal prerequisite for the use of deadly physical force if a nonviolent response (like getting off the airplane and asking to be rebooked on another flight) is not available.

The above is not legal advice, which we are not qualified to give, but we think the imams came pretty close to the line. In general, a verbal threat (”I’m going to hijack the airplane,” or “Allahu akbar!”) plus display of a weapon adds up to “reasonable fear” on the part of crew and passengers. Since none of the imams were obese enough to require seat belt extenders (although insurgent sympathizer Michael Moore might easily qualify), their only conceivable reason for asking for them was to obtain improvised metal whips that also might be used to garrote flight attendants or passengers. In any event, our own inclination would have been to get off the airplane and make it very clear to airport security personnel that these individuals were behaving suspiciously. In fact, we recall that signs at airports ask passengers to report suspicious behavior and unattended luggage.

Now for the details. Burlingame’s article reports that the imams repeatedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” at a gate at Minneapolis International Airport. The leftist media says they were removed from the US Airways flight for “praying,” but no one has the right to disturb the peace by “shouting” anything, even a Christian or Jewish prayer, in a public place. Furthermore, the frequent context of “Allahu akbar!” (sawing off people’s heads, slitting flight attendants’ throats, wresting aircraft controls from flight crews, and crashing airplanes into skyscrapers) could in fact be construed as a physical threat to everyone nearby.

After the imams boarded the airplane, they proceeded to distribute themselves the same way the 9/11 hijackers did. Then three of them requested seat belt extenders as described above. Our own take on this is that chanting “Allahu akbar” followed by obtaining or improvising weapons constituted a physical threat to the passengers and crew, and justified the captain’s demand that the imams be removed from the airplane. Finally, the article reports that at least one of the imams made threatening remarks about going to “whatever measures [are] necessary to obey all the tenets set out in the Koran.”

The article continues that, “Today, MAS [Muslim-American Society] Director Mahdi Bray says his organization wants more than an apology. He wants to ‘hit [US Airways] where it hurts, the pocketbook.’”

Our reply to Mahdi Braying Jackass is twofold. First, we do not apologize and we do not think US Airways should do so either. In fact, we throw defiance, intentional disrespect, contempt, and scorn in Bray’s face. We do not regard him as worthy of the respect that a lady or gentleman accords a pet or domestic animal, and the same goes for the six imams.

Second, Bray says he wants to hit US Airways in the pocketbook. We encourage our readers to do exactly that to the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Muslim American Society. According to IRS REV RULE 75-384, J. “Activities That Are Illegal Or Contrary To Public Policy,”

(1) Substantiality Test
Violation of constitutionally valid laws is inconsistent with exemption under IRC 501(c)(3). As a matter of trust law, one of the main sources of the general law of charity, planned activities that violate laws are not in furtherance of a charitable purpose.” A trust cannot be created for a purpose which is illegal. The purpose is illegal …if the trust tends to induce the commission of crime or if the accomplishment of the purpose is otherwise against public policy….

(4) Planning Illegal Acts
Not only is the actual conduct of illegal activities inconsistent with exemption, but the planning and sponsoring of such activities are also incompatible with charity and social welfare. Rev.Rul.75-384 holds that an organization formed to promote world peace that planned and sponsored protest demonstrations at which members were urged to commit acts of civil disobedience did not qualify for IRC 501(c)(3) or (4) exemption. G.C.M.36153, dated January 31,1975, states that because planning and sponsoring illegal acts are in themselves inconsistent with charity and social welfare it is not necessary to determine whether illegal acts were, in fact, committed in connection with the resulting demonstrations or whether such a determination can be made prior to conviction of an accused. However, it is necessary to establish that the planning and sponsorship are attributable to the organization, if exemption is to be denied or revoked on this ground.

It is a matter of record that the Muslim-American Society, as represented by Mahdi Bray himself, has planned committed acts of civil disobedience. This is not an allegation on our part, but rather statements from the Muslim-American Society’s own Web site. As an example, http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=1144 says,

MAS Freedom Director Released, Vows to Continue Civil Disobedience Campaign

Religious and Peace Activist to join MAS Freedom Foundation Civil Disobedience Campaign

The Muslim American Society (MAS)’s Freedom Foundation Executive Director Mahdi Bray, protesting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the White House and meeting with President George W. Bush where the two agreed on Sharon’s controversial Gaza withdrawal plan, was released from U.S. Park Police Authority on Thursday. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 14th.

…MAS Freedom Foundation is planning a major direct action campaign on May 15th in Washington DC, to protest 54 years of oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian people.

Noting that “direct action” often means illegal albeit nonviolent civil disobedience, MAS is itself suggesting that it is planning illegal acts in contravention of IRS REV RULE 75-384. More importantly, Bray himself says that he carried out such an act, for which he was arrested, while acting in his capacity as an officer of MAS. We are not attorneys (tax or otherwise) but we think we can read English fairly well, and “[an organization] that planned and sponsored protest demonstrations at which members were urged to commit acts of civil disobedience did not qualify for IRC 501(c)(3) or (4)” seems pretty straightforward. In addition,

http://www.axisoflogic.com/cgi-bin/exec/view.pl?archive=137&num=6523

Today, as Ariel Sharon and George Bush met in the White House, the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, and other organizations held a press conference, rally and civil disobedience action demanding “Free Palestine.” The Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation initiated today’s action, at which Mahdi Bray, the Executive Director of the MAS Freedom Foundation, and Sarah Friedman, National Outreach Coordinator for the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, were arrested on the White House sidewalk in an act of protest against the Sharon/Bush war on the Palestinian people. When the police blocked the protest from marching forward on the White House sidewalk, Mahdi Bray refused to leave and Sarah Friedman stepped forward from the group of assembled demonstrators and joined him. While they were being arrested, supporters held signs reading “Ariel Sharon and George Bush are War Criminals” and chanted “Occupation is a Crime, from Iraq to Palestine.” Photos can be viewed at http://www.internationalanswer.org/news/update/041404sharon.html

http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=1131 shows premeditation (”planning”) of civil disobedience

ALERT: MAS Freedom Director Vows to Be Arrested During Sharon’s U.S. Visit
Religious and Peace Activists Plan Non-Violent Civil Disobedience in Response to Israeli Prime Minister Sharon’s White House Visit.
On Wednesday, April 14, MAS Freedom Foundation Executive Director Mahdi Bray plans to lead a group of peace activists in a non-violent act of civil disobedience to protest the White House visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=3887

WASHINGTON, DC - Nov. 9 ,2006 (MASNET) Today MAS Freedom’s Executive Director, Mahdi Bray indicated his would risk arrest at the White House in an act of civil disobedience to protest the Israeli violence in Gaza and the White House visit of Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The protest will take place Monday, Nov. 13th at 12:00 noon on the White House sidewalk at Lafayette Park.

http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=3894 adds that the illegal action took place and Bray was in fact arrested.

WASHINGTON, DC - Nov. 14, 2006 (MASNET) While performing an act of civil disobedience, in a protest against the recent Israeli massacre in Gaza and the U.S. visit of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, MAS Freedom’s Executive Director Mahdi Bray, with his son Ayinde` Bray at his side, was arrested at the White House gate.

Only the IRS can determine whether these acts should result in revocation of the Muslim-American Society’s tax exemption. We therefore encourage everyone with proof (e.g. news articles or, even better, material from MAS’s own publications as shown above) that the Muslim-American Society has planned or engaged in acts of illegal civil disobedience to forward this to the Internal Revenue Service at the following address:

Internal Revenue Service
Exempt Organizations Examination Division
1100 Commerce Street

ATTN: SE:T:EO:E
Dallas, TX 75242

Be sure to include MAS’s address (P.O. Box 1896, Falls Church, VA 22041) to help the IRS identify the organization in question. Also include the employer identification number if possible.

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Related: United States, War Against Islamo-fascism

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