Airline cancels flight after alleged racial profiling incident

An American Airlines carrier allegedly cancelled a flight because two Muslim men were on board, reports the BBC.

The flight operated for American by Mesa had been scheduled to go from Birmingham, Alabama to Dallas.

Motivational speaker Abderraoof Alkhawaldeh and Dallas nonprofit leader Issam Abdallah recognized each other as they boarded the flight and waved to each other. They say that raised a red flag with the flight crew which would make an announcement that the flight had been cancelled due to security concerns.

When the two men got off the flight, they were questioned by plain clothes officers, including an FBI agent. Abdallah said at a news conference organized by the Council of American Islamic Relations that the FBI apologized to him after interrogating him and allowed the two men to board a rescheduled flight.

“It was the most humiliating day of my life,” he said.

“American and all of its regional partners have an obligation to take safety and security concerns raised by crew members and passengers seriously,” she said in a statement. “All customers on Flight 5886 were rebooked on the next flight to DFW. We’re committed to providing a positive experience to everyone who travels with us. Our team is working with Mesa to review this incident.”

The airline said it would investigate the matter further.

“Airports are a scary place for Muslims,”  said Imam Omar Suleiman , who founded the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research in Dallas. “Especially with the rhetoric of the president,” he told the Dallas Morning News.

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