-By Warner Todd Huston
I think Delta Airlines should change its name to Omega Airlines because at this point it is the last airline that I’ll ever fly. Not only did Delta try to charge our returning soldiers thousands of dollars to check their bags as they came back from the wars, now the airlines has intertwined itself with Saudi Arabia airlines and have agreed to discriminate against Jews and Christians because of it.
USA Today reported early on Thursday that Delta Airlines would be bowing to Saudi Arabia’s oppressive and racist entry laws by banning Jews — ore even people with “Jewish sounding names” — as well as anything related to Christianity.
As my friend Jeff Dunetz snarked, “Ladies and Gentlemen we are no approaching Saudi Arabia, the Captain has turned on the no Jews light.”
Now, it is perfectly fine for a foreign airline to make its own rules. For that matter, it’s OK to a degree that American corporations make their own rules, too, as long as those rules don’t violate our laws, of course. But what we have here is an American — or at least a western — corporation allowing itself to be governed by racist, oppressive and hardcore Islamic codes antithetical to western ideas of freedom, justice, and liberty.
Delta Airlines just flipped the bird to every Christian and Jew in the world.
Does that sound like the sort of airline that a good American might want to fly?
So, to recap, Delta Airlines hates our soldiers, and they are in full agreement with racist codes that levy proscriptions on Jews and Christians.
Interestingly, USA Today posted a story about this on Thursday, but pulled the whole thing leaving only a notice that said, “
As for me, Delta is now off my travel itinerary. Permanently.
If you’d like to have a few civil words with Delta Airlines, contact them, won’t you?
800-221-1212 (keep saying help until you get moved to a representative)
*USA Today’s Original Posting
Jews and Israelis, or passengers carrying any non-Islamic article of faith, will not be able to fly Delta Air Lines flights from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia under Delta’s new partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Although Delta announced in January that the Saudi airline would join its SkyTeam network next year, the implications of the deal only came to light recently, according to people who have scrutinized the details.
Saudi Arabia, which is governed by strict Islamic law, requires citizens of almost every country to obtain a visa. People who wish to enter the country must have a sponsor; women, who must be dressed according to Saudi standards of modesty, must be met at the Saudi airport by a man who will act as a chaperone.
Advertisement:Saudi Arabia bans anyone with an Israeli stamp in their passport from entering the country, even in transit. Many Jews believe the kingdom has also withheld visas from travelers with Jewish-sounding names.
Religious items such as Bibles that are not related to Islam may be confiscated at the airport.
**UPDATE**
Saudi Arabia called and they have a few words to say about this story (OK, they sent me an email, but, you know)….
SAUDI ARABIA DENIES RUMORS REGARDING TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
WASHINGTON [June 24, 2011] — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today issued the following statement regarding the false story being circulated on the Internet regarding implications of Saudi Arabian Airlines membership in the Delta Airlines SkyTeam Alliance:
“Rumors being circulated via the Internet regarding passenger flight restrictions on Saudi Arabian Airlines are completely false. The Government of Saudi Arabia does not deny visas to U.S. citizens based on their religion.”
Asalaam alaikum, my friends, and thanks for the note.
____________
“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, RightPundits.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
For a full bio, please CLICK HERE.
Regarding the military, Delta has apologized and changed its policies to the point that BlackFive, a milblog, gives them kudos for correctly responding to their blunder:
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2011/06/delta-thank-you.html
I would verify this policy regarding Christians and Jews with Delta as I’m not sure USA Today is all that reliable a source.