Carlson claimed he was "not defending" people who were "spooked" by Muslims praying in airport; then defended them
SUMMARY: Discussing six Muslim men who were removed from an airplane in Minnesota
after other passengers saw them
praying in the terminal prior to boarding,
Tucker Carlson claimed that he was "not defending" the fact that the
praying "freaked people out,"
but then quickly added that "they were doing something other people
didn't understand,
and it spooked the other people."
On the November 21 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, during a segment about the removal of six Muslim men from an airplane in Minnesota after other passengers saw the men praying in the terminal prior to boarding, host Tucker Carlson claimed that he was "not defending" the fact that the praying "freaked people out," but then quickly added that "they were doing something other people didn't understand, and it spooked the other people." Carlson then asked his guest, Arsalan Iftikhar of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, "don't you understand how that could happen?" As Media Matters for America has noted, Carlson has in numerous instances denied that he was defending someone while making comments in that person's defense. For example, on the November 14 edition of Tucker, while discussing George W. Bush's 1976 arrest for drunken driving, he said: "I'm not defending drunk driving, of course -- but, you know, it's not like he was wasted."
Additionally, on the November 22 edition of Tucker, Carlson repeated a baseless claim he has made before about incoming Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS), saying "I don't think Trent Lott -- I don't think there is anything in his record to suggest that he is a racist." Previously, as Media Matters has noted, Carlson claimed he had "never seen any evidence that Trent Lott is a racist." In both cases, Carlson failed to mention Lott's history of public statements and actions that have been attacked as racially insensitive and, in several cases, as indicating support for racist entities.
From the November 21 edition of MSNBC's Tucker:
CARLSON: I feel sorry for these guys, sounds like they didn't do anything wrong. They got caught up in other people's concerns. They were victims. I'll concede that right from the outset. But here's what I don't understand. It's the use of this sad event as a political tool by the organized Islamic community that, I suppose, bothers me. Americans ought to be vigilant. They ought to be reporting things that seem out of the ordinary in airports and on airplanes. That keeps us safe. And I think groups like yours are trying to convince people they have no right to do that.
IFTIKHAR: Well, I think, Tucker, that this incident in Minnesota highlights the racial profiling and "flying while Muslim" phenomenon that we've seen for the last five years, where American Muslims, who are lawful, peaceful, law-abiding citizens of the United States, have been disparately caught up in the fear and stereotyping that unfortunately has become pervasive in our society. And I think that, you know, just like you said, you know, these six imams were not guilty of anything. And I think that it shows the American public that, you know, this is something that we really do need to address. You know, obviously security concerns are a --
CARLSON: I don't know what you're talking about. Wait a second. I know Muslim groups always make it sound like, you know, we live in a fascist country that hates Muslims. Actually, we live in a very tolerant country. I know that it's popular to be anti-American, but the truth is, most Americans are really sort of open-minded and there isn't a lot of racial profiling going on. I don't know what you're talking about. I know you've got a vested interest in claiming there is, but I don't think you're right.
IFTIKHAR: Well, I mean, you know, the concept of racial profiling didn't begin yesterday, Tucker. You know, African-American males have been pulled over disparately more than Caucasian males and, you know, the whole adage of "driving while black" was the racial-profiling adage during the 1980s. And now the millennial version of that has become "flying while brown" or "flying while Muslim."
CARLSON: Oh, what a -- that's such a crock. I mean that is -- I fly -- you know, I fly more than anybody I know, practically. There are always people from south Asia and the Middle East on planes I fly. Nobody says anything. These guys were praying, standing up praying, and it freaked people out. I'm not defending that. I'm merely saying it's not just that they were brown or looked Muslim, they were doing something other people didn't understand, and it spooked the other people. I mean, don't you understand how that could happen?
From the November 22 edition of MSNBC's Tucker:
REV. AL SHARPTON: [Rep.] Alcee Hastings [D-FL] is the ranking member there [on the House Intelligence Committee]. The rules say the ranking member ought to have the committee. He has the expertise. He has the background. He sat on that committee. He is next in line. I think for her to do anything other than that would be to change the rules on how the House is enacted.
CARLSON: But he was impeached and removed from a federal judgeship. Kind of a big deal, or something we should forget?
SHARPTON: And he was -- and after that time there was questions about that impeachment. But after that time he was elected by the people in Florida and re-elected several times and has served admirably. Now, since you want to bring that up, how do you feel about Trent Lott, that said a segregationist should have been president, and had he been elected, we wouldn't have problems anymore, becoming the number two man in the Republican Party in the Senate? Since you're asking questions off the issue, how do you feel about that, Tucker?
CARLSON: Oh, the poor Republican Party. I feel so sorry for them.
SHARPTON: Are you ducking the question, Tucker?
CARLSON: Oh, I'm not ducking the question. I don't -- you know, I don't know if it's politically smart or not. I don't think Trent Lott -- I don't think there is anything in his record to suggest that he is a racist. I think actually --
SHARPTON: What about his statement?
CARLSON: He came out -- he now celebrates Kwanzaa, actually, every year ever since then, just to show he's not a racist.
SHARPTON: But what about his statement? His statement, you would deny, is a racist statement?
CARLSON: No, it was an absurd statement. And I can't believe --
SHARPTON: No, was it racist? Was it racist?
CARLSON: -- anybody would get up in public and say, "I support segregation." I just don't believe that's what he was saying. That's so demented. If he was saying that, then he has no place in public life.
SHARPTON: Well, he said that he wished that [the late Sen.] Strom Thurmond [SC] had won. And he said if he had won, we wouldn't be having these problems today. I guess one of the problems we wouldn't be having is things like Al Sharpton talking to Tucker Carlson.
What a dweeb. He thinks that since he hasn't personally seen profiling, then there must not be any. This kind of person makes my skin crawl. He then laughs at Lott's racial statements.
Ugh!
in reich wing world, I thought the story was the muslims boarded the plane and three of them refused to sit down because they "prayed", and when the "passenger" complained, the stewardesses asked and after being rebuffed escalated accordingly. Turns out that the real story was the muslims were praying in the airport prior to boarding the airplane. that "highly outstanding" reich wing conservative "claimed" he heard them chant anti american statements as part of that experience (even though they chant in arabic, and our little american does not speak arabic). It's good that MMFA waited so long to report this, because the truth shows just how racist our reich wing is.
--Islam is NOT a race.
--The United Airlines Flight 93 hijackers' final exclamation as they drove the plane into the ground is a Muslim warrior leitmotif I will never again ignore: "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!"
Gee, I can't understand why this would bother someone hearing muslim imams chanting this at an airport.
-- If you research the imams held you will find quotes that 9/11 was not caused by muslims, they want to convert inmates to wahabiism, they support hamas and hezbollah, they have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Wake up, this isn't racism. It is about keeping the innocent Americans from being killed by these religious zealot whackos.
If you are so stupid as to think that a group of muslims, in an airport, surrounded by fellow travellers, gun totin' GI's, police, undercover officers, and anyone else you can think of are actually terrorists that are so dumb that they are going to do their "let's die and take a couple of them with us" chants in public before boarding the plane then you are clearly dumber than the bricks on my house.
[link to www.washingtontimes.com]
Get a clue.
where did I say Islam was a race? Please grant me the wisdom of your oh so superior mind and show me the way... oh great prophbhbhttt of the remington raider corps....
Muslims EVERYWHERE say that. Might as well get mad at someone for saying "JESUS IS LORD!"
Gee, I wonder how many of them actually know Arabic. "But.. I heard that turrists recite from the Qur'an before blowing themselves to bits!" Right. And 1) how many people could even identify a surah from the Qur'an if it was said aloud and 2) actually knew it was Arabic and not Hebrew.
[link to www.youtube.com]
Of course all that said, I have no tolerance for anyone that wants to turn America into a religious state. Be it Christian, Jewish or Muslim. Leave religion out of it all together and let the citizens decide how they want to believe.
I know when I see groups of politicians praying, I can guess there might be some civil rights going away, or a few hundred billion dollars being stolen from us.
Not to mention my War on Xmas plans being undermined.
His own oxymoron. And I do mean moron.
It's called muddleheadedness.
I guess in Tucker Carlsons white-bread,ivory tower world, most Americans are "tolerant" and "open-minded",but I have lived all over the United States and it has been my experience that most Americans are ignorant,intolerant,and close-minded. What better example of this than what happened to these Imams in Minn.? Like a group of terrorists would call attention to themselves by having a prayer meeting in the middle of the airport. Gimme a break. Next time I'm subjected to a bunch of bible thumpers praying in public,maybe I'll call the cops. After all, they're probably going to bomb an abortion clinic,right? I think theres a Promise Keepers meeting coming up here soon...
Wow,so Trent Lott now "celebrates" Kwanzaa!?! Yeah, that's believable. And how exactly is this proof that he's not racist slime?
Nooo, there's no racial profiling in the US. Ok, after 9/11 thousands of muslims were taken in custody for no reason whatsoever... but hey, they freaked us out and we didn't care who paid as long as somebody paid. Somebody like.... Saddam, the master of all evil. Did, you know he sold his soul to the devil so he could get the hang of pure evil. Yes, let's hang him. Boo! Boo!
- Wake up, this isn't racism. It is about keeping the innocent Americans from being killed by these religious zealot whackos. - leatherhelmet
You are correctamundo.
Their repeated loud shouts of "Allah" as the boarding was announced alarmed one of the gate attendants...a person trained to spot suspicious behavior...not to harass people quietly expressing religious beliefs.
They failed to sit in their assigned seats...taking up positions at the front, middle, and rear doorways...a behavior identified as suspicious by flight personnel and air marshalls.
Three of the imams asked for unnecessary seat belt extenders and placed them on the floor rather than use them...exhibiting more strange and erratic behavior.
Several witnesses reported that they made anti-american statements in English.
The imams exhibited suspicious and stupid behavior. Try this the next time you board a plane...yell loudly...refuse to sit in your assinged seat...make strange requests to the flight attendants. Yep, you'll arouse suspicion and should be asked to deplane.
"You are correctamundo."
-----
Both of you are as "wrongamundo" as is humanly possible.
This is a testament to the immense ignorance of air travelers who wouldn't know Arabic from Hebrew, Greek or Russian.
And to the immense ignorance of those who thought that the ignorance of the air travelers justified six Imams being handcuffed, taken into custody for praying, found innocent and still being refused tickets from the airline they were on (US Airways) to their destination. After 15 hours, Northwest flew them to where they were going the previous day.
- the ignorance of the air travelers -
The radical behavior of the imams was also recognized as suspicious by trained airline attendants and pilots, as well as air marshalls.
Congratulations to US Airways and the passengers for correctly profiling suspicious behavior.
Congratulations to US Airways and the passengers for correctly profiling suspicious behavior.
Since it turned out that the imams were not engaged in any malfeasance, the passengers and U.S. Airways were actually incorrect.
They were absolutely correct in spotting suspicious behavior...while the imams were innocent of bad intentions...they were still guilty of very suspicious behavior. I'm still giving a pat on the back to the passengers and the air line for being awake.
Wesley wrote:
"They were absolutely correct in spotting suspicious behavior...while the imams were innocent of bad intentions...they were still guilty of very suspicious behavior. I'm still giving a pat on the back to the passengers and the air line for being awake."
As a practical matter, that is the decisive point. Of course Muslims should be free to fly, and to pray before flying. No debate there. But if a conspicuously Muslim group of men, in addition to openly praying to Allah before flying, also acts suspiciously on the flight, then they are just asking for trouble. Accordingly, the Imams should take much of the blame for what happened to them.
By analogy, I am of Irish descent. If the IRA were targeting the US via Irish Americans, then I would not object at all to being racially profiled myself on flights, and elsewhere. Within reason, I would welcome it, because I would know that the people attacking us shared my ethnicity, and that the most reliable way to stop them would be to pay special attention to *people like me*. If being searched more often were one way I could do my part, then that would be great. I would have no problem with it, and I think most people who despise terrorism would feel the same way in the same situation.
And I certainly wouldn't compound the problem by a) calling conspicuous attention to my Irishness before a flight, and then b) acting weird on the plane. That's just common sense.
But not these Imams. Not only did they first call attention to their muslimness by conspicuously praying (nothing wrong with that in itself, but of course people WHO ARE ABOUT TO GET ON A PLANE are going to take note of it), they then acted weird on the plane.
And finally, after their removal, they took no responsibility at all for having provoked the situation. Instead, they said it was the most humiliating experience of their lives, etc.
I find that objectionable. If they want to be angry at anyone for what happened, they should direct their indignation, first, at the 9/11 hijackers, etc, who created this climate of necessary pragmatic suspicion toward weird acting muslims on planes; and, second, at themselves, for refusing to acknowledge that very basic pragmatic reality.
[link to www.washingtontimes.com]
When will you lefties learn to look at facts.
Since when did the Washington Times print any facts?
The imams were questioned by the FBI and DHS, bomb-sniffed, and released - AND allowed to fly later (although U.S. Airways refused to book them). Even the fact-challenged washington times doesn't allege that the imams were out to do any harm to the plane or its passengers.
What would go through your mind if you saw six muslims stand up in a plane and start yelling "allah akbar"? Not saying they did in this case, the point is to think about what you would do.
"Not saying they did in this case."
It's good you're not saying that, because that didn't happen. They weren't standing in the plane, causing problems.
ANYONE who causes problems on a plane gets removed, including a breastfeeding mother who was removed because she refused to throw a little blanket over her shoulder to cover the "action," so to speak. What is your point, again?
Where's the line for you?
That's easy. The Law. These six people didn't break any. The line is apparently different for you, huh?
What would go through your mind if you saw six muslims stand up in a plane and start yelling "allah akbar"?
I'd think there were some nutcases on board. Frankly, I'd think the same if six Christians stood up and yelled "Praise God! The Rapture is nigh!"
Not saying they did in this case...
Well, it's nice that you're admitting to using a strawman argument. Irrelevancy noted.
We shouldn't let Muslims fly at all.
For the same reasons, we shouldn't let Christians possess ammonium nitrate.
Rules are made from exper. Should have flown them free of chg to Iran. See what they do in Iran,when they pray in English, Waveing an American flag.
"These guys were praying, standing up praying, and it freaked people out. "
I see fundies do this all the time, either holding hands in a big ol' family circle or 'lifting their hands towards Heaven,' some of them even venturing to speak in tongues. I completely support the removal of these Imams if it means I can start getting fundies kicked out of public places for their showy little bits of public theater, too.
have blown up any planes lately?
The same number as the number of imams who have blown up planes lately.
But if you think all that is wrong with this world only happens on a plane, you're sorely mistaken.
While we're asking irreverant questions, how about: - How many imams have blown up abortion clinics? - How many imams have set off bombs at Olympic games? - How many imams have set about a deliberate mail bomb plot, while calling themselves the Unibomber? - How many imams were involved in the bombing in Oklahoma?
After all, it was on an airplane that a flight attendant was "offended" by the sight of a nursing mother and had her chucked off the plane.