Irrational

Relating to the Juan Williams firing...Well...Sigh.

I hate to sneer at a lady but Danielle Crittenden has thrown up a remarkable bit of barf over at the Frum Forum detailing her own nervousness at Muslims well, doin' Muslim stuff.

I say suspicious because they matched every profile of a terrorist I’d ever read: Both looked to be about 25 or 26, of Arab descent, beards, dressed in the modern Atta traveling fashion of jeans and t-shirts. Neither had any carry-on bags for an eight-hour flight. One of the men was reading an Arabic newspaper while the other seemed twitchy—he kept looking around, and repeatedly kept pulling out his documents from a small bag to check them over again. I became fixated on them for the next two hours: I had books and magazines but my eyes kept straying to watch what they were up to. After a little bit, both men took to pacing nervously—when they weren’t looking over their documents again. I was trying to think of what purpose they would have to travel to Washington: They were not with family members. They were obviously not businessmen—and yet they were too old to be students.

I leaned over to my husband, who was absorbed in a book: “Have you been watching these guys?” I asked my husband quietly, keen that the children not overhear me.

“No why?”

I explained what I’d been seeing, and he took to occasionally glancing up from his reading to keep an eye on them as well. Gradually more passengers began filtering into the lounge as the flight departure grew closer. Then, promptly at three o’clock, the two men went over to a large window, fell to their knees and began elaborately praying to Mecca.

“That’s it,” I told him. “I’m not getting on this plane.”

Oh no! Arabic people reading things in Arabic! With beards! And praying even! And dear me! They're checking their passports! The very documents they'll need to...I dunno...land.

Can you really blame people of Arabic descent for being nervous on a plane? Especially when coming into the United States where they can expect routine interrogation?

Here's an idea: All people of Arabic descent should wear traditional garb while riding planes. And if it is their inclination, all people of descent Arabic should make a point of praying publicly, elaborately even, if they so choose. Ululate if you feel like it. And they should keep doing it on every single trip until panicky white people like Ms. Crittenden get over it and settle the fuck down.

Update: In order to further stoke the fears of Ms. Crittenden and Mr. Williams, I'd like to link to a photo collection of diabolical Muslims wearing things.