China bans Muslims from flights.

October 17, 2001 12:26 PM

China bans Muslims from flights. Don't like America's solution for airline safety? Try this. I wonder if this policy is temporary, and timed for President Bush's imminent visit to the region, or is this China's long-term solution? How will America respond - condemnation or tacit acceptance? Does it actually make Bush's trip safer?
posted by conquistador (13 comments total)

Ya know, when people started asking airlines to remove passengers for "looking suspicious", I thought, good idea, bad execution.

If you're going to get people thrown off the plane, clear out FIRST CLASS! Then move up and collect.

Where's your sense of opportunism people?

How will America respond - condemnation or tacit acceptance?

If by "America" you mean the Congress, I suspect that they'll express deep outrage and then extend out China's Most Favored Nation status for another 10 years.

Does it actually make Bush's trip safer?

Absolutely, as it's a known fact that Muslims only travel by air. Otherwise you see them standing around motionless which makes it tough to traverse crowded walkways.

</snarkiness>
posted by ethmar at 12:43 PM on October 17, 2001

Since a rather large segment of the Chinese population is muslim, does this mean that they are banned from flying also?
posted by MrBaliHai at 1:11 PM on October 17, 2001

How do they identify people's religious preference? Based on names? Are all Chinese citizens required to have their religion on their ID cards or something? Or do they ask you before you board a flight?
posted by Rastafari at 1:26 PM on October 17, 2001

Or do they ask you before you board a flight?

Q: Have persons unknown to you asked you to carry items?

A: No

Q: Have your bags been out of your immediate control at any time?

A: No

Q: Are you a Muslim?

A: No

Q: (prints tickets)
posted by ethmar at 2:08 PM on October 17, 2001

Bacon sandwiches
posted by knutmo at 2:12 PM on October 17, 2001

I think they're going by citizenship, not necessarily "how you look."
posted by donkeyschlong at 3:53 PM on October 17, 2001

It's pretty easy to identify a Chinese Muslim - they don't look like 89% of the rest of the country. They have museums of minorities out there. And I believe the men wear little hats.

Most of the Chinese in the western part of the country (where the Muslims are for the most part) are too poor to fly anyway - and I'm not even sure there are airports out there.
posted by phoenix enflamed at 4:42 PM on October 17, 2001

The Chinese are using the terror atacks and our counter attacks for their own purposes. They have a Muslim problem with a part of their country , muslims who want to break away and set up their own state (I had this piece on my blog), and they are doing such things as a warning.
posted by Postroad at 5:20 PM on October 17, 2001

didn't anyone read the article? they're only banning muslims from flying on planes to the United States and Europe. I really don't think it's a big deal
posted by rabbit at 5:37 PM on October 17, 2001

Does it actually make Bush's trip safer?

i'm sure bush thinks so, and i'm sure this is being done at his behest.
posted by quonsar at 5:49 PM on October 17, 2001

It's pretty easy to identify a Chinese Muslim - they don't look like 89% of the rest of the country.

True, Uygurs, Kazaks, Kirgiz and Tajiks in the western regions are Turkic and look nothing like what most people would consider 'Chinese'. By 'Chinese' I mean Han, which is the dominant ethnic group of China, comprising 92% of the population

But there also close to nine million Hui in China. By appearance, they are indistinguishable from the majority Han Chinese, but are Muslim.

There are 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities in China. All Chinese citizens have their ethnic group clearly stated on their ID cards (or passports, if their lucky enough to have one). Any airport official could easily determine whether a Chinese citizen were a Muslim or not.

That said, I think the article clearly states that foreign passport holders, not Chinese Muslims, are being barred from flying.
posted by chinstrap at 6:02 PM on October 17, 2001

Wait, I thought the chinese were using 'muslim' troups to back the taliban?! Or maybe that was just a bunch of crap...
posted by delmoi at 12:14 PM on October 18, 2001

China and Counterterrorism , Washington Post editorial: "...China has characterized the entire Uighur rights movement as terrorism akin to that of Osama bin Laden--even though the largest Uighur groups are secular, nationalist and pro-democracy...Mr. Jiang will no doubt try to convince Mr. Bush that U.S. interests now lie in supporting this brutality."
posted by Carol Anne at 12:28 PM on October 18, 2001