A few days ago we received numerous requests on the tip line that we cover the story of the Northwest Airlines plane that returned to Amsterdam airport soon after taking off for Mumbai. If none of us posted on it at that moment, it’s probably because we were waiting to see what came of the incident. Not surprisingly, we now learn that it was a false alarm:
The Dutch ambassador to India has expressed regret for the arrest of 12 passengers whose India-bound plane was diverted to Amsterdam after their behavior triggered fears of a hijacking, a government minister said on Friday.
The 12 men, all Muslims, were, however, cleared of any wrongdoing and released and their families said they were victims of racial discrimination.
The case of the 27-year-old Canadian radiology resident thrown off a United Airlines flight was also a false alarm:
A Winnipeg doctor is demanding an official apology and compensation from United Airlines after being kicked off a flight in the U.S. this week, an incident he has characterized as “institutionalized discrimination.” Dr. Ahmed Farooq, a Muslim, was escorted off an airplane in Denver on Tuesday. According to Farooq, reciting his evening prayers was interpreted by one passenger as an activity that was suspicious.
The Washington Post has a good round-up article of these and similar events today. In it I learned of this excellent new acronym (perhaps not so new to those of you in the UK): TWA. Most appropriately, the initials of a late lamented airline now stand for “Traveling While Asian” — a little like Driving While Black (DWB) only with higher stakes and more exotic rewards.
Now I know some commenters will point out that so long as groups of young Middle Eastern men have the market on airborne mass murder cornered, there is some rationale behind profiling; but perhaps we can all agree that botched, panic-driven and vigilante-led profiling is, like, a general bummer. Exhibit A:
Farooq said the allegation came from a passenger who appeared drunk and had previously threatened him during the trip. …
Farooq said that even officials from the Transportation Security Administration soon realized the flight crew had overreacted, but by the time that conclusion had been reached the trio were forced to stay in Denver for the night and catch a flight the next day — at their own expense.
The gentlemen on the Amsterdam-Mumbai flight were deemed suspicious because they were fiddling with mobile phones and chatting loudly around the time of take-off. Uh, excuse me? Anyone here ever traveled in the Third World? People being loud and fiddling with cellphones is suspicious? More to the point, what about travel in the civilized West? Every khaki-clad, buttoned-down, yellow-tied Joe from sales and Tim from marketing (not to mention Ashok from strategic planning) is futzing with his phone until the moment wheels leave the ground and again from the instant they touch down.
Now comes the news that the Monarch Airlines Costa del Sol fiasco may — just may — have been… a prank. (Thanks Jai for the tip.) IF — and it’s still a big if, so let’s not jump to conclusions here — IF Messrs. Ashraf and Zeb were trying to prove a point, it’s not clear they have been helpful to their cause. It’s one thing to stage a guerrilla theater event to reveal a little-discussed injustice, but it’s another when every few days a dead-serious case like the ones mentioned above comes to light.
In the meantime, my macacas and macacis, stay away from aviation if you possibly can. Personally, I’ve stopped traveling to any place I can’t get to by the Chinatown bus.
evening prayer — reminds me of the scene from Mr & Mrs Iyer with the old man (Bhism sahani).
I am impressed. So far they [ the arilines ] have somehow managed to single out only Muslim men for scrutiny.
Nice article..siddartha..
TWA = Travelling While Asian?..while we are it,why not try to get some acronym that’s up & kicking…
1.SOAP = SOuth Asians on Plane (then it would go well with….”I had enough of these motherf***** southasians on these MotherF***** planes) 2.BKP = Brown Kundi on Plane 3.WTnF = Watch The non-Firang 4.BLT Traveller = “Baggy-pyjamas Lungis and Third World” Traveller
Don’t forget that they are rapidly diversifying in the railborne area too. Though they may have botched theirlatest attempt in Germany. Given their past persistence, am sure the Germans will not be so lucky again.
thank you vikram. the convenience store owner at 145th and amsterdam is middle eastern too. should i be worried he will poison my gatorade?
No problem Siddhartha, take a swig and get back to us on that. Only way to know…
All desis should be made to fly in the buff and be probed anally before and after the flight. That way atleast I would see some fine desi tail while getting it up my arse.
Before we jump on the Dutch authorities, let’s stop for just a moment. You have a flight going to Mumbai, so there is probably going to be a majority of Indians, many of them men. We read in the reports that it was their behavior, reported by other passengers, (presumably Indian) arose suspicion. If “racial profiling” were the chief cause of their detentions, wouldn’t this be an example of Indians profiling Indians?
Now, we can say we see others using cellphones until the last moment and getting out of their seats, but considering that airline security was all over the news for two weeks, is it wise to draw attention to yourself by engaging in behavior that will draw attention from other passengers, even those with whom you share an ethnic background? There were plenty of other Indians on that flight that were not arrested, because they followed the crew’s orders.
Change the setting – you are boarding a subway train, and you see about a dozen men or so (you pick the race) getting noisy, jumping from one seat to the next. Do you consider getting off the train, or perhaps switching cars? Of course, you cannot do that once a plane is airborne.
This is in contrast to the British flight that kicked off two men just for their appearance. They did not engage in anything that may arouse suspicion. They just boarded a plane and that alone freaked out the other passengers – that was racial profiling, IMHO.
Another amusing item – the government of India is lodging a protest with the Netherlands. A 24 hour detention merits such a protest, but Indian laborers working under harsh conditions in Middle Eastern countries merits silence.
Additionally, and this is solely my viewpoint, it is my experience that Indians (from India) tend to throw manners out the window when they are the majority in a setting – whether it is in a plane, restaurant, or waiting in line. When white or black people are around, they will exhibit impeccable manners and courtesy, but feel that such courtesy need not be extended to their own, unless money is being exchanged or impressing a marriage prospect.
Excellent summary of a f**ked up situation, Siddhartha – very troubling to me personally more since in a few months time this macaca have to get his sepia self onto airplanes every week. I suppose I will have to ensure that I do not ever do any of the following:
1) Fidget with mobile phones, and exchange plastic bags with other passengers [1] 2) Cheer if a mobile phone/ Blackberry rings at or after takeoff saying that I have won a million dollar jackpot/ or France won the World Cup/ etc 3) Wear ethnic grab or grow a beard modeled after one of the arrested gentleman [2] 4) Sit in front of, or next to one Mr. Nitin Patel of Boston, who like the “Chosen One” thinks with his “gut” [3] 5) Suffer from an attack of amnesia, forget English, and revert to language of Faiz Ahmed Faiz or Ghalib, and thus forget to fasten my seatbelt [4]
Ref: 1)from Swissinfo.org
2)from a CBS News report:“The Algemeen Dagblad newspaper quoted Nitin Patel of Boston, who sat behind the men in business class, as saying, “I don’t know how close we were, but my gut tells me these people wanted to hijack the airplane.””
4)from a Huston Chronicle article:They described the men as between 25 and 35 years old and speaking Urdu, the language commonly spoken in Pakistan and by many of India’s Muslims. Some had beards, and some wore a shalwar kameez, a long shirt and baggy pants commonly worn by South Asian Muslims. A Scottish tourist, Stewart Nichols, said he saw the 12 being handcuffed by three armed air marshals. “I don’t think that any of them behaved suspiciously.” “They were not fastening seat belts despite being told so by the airline staff,” Nichols said.
KXB Dayum, that was so deep. Thank God we have apologists like you around! I guess Indians deserved the British Raj. They were after all savages.
Weird coincidence…
<
blockquote> Tim Nelson, the flight instructor who first told FBI officials about Al-Qaida operative Zacarias Moussaoui’s presence and behavior at an Eagan flight school in August, 2001, was on the Northwest flight, according to his wife, Jodie. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/15345691.htm
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blockquote>
desidawg – if a white guy talking black is a wigger, does that make a desi guy talking black a digger?
While I am as big a fan of sarcasm as anyone, and you clearly demonstrate a Jedi-level grasp of this art, my post was not intended to excuse behavior but explain it. In a period spanning less than 12 months, Indians have experienced a train bombing in Mumbai, a bombing at a pilgrimage site in Varanasi, and a bombing of Diwali shoppers. Add in the daily irritations of living in a country where the air is not fit to breathe, the water is not safe to drink, and the roads suck. people will begin to think the only way they can secure their safety is through their own actions.
Now, considering that we in the U.S. do not have to deal with terrorism with the frequency that Indians do, it is a bit much for American-based posters to lecture them on not jumping to conclusions. Again, if these men were bahving as the rest of the passengers, most of whom were Indian, would they have been detained?
The accusation of ‘prank’ seems to come with the typical reliability of the British Press. Someone somewhere says it was a prank, the press asks the desis ‘was it a prank’. Desis say no. Automatic story headline ‘Suspected terrorists deny prank’.
Similarly, the press has claimed the desis said ‘we have 30 minutes tro live’ They said they didn’d say it. Nobody directly heard them say it. Headline ‘Suspected terrorists deny suicide wish’.
Maccaca can’t bet a break.
this is just bad all around. Their beards made them marked men
There goes my dream of going to amsterDAMN to enjoy some hashbrownies
KXB Additionally, and this is solely my viewpoint, it is my experience that Indians (from India) tend to throw manners out the window…
That makes you racist in a unique way(though not uniquely racist). Congratulations.
I just had to point out how splendid the title of this thread is. Kudos Mr. Siddhartha!
KXB Just wondering if a group of blue-eyed, blond frat boys returning from a sex romp in Amsterdam would have “aroused suspicion” even if they did the same things? Think about it.
Kissmyfobass,
Dude – I’m really digging the selective quoting.
You would be amazed at how many people in the airline industry(people who like to travel and explore new places and cultures) clearly dont go anywhere or have no clue on other societies. There are a lot of Flight Attendants who will fly and bid on routes from some point A in their domestic country some point B in a new international destination only if it that routes includes secure habitation at the new international destination.
So in the case of flying on some routes to India, Flight Attendants are shuttled from the airport in their ‘secure’ private bus to and from the airport to their 5 star hotels in secluded enclaves. Most of the time their stays in the international destinations dont let them interact freely with the people of that country in their own society and way of life. Consequently, this leaves Flight Attendants with a view of skewed view of that society and culture that is sheltered from a true immersion and understanding that comes with time spent truely with the people that are on the same flight they came over with.
So in the case of the NWA flight to BOM it can be inferred that is the problem of the airline and not the specific flight attendant since he/she may not have been the right person for that route. The Dutch Ambassador to India should be questioning NWA on their judgement of what caliber Flight Attendants are working their flights to India…
All it took, according to the Regime, to get you stripped of your civil rights and hauled off to Guantanamo Bay was the Preznit saying you were a suspected terrorist.
And now? The power is in the hands of the people. Your enemy, Muslim brother on the plane, is the Hindu brother behind you the one who is “uncomfortable” with your presence. Your enemy, Hindu aunty, is your white neighbor. And you, Sardar-ji: the African-American is out to get you.
What do we need the Preznit for, when we can do our oppressing so well by ourselves. Fear is the real leader now.
Oh Arthur Miller! How deeply we miss you!
I read this only yesterday in our newspaper.(NRC Handelsblad) The way the article was put, it seemed as though these men were not really warned because of fears of highjacking but because they were causing trouble. And yes, I’ve seen such bad manners on my India flights as well this summer. The plane has not yet reached the gate or people are making noise and switching on their cells. My father complained that during their flight(we flew seperately) a wise guy turned on his phone in mid-air! But I guess this is general anti-social behaviour rather than being specific to Indians. Although my sister was unhappy about the time when she went to see a film in India. According to her there were a great number of people disrupting the showing by talking and switching on their phones.
Just wondering if a group of blue-eyed, blond frat boys returning from a sex romp in Amsterdam would have “aroused suspicion” even if they did the same things? Think about it.
John Mendoza (underrated comic from the 90’s), “What if there were no hypothetical situations?” If you focus on the issue at hand, you see a planeload of Indians reporting the behvior of other Indians. Change the location from Amsterdam to New Delhi – does it make the news?
Another apologist has his take here.
kxb said:
“Again, if these men were bahving as the rest of the passengers, most of whom were Indian, would they have been detained?”
At this point, kxb, from my reading of the accounts of passengers in various news reports, all I can conclude is that only the “Holy Ghost”, the effing North West crew, and the arrested passengers themselves know what really happened on that flight. So your conflation of this situation with men monkeying around a subway train (which btw, I have done in the past – should I be sent to Gitmo for my sins?)is f**ked up!
Btw, do mutineers know if any of this flight crew or air marshals were macacas? For some reason, me thinks not.
Siddhartha, I don’t know if those buses are so safe either. Remember the Chinatown Bus Wars of 2004?
Exactly my dear genteel Meena. Those natives with bad manners! Ah the good old days of the Raj. I miss them.
Look, you weren’t there nor was I. The problem wasn’t fiddling with their phones, it was not following crew instructions. As a group, when you don’t follow instructions/rules, you bring scrutiny upon yourselves. Add the current geopolitical climate and you’re not doing yourself a favor. From whatever I’ve scanned through on Google News, they were changing seats, using cell phones, etc during the take off phase. Maybe an individual doing so would not trigger the same response, but a group of men possibly would.
Seriously folks, there are a few things one can do to mitigate risk. Following crew instructions, even if they are mindless, is the most basic and fundamental one. Did those guys need to be arrested? Probably not. But groups have been known to use probing techniques to get a feel of what a response, if a particular approach is used, would be.
Incidents range from sheer stupidity of security personnel to stupidity on the passenger’s part.
No need to stop flying. Just follow common sense and be aware of your surroundings. I fly frequently enough to where I do the following:
1) All metal objects are stashed in the carry on before I come up to the X-Ray/metal detectors. Everyone should do this as it moves the line faster.
2) Observe the surroundings. If people are tense or seem wary, project an assertive (NOT AGGRESSIVE) attitude, a cool confidence, smile, and be courteous. TSA/Security personnel are people, too, they may not be the most competant and cooling their insecurities helps.
3) If you’re standing in line and notice people are uncomfortable, engage a few folks in common chit chat. When talking to security personnel or old ladies, use “Sir” or “Ma’am”. If someone holds a door for you or makes way in a line or picks something you’ve dropped, thank them, smile and make eye contact. Again, everyone should do these things as it is good behavior.
4) FOLLOW AIR CREW INSTRUCTIONS AND USE YOUR PHONE BEFORE THE PLANE DEPARTS THE GATE FOR LORDS SAKE and clear any seat changes with the aircrew. If you don’t know what to do, ASK THE CREW.
No need to stop flying. Just be aware and mindful of your surroundings and use the appropriate tact.
That is very true!.. the explosion of Cellphone usage has brought with it, a lot of nuisance in India. Movie theaters(atleast a dozen cell phone conversations before a feature film is over), hospitals,buses, trains,restaurants, TEMPLES..are all victims of unrestricted usage of cellphones.
And yes!..they seem to slightly enjoy the “unease” others go through while they “chit chat” on their mobile.
I’m curious, but aren’t suicide bombers generally clean-shaven, extremely well-behaved and unobtrusive? Wouldn’t they wink at smile at the baby one seat over, and politely assist the air-stewards in stowing overhead bags? What terrorist in his right mind would start monkeying (no pun intended) around before take-off?
Acting like an ass should give you a free pass.
(damn I feel like Johnny Cochran)
This is my opinion too. While I have witnessed it at several places across the US, this behavior is best exhibited at a place called ‘Oak Tree Road’ in Edison, New Jersey.
Kissmyfobass – that is utterly absurd conclusion.
t. So your conflation of this situation with men monkeying around a subway train (which btw, I have done in the past – should I be sent to Gitmo for my sins?)is f**ked up!
No – illustrating the plane and train examples is comparison, not conflation. Arguing that a 24 detention, followed up with an apology is the same as multiple yeras in Gitmo without a lawyer – that’s conflation.
My grandmum is actually quite nostalgic about the Raj. “Those were good times”, are her own words. No kidding. Although I suppose life must’ve certainly been a lot easier for the daughter of a prominent civil servant than for the average Indian labourer. Ah, the stories she has to tell!
Sorry, this isn’t true for ‘everyone’. Most flights I’ve been on, people shut their phones off when asked, a few that don’t have been immediately reprimanded by the crew and they shut stuff off. After the planes have landed, most take turn their phones on when the pilot/crew say ‘cell phones use is premitted’ or something along those lines.
I was reading the becker posner blog and there was an interesting suggestion made in favor of profling – make it pleasant with incentives with the necessary competant TSA personnel on the other end. Monetary, food, drinks, whatever. If they started giving out free stuff for submission to increased checks, seriously, all Gujaratis would line up. Forget trolling in Costco for free food, just go to the aiports.
meena: “Although my sister was unhappy about the time when she went to see a film in India. According to her there were a great number of people disrupting the showing by talking and switching on their phones.” …
Sadly yes, meena, we are like this only. And your sister hasn’t seen nothin’ yet – dancing in the aisles, running film criticism, throwing confetti over the screen, etc. That said, many desi “fillums” (am assuming you sister went to see a desi fillum), or for that matter firangi “fillums”, don’t deserve the reverential silence given by the audiences in the West. But back to macacas on the plane…
Arguing that a 24 detention, followed up with an apology is the same as multiple yeras in Gitmo without a lawyer
KXB: I am presuming you dont agree with the detentions without access to lawyers at GITMO. I guess conservatives are coming around.
Ah the good old days of the Raj. I miss them
Because everyone knows that prior to the Raj – all those Indian got along just swell with one another.
GujuDude, Thank you so much for the invaluable tips. Very thoughtful of you. Just one question-should I do with my kesh and my snakes?
Considering that the bombers/hijackers are constantly evolving their strategies, it is not unlikely to think that there could be two teams… one the obvious noisy attention grabbing team to create a diversion and the “stealth” team to take advantage of the situation as it would draw the undercover air marshals out into the open (though from what one reads they are not too hard to spot thanks to the TSA morons).
KXB: I am presuming you dont agree with the detentions without access to lawyers at GITMO. I guess conservatives are coming around.
I’d have to agree with you on this one – considering that most of the guys there are small fry, Gitmo has outlived whatever usefullnes it may have once had. Give them a trial and be done with it.
Actually, she went to see ‘Troy’, I believe, being an Orlando BLoom fan at the time but unable to catch it in the theatres here in the Lowlands 😛 But yeah, most films are quite rubbish, whether desi or foreign…
Although I remember a (when I look back) very amusing incident in an elevator in a department store in India…
Good point. They probably would. But this isn’t about suicide bombers, its about normal people getting caught up in others insecurities and how to temper em. If the guys are already on the plane, it would take a very last minute fight to stop the guy (Richard Reid trying to light the fuze on his shoe bomb).
Like I said though, security personnel are also looking out for groups probing, trying to set off alarms to see what the hidden measures would be.
GujuDude, I think what you say depends on the flight’s context – what might work on domestic flights may not work perfectly on an international flights with passengers who may be more enamoured with their cellphones. Cultural flexibility is the key, me thinks. Besides what are the rules for convergent devices such as Treos etc?
“My grandmum is actually quite nostalgic about the Raj. “Those were good times”, are her own words. No kidding. Although I suppose life must’ve certainly been a lot easier for the daughter of a prominent civil servant than for the average Indian labourer. Ah, the stories she has to tell!”
Those were the days my dear. The days when young men would devote entire lives in the service of the white man’s burden.
GujuDude,
This has def been my experience as well. I’ve flown within Europe as well as to the USA and India, and only this past year have I noticed this sort of anti-social behaviour. Although there was an old Sikh standing in the isle during turbulence, but his age is of course a mitigating factor(probably he doesn’t speak English either?).
Make sure you have Mace Windu on the plane to deal with those mother effin snakes. And have an abunance of small dogs on the plane to feed the anaconda or python abourd. Lots of exotic anti-venom, too.
This is my opinion too. While I have witnessed it at several places across the US, this behavior is best exhibited at a place called ‘Oak Tree Road’ in Edison, New Jersey.
In the Chicago area, you have to go to the Hot Wok in Rolling Meadows – excellent Indian-style Chinese food, ruined by boorish families letting their children run around, bumping into the waitstaff, and spilling food on the floor. These same families would scold their kids for acting up in a McDonalds, but hey, I guess we’re all family here.
listen to the man.
as someone who regularly runs through homeland security inquisitions on trips to hte u.s. and who looks very jihadist – here are my tips to add on to gujudue’s pointers – particularly relevant to canadians traveling south. Mind you, i work under the assumption that these guys are all doing their job. i would expect nothing less than thoroughness from them.
When you get to the guy at the security desk. Stand loose. Feet shoulder width apart demonstrating confidence. shoulders loose. drop your boarding pass, passport and the blue form and step back a little. Do not lean forward on to the desk. We are not supplicants. We will be asked questions – sometimes twice to make sure our ‘story’ is the same. Be calm. Clear your head and smooth your brow. I am very machinic in this. no emotion. like a buddha. i’ve seen people get flustered and while they still get the stamp, i find it embarassing. it’s a kick to my pride to see someone else broken down.
at the security check, as gugu pointed out – try not to wear any metal. i dont even wear a belt and my shoes do not have steel plates (yes, sometimes i walk through ) – and if you’re one of the fruit loops with rings all over – well good luck – enjoy your personal outrage – i rejoice in your bile build up.
dress to win. really – i enjoy the confidence a charcoal suit gives to me – no i dont wear a suit everytime but i wouldnt show up in pj’s either. this reflects in the service (yes, service!) i get from security staff.
yes, there ‘s the odd bad ‘un out there – but most of them are regular joes and janes. in a grocery store environment most of these would be holding doors open for me.
this is my land as much as theirs… i’m not leaving anytime soon. and i’m not changing my behavior.
Just read that the Dutch authorities have denied apologizing for this event.
The problem with this blog and other reports is that everything is just speculation for now. We don’t really know why this incident was triggered and by who. I think it is plausible that these folks were clumsy enough to cause panic in fellow passengers – not wearing seat belts and walking up and down the aisle exchanging mobile phones in today’s environment is not exactly a wise thing to do (if this is the correct version of what caused this event). At minimum these folks were either ignorant or idiots. I have personally reported an Indian brother on a Gulf Air flight for lighting up a smoke in a non-smoking area. The flight attendant was first polite and told him to extinguish the cigarette. He did so but only to light it up again after she left. She came back again and took it from him and extinguished it herself. I then asked for and moved my seats because i really did not want to enjoy second hand smoke especially when it was banned. So there is some truth in what KXB states in his post above (#8). If this was a US or European airline he would surely been off the plane and I think it would have been justified.
Incidents such as the one that just happened in Holland are bound to happen in this climate. What the authorities have to do is balance our civil rights against security for all.
What i find funny is that nobody blames Mr. Bin Laden and company for all the mess and hassle we are facing in our daily lives.
“This has def been my experience as well. I’ve flown within Europe as well as to the USA and India, and only this past year have I noticed this sort of anti-social behaviour. Although there was an old Sikh standing in the isle during turbulence, but his age is of course a mitigating factor(probably he doesn’t speak English either?).”
Ah yes my dear. The natives never could learn the language but the Sikhs they were the finest soldiers.
The real jihad is within.
Those who know, know.
Those were the days my dear. The days when young men would devote entire lives in the service of the white man’s burden.
The Brits did not introduce servility into India, it was already there.