Memphis, TN – Two Muslim religious leaders say they were asked to leave a commercial airliner in Memphis on Friday and were told it was because the pilot refused to fly with them aboard.
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Masudur Rahman, who is also an adjunct instructor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, said by phone from the terminal at Memphis International Airport that he and another imam had already been allowed to board their Delta Connection flight to Charlotte, N.C., before they were asked to get off the plane.
Transportation Security Administration spokesman Jon Allen in Atlanta confirmed the incident and said it was not initiated by that agency.
A Delta Air Lines spokeswoman said the flight was operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which is also based in Atlanta.
“We take security and safety very seriously and the event is currently under investigation,” Atlantic Southeast spokesman Jarek Beem said Friday evening.
Both passengers are Memphis-area residents. Rahman said he was dressed in traditional Indian clothing and his traveling companion was dressed in Arab garb, including traditional headgear.
Rahman said he and Mohamed Zaghloul, of the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis, were cleared by security agents and boarded the plane for an 8:40 a.m. departure.
The aircraft pulled away from the gate, but the pilot then announced the plane must return, Rahman said. When it did, the imams were asked to go back to the boarding gate where Rahman said they were told the pilot was refusing to accept them because some other passengers could be uncomfortable.
Rahman said Delta officials talked with the pilot for more than a half-hour, but he still refused.
The men were taken to a lounge and booked on a later flight. Beem said they flew on to Charlotte later Friday.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused,” Beem said.
The men contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in Washington, D.C.
“It’s racism and bias because of our religion and appearance and because of misinformation about our religion.” Rahman said. “If they understood Islam, they wouldn’t do this.”
He said a Delta manager apologized for the pilot’s actions, but that he and Zaghloul never spoke directly with the pilot.
Ibrahim Hooper, of the American-Islamic organization, said the group will follow up with the airline and with the TSA to help ensure such incidents do not continue to occur.
Hooper said airline officials at Memphis tried to resolve the situation, but the pilot refused.
If they want us to understand islam they should proove it with action
Good for them. They are now millionaires.
The flight was operated by a regional carrier under contract to Delta. The last time this happened, the airline settled with the muslims for several thousand dollars. This will cost the airline big bucks and hopefully teach them they cannot simply throw people off an airplane because some paranoid customers are frightened by anyone who looks arab. They should have told those paranoid customers to get off the plane and buy a ticket on another flight. What happens if some jerk decides he is uncomfortable flying with yidden wearing chassideshe lvush?
The pilot is absolutely right. He learned all he needed to know about Islam on 9/11/01.
We should all fly Delta.
This is America and such bigotry must not be tolerated. I hope Delta drops the offending pilot.
“If they understood Islam, they wouldn’t do this,” may be true, but the Muslims in America have done little or nothing to reach out to non-Muslims. I’m glad the pilot gave the “not welcome” sign.
do u blame the pilot?
I will say though, that real terrorist rarely get on planes in Muslim garb. They try to blend in.
Passengers have the right to be scared when they see muslims.
Pilot should have better jusgement!
And muslims should start showing off their humanity more!
I didn’t know a pilot had that kind of authority. Why didn’t they fire him on the spot?
It took a smart female to give the correct comment here. How would you like it if the pilot says ALL JEWS OFF ???????
Love what delta did but its gonna cost them
This type of incident has occurred before; however, in the past, the incidents were usually triggered by loud behavior emanating from the Muslim passengers. Also, Yidden have been thrown off flights for blocking aisles, not sitting down when requested to by the flight crew, davening very loudly, and non informing the flight crew in advance, about Tephillen. In this particular case, the two passengers were thrown off the flight for no other reason other than “they dressed strangely” according to other passengers, who did not like their presence. The airline seems willing to lose thousands of dollars from a lawsuit, than to risk offending the non-Muslim passengers on the flight, who state that they “feel uncomfortable”. For those of you who agree with Delta’s actions, there may come a time when a number of Chassidim board a flight (outside of NYC), with their black hats, payyot, streimels, tsitsis; and, they will also “make passengers uncomfortable”. What will you all say at that time, when they are asked to leave the flight?
So, the captain of this Delta plane would trust his passengers’ ignorant prejudices rather than all the pre-flight security tests and examinations performed by the TSA, would he?
His managers have a lot to answer for.