In case there was any question left about the absurd, damaging power of the media’s fear-mongering and brainwashing, please see exhibit #48,374,589:
An EasyJet flight from Amsterdam to Newcastle was delayed two hours and 20 minutes after a kid on a class trip (reportedly 15-16 years old) saw another passenger writing notes partly in Arabic. (And partly in English.)
It turns out the note-taker was a masters student in Iranian studies at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, England who was teaching himself Arabic. But before any of that sober, sensible information could be established, the kid reported the guy to a flight attendant, then launched into a panic attack, eventually running to the back of the aircraft, which forced the plane back to the gate.
The freaked out kid (and 15 of his 45 classmates!) were eventually escorted off the plane and traveled home the following day. All because someone wrote some words in Arabic.
Thank you halfwit fear disseminators. Common sense has now left the building. And the planet.
[Via]
I can’t wait for this to happen again, when the person is writing in Hebrew, Tamil, or some other language that does not use the Latin alphabet, although I doubt Russian could be mistaken for Arabic. On the other hand, people are stupid.
Next time I get on a plane, remind me to wear a black scarf, hijab style. I want to see how many idiots are on board.
I think Arabic writing is sexy I’m going to have love done on my side
So very sad. We should be embracing diversity, not running from it. How else do we ever expect a peaceful world?