Today we found out that ‘secret US authorities’ have enforced a ban on passengers across 8 Muslim majority countries, prohibiting them from carrying electricals any bigger than a mobile phone on flights to and from the US.
The items included in the ban are laptops, ipads, kindles and any cameras bigger than a mobile phone. It is thought that the ban was implemented as a counterterrorism measure, but bizarrely enough only applies to foreign carriers and not US aircrafts travelling to the same destinations. In 2001 the planes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks were American aircrafts, flying domestic routes in the US.
The announcement concerning the ban on electricals was first released through a tweet posted by Royal Jordanian Airlines, who stated that passengers departing to and arriving from the United States are ‘strictly prohibited’ from carrying any electronic devices on board the flight. Similarly, Saudi Arabian Airline also tweeted about these restrictions for their passengers.
People took to social media to express their outrage at the ban, and many seem to believe it's just a petty personal reaction from Trump after his immigration ban on people from 6 different Muslim majority states from entering the US was decalred unconstitutional.
Banning electronic devices larger than cell phone in cabins from "8 Muslim-majority" nations sounds idiotic. Can't ban ppl, so get petty
— soren knudsen (@OldKnudsen) March 21, 2017
If I were Prez, I would place a ban on all metal, plastic, computing, or electronic goods for anywhere in the Middle East. iPhones too.
— mgw (@wink1207) February 5, 2015
By 2020, flights from the Middle East to the US will be almost empty. And those few passengers will be naked. https://t.co/PgWWafsVvU
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) March 21, 2017
Fine, if we can't ban Muslims can we at least inconvenience them by confiscating their electronic devices? "8 Muslim-majority"
— GonzoResistance (@GonzoResistance) March 21, 2017
