HugMonster Your statement "recognise the differnce between a Muslim and a Rastafarian" assumes that all Rastafarians are Afro-Carribean and all Muslims are Middle Eastern. Islam is practiced throughout the world and its followers are from many diverse ethnic backgrounds.
I am sure the purser did not go into the flight deck and say "I've got 2 muslims in the back" or "2 Rastas" she probably informed the skipper that she had 2 gentlemen who would not answer her questions.
Now that is a minefield; did she ask them questions based purely on their attire or did something else bring them to her attention. Does she have the right to do so bearing in mind recent tragic events? Was she guilty of racial stereotypeing and if so how can we avoid that in the future, whilst at the same time recognising the fact that there does exist a small group of well funded and highly motivated terrorists whose origins are in the middle east.
Had these two gentlemen said "look love we are Rastafarians and this is a picture of our spiritual leader Haile Selaisse" then I am sure He/She would have been apologetic and the matter would have been resolved. Easy for me to say being white but this was an oppotunity to educate. In a multi-cultural society there has to be some give and take.
Had they been offended by the manner in which they were questioned then they could easily have filed a complaint either with the airline or a statutory body.
Out of interest I went to school in south London and lived for a few years in Brixton and would never have recognised the fella!
BTW this flight is actually a scheduled service and a colleague and I were discussing a few days previously how it would be more easily targeted than a charter flight.