Muslim Men Kicked Off Flight Over Arabic Text Messages

Muslim Men Kicked Off Flight Over Arabic Text Messages

Two Muslim men said they were unfairly targeted by Alaska Airlines for texting in Arabic, which resulted in their removal from their flight in February 2020.

Abobakkr and Mohamed, two American citizens of Sudanese descent who are only being identified by their first names to protect their privacy, spoke at a virtual press conference on Monday and said their civil rights were violated when they were removed from a domestic flight. 

"When we traveled that day, we were not treated like the rest of the people. It made me feel little and unequal,“ said Abobakkr. 

The latest incident is yet another example of what many Muslim and Middle Eastern passengers have described as "flying while Muslim,“ a disturbing pattern of discriminatory experiences faced by passengers at airports. Since 9/11, Muslim and Arab travelers said they've been pulled aside for secondary screening each time they travel, asked personal questions about their religious and political views, or even kicked off a plane, all due to unwarranted ethnic and religious bias.

"'Flying while Muslim' has now become a globally recognized phenomenon of suspicion and humiliation, and this phenomenon must come to a stop,“ said Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of the Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA.)