Air France pilots and crew get close scrutiny from America because of thei

[Flagg]

r Muslim background

French fury over US treatment of air staff
By Kim Willsher in Paris
(Filed: 18/01/2004)


In the latest bout of Franco-American squabbling, hundreds of Air France pilots and cabin crew who have French nationality but were born in Muslim countries are furious at being singled out for stringent security measures when they land in the US.



Some of the 324 affected employees complain that they were treated like "terrorist suspects" after being separated from fellow cabin crew and grilled for up to four hours by security agents on arrival at American airports. The treatment, they say, was "discriminatory and insulting".

The security measures are outlined in a directive from the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), one of a raft of institutions created by President Bush in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks. It targets crew born in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia and Egypt - countries which the American authorities regard as particularly dangerous sources of terrorists.

The directive stated that the targeted crew would be required to undergo a one-to-one interview with an agent from the TSA. If necessary, it continued, they would be forced to return to France. The directive also advises Air France not to use the foreign-born crew members on flights to Cincinnati because airport staff there lack the facilities needed to conduct the security interviews.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/18/wfly18.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/18/ixnewstop.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=78580

[htuttle]

1. Yeah. And no Jew pilots either!

(if you don't catch the sarcasm in my subject line, there's no hope for you)


I just found this quote to be particularly offensive:

The directive also advises Air France not to use the foreign-born crew members on flights to Cincinnati because airport staff there lack the facilities needed to conduct the security interviews.

[mbperrin]

2. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia an

Yep, that's where all the terra-ists from 911 were from! Dang good idea to be leery of them. Now if only they'd hire from friendly countries like Saudi Arabia!

</xenophobic myopia>

Reminder to me: quit snorting Oxy this early in the day!

[aquart]

3. You forgot Egypt, where our other 9/11 boys came from.

Egypt, which still doesn't admit that a pilot on one of their own planes took it down deliberately.

[truthisfreedom]

4. bushco is just mad because they couldn't hire French guys to do 911, and

ended up hiring Egyptians instead.