The Independent has added to the story of the two Muslims who were thrown off the Monarch Malaga-Manchester flight, by claiming that it was an elaborate hoax.
By piecing together disparate strands, they construct a story whereby the whole thing was a set-up aiming to make money.
And what a way to do it! Fly to Malaga. On the way back, wear some thick clothes, speak some Urdu, and count on brainless idiots on the flight to have you thrown off. These guys don't need to be at uni - clearly they are prescient geniuses.
Then count on there being widespread media coverage at the weekend (I have since heard of other flights this has happened on in the last year - where clearly there was no media coverage), but know that you will still be able to capitalise on it by selling your story as late as the following Wednesday.
Newsnight and GMTV should be condemned for this line of questioning:
Asked by the BBC's Newsnight interviewer Emily Maitlis if he had been involved in "some sort of student hoax", Mr Zeb replied: "No, no, no, no... Um... We were not doing anything intentionally. We were behaving ordinary."
When GMTV's host Penny Smith said to the pair, "What would you say to cynics who might say this was all a bit of a stunt?", she was met with a long, pregnant pause. "Stunt? To... For... All I can say to that is... I don't know," said Mr Zeb. "I wouldn't have thought of that. It's a bit weird."
But the killer facts appear to be these:
Industry sources revealed they booked their flights after the recent security scare began on 10 August, paying £166 each for the day-trip to Malaga. Although they have claimed that the purpose of the visit was to carry out research for a holiday in September, the pair decided to take an evening flight to the resort. It touched down at 7.25pm, leaving them just a few hours in Malaga before they had to check in for the 3am return journey.
"It sticks out like a sore thumb, since most people would take an early morning flight out for a day-trip abroad," said one aviation insider. "These two took the third flight that Monarch ran from Manchester to Malaga that day. Given the heightened security on UK airlines, a day-trip to Malaga would be an unusual way to wind down. And if, as they told Radio 5 Live, they wanted to 'check the place out', why did they choose to do so in the dark?"
Until these "industry sources" and "aviation insiders" actually become real people making attributed comments, this should be dismissed as nothing other than an attempt to cover up mob-Islamophobia.
NOTE: Pic courtesy of BBDO
The question that I have not yet seen answered is exactly what led people to think, and the media to report, that the two were speaking Arabic. Urdu and Arabic don't sound alike. Arabic is not a native language of Pakistan. Really, the whole thing just baffles me.
Is it just me, or did anyone else notice this?
Posted by: Perla Zhemchuzhina | 26 August 2006 at 03:02 AM
I noticed it too, but hey, they're brown. Some white people can't tell the difference between a Desi and an Arab so they probably just assumed they were Arabs and therefore speaking Arabic.
Posted by: Luqman | 26 August 2006 at 09:55 AM
While this is indeed a strange way to take a holiday, the people who kicked up the fuss would have been in Malaga for a week or two and thus would have had no way of knowing that the two Asian men had been there just a few hours. So it's no excuse for their action.
Posted by: Yusuf Smith | 26 August 2006 at 05:30 PM
Daily Mirror spokesman: "If this was a prank to make money, they could have done far better from it."
Sohaib: "IF it was a prank, then most likely the lads were paid by the Mail on Sunday!"
Posted by: Sohaib | 27 August 2006 at 06:09 AM
Two muslims went to an infidel filled, drink sozzled, topless knocking shop. Someone should mention this to their inman.
Posted by: keith Malone | 27 August 2006 at 08:43 AM
The only reason given by the Malagans as to why they were ejected from the plane was "These men had aroused suspicion because of their appearance and the fact that they were speaking in a foreign language thought to be an Arabic language, and the pilot was refusing to take off until they were escorted off the plane." Their appearance = Brown skinned. I doubt any of the chavs in Malaga knew a word of Arabic, let alone Urdu. People who hate Muslims think we, as a whole, are constantly in the process of cecieveing people. Green Helmet guy anyone?
In Ireland we call these people "Gobshites".
Posted by: Usayd | 28 August 2006 at 03:48 PM