In the aftermath of the assassination of terrorist Osama bin Laden, two Muslim religious leaders were kicked off a commercial airliner by the pilot without explanation.
This saga drips with irony because the Islamic leaders, were about to take off from Memphis, Tenn., to attend an anti-hate conference in Charlotte, N.C. This also sets a dangerous precedent and reeks of knee-jerk reactionary politics.
Masudur Rahman and Mohamed Zaghloul were supposed to travel on an 8:30 a.m. Delta flight, run by a subsidiary, from Memphis to Charlotte. They were traveling to attend a conference of the North American Imam Federation.
After the plane started taxiing, the media reports, the pilot announced the flight was headed back to the gate. Both men were removed from the plane, and screened again.
“We were very cooperative,” Rahman said. “I say, ‘It is OK.’ They checked our luggage. They checked our everything.”
“Every person — not only me — every person, should allow to check his luggage,” Rahman said. “We are living in America. We want the security of America.”
Rahman, who is from India, and Zaghloul, who is Egyptian-born, were both dressed in traditional long shirts and have beards in keeping with Muslim tradition. Rahman said he and Zaghloul were screened in the security line and again at the gate Friday before they were allowed to board their Delta Connection flight to Charlotte.
After that security check, he said a Delta employee at the gate informed him that the pilot of the flight would not allow him on board. He says the employees in the airport were very apologetic — even angry — and said they tried repeatedly to convince the pilot that he was wrong.
ASA released this statement to the press:
“Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight 5452 from Memphis to Charlotte returned to the gate to allow for additional screening of a passenger and the passenger’s companion. We take security and safety very seriously, and the event is currently under investigation. Compensation and re-accommodation on the next available flight were immediately offered to the passenger and the passenger’s travel companion. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.”
There is precedent on this issue. U.S. Airways recently settled a lawsuit filed by six imams who were removed from a plane in Minneapolis in 2006. Those men had been traveling to the North American Imam Federation conference as well.
Rahman said the men are exploring the lawsuit option. –terry shropshire
