NEW YORK – An American Muslim who came to the US in 2010 as an Iraqi refugee is suing Southwest Airlines which kicked him off a plane for saying ‘inshallah’, meaning ‘God willing’ in Arabic.
“The US is the land of freedom. People respect the rule of law. How could people be humiliated like this? That was the real shock,” Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, a 26-year-old Berkeley graduate, told The Independent on Thursday, October 6.
“I lived under Saddam Hussein. I know what discrimination feels like,” he added.
The incident occurred in April this year when Makhzoomi was removed from the plane at Los Angeles International Airport.
Taking his seat in the plane, he made
a brief call to his uncle in Baghdad, telling him how excited he was to ask a question to the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, during a dinner the previous day.
Before hanging up, he said the Islamic phrase in Arabic of “inshallah”, meaning “God willing”.
He noticed a woman staring at him as he hung up the phone. He thought at first she had been irritated by how loud he was speaking.
“One guy came with police officers within two minutes — I can’t believe how fast they were — and told me to get off the plane,” he told CNN.
An agent escorted him outside and asked him why he was speaking in Arabic considering “today’s political climate”.
“You need to be very honest with us with what you said about the martyrs. Tell us everything you know about the martyrs,” the agent said to him.
The political science graduate explained he had only said “God willing”, and the questioning soon ended, but not before dogs were brought in to sniff his luggage, he was searched and his wallet was taken away.
Discriminatory Trend
Makhzoomi was not allowed to re-board the Oakland-bound plane, and was given a full refund. He booked another flight with Delta.
The student said he was left feeling “shaken” and could not sleep for days afterwards. He has called on the airline to apologize since they have failed to do so since 6 April.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest US Muslim rights group, filed a complaint with the US Department of Transportation Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings against Southwest Airlines for “racial and religious profiling of a Muslim passenger”.
“We don’t want this to become ‘normal’,” said Saba Maher, civil rights coordinator of the local CAIR chapter.
“We are looking for a federal investigation and for the Department of Transportation to hold Southwest Airlines accountable.”
Makhzoomi, who came to the US in 2010 as a legal refugee with his older sister, said he is applying for his masters and is grateful that the US has provided him with “the best education, and so many opportunities”.
“This our home. We don’t have another home. The experience [in April] was just unpleasant,” he said.