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March 28, 2007

Flying Imams Sue Citizens Who Reported Them

We had quite a debate here awhile back over the treatment of the "flying imams," and now they are back in the news – this time because they are suing the passengers who reported them to investigators. They say their lawsuit is focused on the airline, but they've included several "John Does" in their lawsuit, people who were concerned about what they had seen and who did what the President had told them to do and reported what they viewed as suspicious activity. If their concerns had been justified, they would be heroes. But because the imams were not found to be doing anything wrong, these people are being sued. If successful, the imams will succeed in making people fearful of reporting things that make them uncomfortable.

As a result of this lawsuit, House Republicans proposed, and the House overwhelmingly agreed, to send the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007 back to committee to add language that would prevent such lawsuits. I know someone is going to argue, as some House Democrats are, that people shouldn't report things based on their own prejudices, but really, doesn't that set a pretty high bar for people who lack sophistication in such matters? Shouldn't the appropriateness of the concerns be judged by authorities who have a bit more understanding of the law and the issues? Is it really fair to expect everyday citizens to understand these issues? Or to assume we can prove someone's motivations for filing a complaint? I think not.

Posted by Becky at March 28, 2007 10:42 AM