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Most of us know that as Muslim airline passengers, we may be a bit more careful than the ordinary citizen while packing for a flight, going through the security line, waiting to board and even once on the plane. We are probably careful not to pack any objectionable items or speak too loudly in a foreign language while going through security. While waiting to board a flight, some of us may consciously try to make sure we don't look 'suspicious, by perhaps reading the Qur'an or carrying Arabic literature. Even once we board, we watch our language, both verbal and body, just so that nobody misinterprets it.

I take all of these precautions myself, and whether I'm overly cautious or not is another story. But this past weekend, my 3 year old son did something that could surely have gotten us kicked off the plane by some hyperphobic fellow passenger. We remember the story of the boy who said, 'Bye, bye airplane,' and got kicked off his flight when the flight attendant insisted he was being disruptive. Ultimately, this may have just been a poor judgment call after a tiring day at work by a flight attendant; nevertheless, the fact remains that a child's words can get a flight attendant's attention.

So, back to my story. We had boarded our flight from Atlanta to Baltimore, and I was making the usual pre-flight arrangements to get my kids settled. They had their sippy cups and snacks, and we had had our talk about good behavior during the flight. Everything was going really well, actually. However, as our plane was taxiing onto the runway and approaching another airplane, my son started screaming, in his very desi accent, 'We're going to crash! We're going to crash!' So many thoughts went through my mind in such a short instant. I can't shush him; that will look suspicious. I can't just ignore him; what if he keeps talking? What do I do? Of course, while I was having these thoughts and before I really could do anything, my 9 year old authoritarian son stepped in, and said, 'No we're not! The planes are just taking turns to take off.' Phew, nobody around us seemed shocked or scared. I was relieved as the seconds passed an no one gave us dirty looks or approached a flight attendant, eyeing us, with a concerned look.

But seriously, what do we do in situations like this? My older son was born after 9/11, but we've explained to him that saying things that usually sound normal can be alarming on an airplane. We can't really explain that to a 3 year old. How have you (if at all) prepared your children for flying while Muslim?

Khadija Hanif is an administrator and teacher, mother and wife. She is an Atlanta resident who has taught at various masajid's Sunday School and summer programs. She enjoys working with young Muslims, hoping to help them find a balance between living in the West and living as Muslims.