Airport body scanners violate Islamic law, Muslims say

[Specop 007]

Unbelievable. So the group that is ultimately responsible for these newly implemented security measures can simply opt out of having to be screened by them. Amazing. I really dont even know what to say. Another fantastic use of resources. Muslims are truly laughing at us stupid Americans.

http://www.freep.com/article/201002...body-scanners-violate-Islamic-law-Muslims-say

Airport body scanners violate Islamic law, Muslims say

Saying that body scanners violate Islamic law, Muslim-American groups are supporting a “fatwa” – a religious ruling – that forbids Muslims from going through the scanners at airports.

The Fiqh Council of North America – a body of Islamic scholars that includes some from Michigan – issued a fatwa this week that says going through the airport scanners would violate Islamic rules on modesty.

“It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women,” reads the fatwa issued Tuesday. “Islam highly emphasizes haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts.”

The decision could complicate efforts to intensify screening of potential terrorists who are Muslim. After the Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit by a Muslim suspect from Nigeria, some have called for the use of body scanners at airports to find explosives and other dangerous materials carried by terrorists. Some airports are now in the process of buying and using the body scanners, which show in graphic detail the outlines of a person’s body.

But Muslim groups say the scanners go against their religion. One option offered to passengers who don’t want to use the scanners would be a pat down by a security guard. The Muslim groups are urging members to undergo those instead.

Two members of the Fiqh Council are from Michigan, Imam Hassan Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, and Imam Ali Suleiman Ali of the Canton Mosque. “Fiqh” means Islamic jurisprudence.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has a chapter in Michigan, says it endorses the fatwa.

“We support the Fiqh Council’s statement on full-body scanners and believe that the religious and privacy rights of passengers can be respected while maintaining safety and security,” said Nihad Awad, national executive director of CAIR.

Currently, there are 40 full-body scanners at 19 airports in the U.S., including two of them in Detroit, said spokesman Jim Fotenos of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). There are plans for 450 more body scanners in U.S. airports, he said.

 

[nobodyknows]

Nobody "has to" go through them anymore then they "have to" get on the plane.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Well the muslims can stay home.
Nobody says they have to travel!

 

[GoPackGo]

Sorry...separation of church and state....

 

[nick1985]

As soon as they stop trying to blow up planes then we can take down the scanners

 

[nobodyknows]

Muslims who choose to follow this fatwa still have the option of trains, buses, and boats.

 

[Atreus21]

Muslims who choose to follow this fatwa still have the option of trains, buses, and boats.

And feet.

 

[soccerballtux]

OK then muslims aren't allowed to fly problem solved.
OTOH the ones that do want to blow something up will say it's in the name of allah and therefor the minor breakage of the law is ok.

 

[Skitzer]

Muslims are truly laughing at us stupid Americans.

Ya think??

 

[Throckmorton]

I think Allah would understand

 

[Jmman]

This is actually perfect. What better way to eliminate aviation terrorism than to eliminate Muslims from flying since there seems to be a pretty high correlation between the two.....

 

[Rainsford]

What's "unbelievable" is that Specop 007 blames all Muslims for terrorist attacks, and NOBODY in this thread calls him on it. Muslims who fly have religious beliefs that are just as important to them as those of Jews, Christians or anyone else. And those same Muslims who fly are as innocent of being terrorists as everyone else (save for the SPECIFIC people who actually are terrorists). Why is it OK then to direct bigoted comments at their beliefs when nobody would do the same if it was Jewish folks complaining about the scanners? Because an incredibly small number of Muslims engaged in terrorist activities targeting air travel? Give me a break, how can that not sound too stupid to even put into words?

 

[Lanyap]

This will be interesting to follow.

 

[sandorski]

What's "unbelievable" is that Specop 007 blames all Muslims for terrorist attacks, and NOBODY in this thread calls him on it. Muslims who fly have religious beliefs that are just as important to them as those of Jews, Christians or anyone else. And those same Muslims who fly are as innocent of being terrorists as everyone else (save for the SPECIFIC people who actually are terrorists). Why is it OK then to direct bigoted comments at their beliefs when nobody would do the same if it was Jewish folks complaining about the scanners? Because an incredibly small number of Muslims engaged in terrorist activities targeting air travel? Give me a break, how can that not sound too stupid to even put into words?

hehe good points.

 

[soulcougher73]

Simple

No scan. No fly. Simple as that. Covers all races, nationalities, religions, sexual orientation, and genders. Did i leave anything out?

 

[Rainsford]

This will be interesting to follow.

What's interesting to me is that the Muslim folks in this article are among the fairly small minority of people raising this issue. Our society on general tends to frown on blatantly exposing yourself to strangers, yet body scanners hardly raise an eyebrow. I can't imagine such a subdued reaction if the new policy was mandatory strip searches, even though that's effectively what this is, so I imagine it's the fact that technology is involved that's moderating the public reaction.

 

[spidey07]

What's "unbelievable" is that Specop 007 blames all Muslims for terrorist attacks, and NOBODY in this thread calls him on it. Muslims who fly have religious beliefs that are just as important to them as those of Jews, Christians or anyone else. And those same Muslims who fly are as innocent of being terrorists as everyone else (save for the SPECIFIC people who actually are terrorists). Why is it OK then to direct bigoted comments at their beliefs when nobody would do the same if it was Jewish folks complaining about the scanners? Because an incredibly small number of Muslims engaged in terrorist activities targeting air travel? Give me a break, how can that not sound too stupid to even put into words?

When said religion and views is at war and wants to kill us, damn straight we can not let them use our own PCness against us.

Last I checked Jewish belief isn't actively asking it's members to blow up planes. But keep putting that head in the sand in the name of "tolerance" of those that wish to kill us.

-edit-
I LOL at this crap

“We support the Fiqh Council’s statement on full-body scanners and believe that the religious and privacy rights of passengers can be respected while maintaining safety and security,” said Nihad Awad, national executive director of CAIR.

Don't like it? Don't fly. And while you're at it stop preaching and teaching followers of your religion to blow up planes to kill Americans.

 

[sandorski]

Of course this Fatwa is ridiculous, but it's not ridiculous because it's Muslim. The reason why these scanners were not implemented sooner was for the very reasons spoken about in this Fatwa, except not specifically because of potential Muslim objections. It was because the General Public itself had the same concerns regarding letting strangers see their Naked bodies.

edit: damn, Rains beat me twice to the Point already.

 

[Rainsford]

Simple

No scan. No fly. Simple as that. Covers all races, nationalities, religions, sexual orientation, and genders. Did i leave anything out?

Well...you left out that your justification would seem to cover ANY security policy. Oh, you don't like having a nightstick shoved up your ass to check for explosives you might have hidden there? Tough luck, no anal probe, no fly. Simple as that.

In any case, we live in a country where you don't have to think like everyone else. Just because YOU might not be bothered by the idea of body scanners doesn't mean others shouldn't be.

 

[Rainsford]

When said religion and views is at war and wants to kill us, damn straight we can not let them use our own PCness against us.

Last I checked Jewish belief isn't actively asking it's members to blow up planes. But keep putting that head in the sand in the name of "tolerance" of those that wish to kill us.

"Beliefs" and "religions" don't do or ask anything. They don't start wars, or try to kill people. To paraphrase a quote I'm sure you support, "Religions don't kill people, people kill people".

Far from putting my head in the sand, I'm pretty sure my approach is way more effective. I think we should go after the individuals and groups who really ARE trying to kill us. I don't think giving some random gomer a hard time because he belongs to the same religion as a bad guy is a very effective anti-terrorism strategy. You think battling Islam by mocking the beliefs of random Muslims is going to hurt Al-Qaeda even the slightest bit?

 

[DaveSimmons]

There is alcohol served on most flights, and shameless women not wearing burqas. Air travel already defiles Islam in so many ways, it's best not to fly.

 

[Hacp]

If I see a muslim yelling ALLAH smelling of scented water on my plane, I'm going to make sure he is restrained.We're on war with terrorism here. You don't treat the enemy nicely.

Btw, if muslims don't want to go through scanners, they can take the bus or train or boat. Or, they can buy a private jet.

 

[Moonbeam]

I'm going to stop flying when the stewardesses are required to do a sperm check.





















































Oh wait, I meant I'm going to start flying then.

 

[Rainsford]

If I see a muslim yelling ALLAH smelling of scented water on my plane, I'm going to make sure he is restrained.We're on war with terrorism here. You don't treat the enemy nicely.

Btw, if muslims don't want to go through scanners, they can take the bus or train or boat. Or, they can buy a private jet.

Are you SURE that's what we're at war with? Based on a lot of comments I've read here and seen elsewhere, I get the feeling that the next Timothy McVeigh is going to have no trouble at all blowing up a building or a plane or whatever, because we'll all be too busy giving random Muslims a hard time.

At the VERY best we're at war with Islamic terrorism, and it seems more likely that we're really just at war with Muslims in general. The distinction between Muslims who blow up airplanes and Muslims who go to work, pay taxes and raise their families seems to be mostly lost in the discussion.

 

[Rainsford]

...

Don't like it? Don't fly. And while you're at it stop preaching and teaching followers of your religion to blow up planes to kill Americans.

Wouldn't that apply equally well to the various security measures people demand we take to combat air terrorism? Yeah, terrorists could attack your airplane. Don't like it? Don't fly.