Muslims kicked off Delta flight

Take a Valium America.

I say that after hearing this morning that two Muslim religious leaders were ordered off a Delta flight in Memphis Friday after the pilot refused to take off with them aboard.

The disturbing incident involved Masudur Rahman, who is an adjunct instructor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, and another imam, Mohamed Zaghloul. They had already been allowed to board their Delta Connection flight to Charlotte, N.C., at Memphis International Airport before they were asked to get off the plane.

The unidentified pilot apparently began to taxi the plane and then returned to the gate, where the men, both wearing traditional Arab garb, were ordered off. News reports said some passengers were uncomfortable with the men aboard. Delta is investigating the pilot's actions aboard the flight operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, based in Atlanta, for Delta. The men were taken to a lounge and booked on a later flight.

Ironically, the two Muslim men were en route to a conference where the topic was "racism against Muslims in America."

In the wake of the Osama Bin Laden execution and the revelation that Muslim terrorists may have been plotting new attacks against America's transportation infrastructure, one can understand why some Americans are nervous.

But enough with this type of discrimination.

Delta and other airlines must demand their pilots and flight crews accept everyone who buys a ticket and have undergone the necessary security screening, as both these men obviously did, or they should take disciplinary action and ground any pilot or flight attendant who takes such terrible action. As far as passengers who feel uncomfortable with Muslims aboard, well, those passengers should be asked to leave, not the Muslims.

All this comes just a week after my visit to Muslim-dominated Malaysia, where I was welcomed with open arms by the gentle, hard working people of Langkawi, the country's northern island paradise. They could have been nervous with me in their midst but instead they were warm and friendly.

Maybe Americans have to get out more and see that not all Muslims ,or Irish like me, are terrorists.

I bid Langkawi a fond farewell



The sun dropping into the Andaman Sea was our signal
that is was time to leave Langkawi this evening.



DATELINE LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA – Seems we just arrived in this Asian paradise and already it’s time to return to Singapore where we’ll prepare for our long journey home Thursday.

While packing our bags earlier today, we were interrupted by a knock on our Four Seasons villa door.

Standing on the other side of the glass was Aidi Abdullah, the charming Four Seasons naturalist who introduced us to the wonders of Langkawi’s delicate eco-system on a tour he lead just a few days ago.

Aidi, knowing that our Silk Air flight wouldn’t be leaving Langkawi until later (8:45 p.m.) decided he would offer to show us some of the local villages where we sampled lots of great Malay food.

What a wonderful gesture – especially considering it was Aidi’s day off.

“I could not let you leave without showing you the same hospitality that your country showed me when I lived in Edmonton,” said Aidi, who worked in the Alberta capital a few years ago before returning to his homeland.

“Canadians were the only people who ever accepted me for who I am, not what I am,” said the proud Muslim.

You have no idea how my heart swells with pride when I hear those words spoken about our country by people of other lands who have sampled our hospitality and generosity.

The sun dipping behind one of the 99 treasured islands that make up Langkawi and dropping into the Andaman Sea this evening indicated it was time to head to the airport.

We leave here with many wonderful memories – our stay at the fabulous Four Seasons Langkawi Resort was a true delight; our tour of the mangroves where we were eyeballed by strange creatures was life changing for me; and our tour of the local towns where we met creative islanders making amazing crafts – but the hospitality shown us by the mostly Muslim population is what we’ll remember most about Langkawi.