Was it right for him to be detained over such a trivial matter?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....airport-security.html

It would seem that in 2012 Britain, the great British sense of humour is frowned upon so much so, that you can be detained for it.

/// commenting on the ease with which a woman with her face covered by a hijab, another form of the burqa, had walked through security controls. ///

/// As he placed his scarf and other items into a tray to pass through an X-ray scanner, he quipped to an official: ‘If I was wearing this scarf over my face, I wonder what would happen.’ ///

/// As he went through security where he hoped to meet up with his two grown-up daughters, he was confronted by a woman official who said he was being held because he had made an offensive remark. ///

/// He said: ‘It was impossible to get her to listen to reason. We were then joined by a second female security guard who stated that she was Muslim and was deeply distressed by my
comment. ///

[humbersloop]

pdust,not even a XXXL one?

Should we check with sunny-dave on that??

[sunny-dave]

I'm very petite - for a yellow pachyderm :)

[pdust]

i didnt accuse you of anything i asked were the quotes from elsewhere ... i looked a couple of times before asking.... unfortunately the 2 quotes i didnt see were both from deet, i must have skipped past his post


and lol at it being uncalled for.... the 'thats cheating' was said in daftness like i say to the grandkids.... theres no one here to detain me for such outlandish remarks... ill take myself off to the corner for half an hour :)

[DSJ]

The whole episode, if reported correctly, was ridiculous. At least, that's my opinion.

[sp1814]

The whole hajib thing is taken from the report in the Mail- so the fault may be with the reporter not knowing the different terms for items of Middle Eastern dress.

[humbersloop]

That was not meant to be abusive, insulting or aggressive towards pachyderms of any persuasion dave. :-)

[sp1814]

The Mail has now confused the whole issue.

I've just rechecked the story and on their splash page, they have a woman in a burqa to illustrate the story, but when you click on the link, they have a library picture of a woman wearing the hijab.

[sunny-dave]

Actually I agree with sp1814 :

"Before you arrive at the airport, wrap up your humour in industrial strength cellophane and bury it at the bottom for suitcase, because no matter how funny you think you are, the little Hitler in the polyester uniform has the power to totally screw up your holiday".

However outraged/annoyed/amused you are by the whole thing, just suck it in, nod politely and get through - anything else is just self defeating ....

[pdust]

lol....hmm let me get back to you on that one humbers

just a little hijack here..... dave... thanks for you help on the freesat, i got one, it was so easy to hook up i did it myself and it works a treat thanks :)

[humbersloop]

I think it's called the "what's it matter, same thing innit" school of journalism, sp, which always helps to inform discussion.

[pdust]

maybe she had the hijab on under the niqab... a bit like when arnie popped out of the rather large woman on total recall...... its not like the daily mail to get stuff wrong....

[jno]

you could be right, pdust... a hijab under a niqab, inside Arnie, inside a large woman, all inside a yellow elephant with a shamrock. Like Russian dolls.

[FredPuli43]

Humourless 67 year-old man, who thinks his enquiry amusing, meets humourless jobsworth at airport. Now that's what I call a clash of cultures!
Bit disturbing if what the man said was an example of 'the great British sense of humour'. Surely we are funnier than that?

[ummmm]

I would hope so Fred!!

[andy-hughes]

Having read the newspaper report, and considered the circumstances, I think this is an excellent example of when - as sp1814 has so eloquently expressed - you leve your clever remarks at home, and speak when you are spoken to and then to answer questions only, apart frfom a polite greeting and farewell.

Airport security is not a comedy club, the people doing this difficult job exist on a high level of concentration and alert all the time - they are far more quickly hacked off by one more clever dick holiday-maker being smart than are other people if you did so at, say the checkout at Tesco.

So maybe the rection was excessive, but it has done its job - reminding other people that humour and sarcasm has no place in a security situation, so if you dont want your liberty curtailed, can the smart remarks.

[Baldric]

Andy, good summing up, spot on imo.

[DTCwordfan]

yep, Andy.....I have seen some right numpties in US airports, cracking jokes about Muslims, bombs etc and then they wonder why they are taken apart.....seems like it is catching on here too.

Yes, I hate the process like many others and I wish they would follow some best practice around the world, like the shoe screener at Phoenix which determines if you need to take you shoes off before you enter, or the Gatwick way of taking piccies and marrying you and your boarding card at the gate.....and yes, it is a hassle and takes some of the fun out of flying, but after all it is yours and my security and safety that is at stake.

[bundleone]

A few years ago my husband had scissors in his hand luggage, we were taken aside and all baggage searched, His own silly fault, but we didn't go to the papers.

[naomi24]

A friend had tiny antique nail scissors confiscated. I thought that was pretty daft when once through security she was allowed to board carrying large glass bottles of alcohol bought in the Duty Free shop. A broken bottle in the wrong hands becomes rather a greater lethal weapon than nail scissors. Just a thought.

[DTCwordfan]

now which is more dangerous on a plane, plastic knife or a metal fork - as that was what American carriers were using post 9-11. "I" could do far more damage with a dinner fork than a knife, even if they were both metal.....