Thread: Berkeley student questioned, refused service after speaking Arabic on flight

I suppose we'll have to wait for a video to emerge before we know more details.

Originally Posted by Hans Mann

UC Berkeley

AO, best tell your daughter to refrain from speaking Thai lest some busy body biddie thinks she's speaking moosalim.

CHICAGO: A hijab-clad Muslim woman in the US was reportedly removed from a Southwest Airlines plane after she asked for switching seats with a flight attendant saying she "did not feel comfortable" with the passenger.

Hakima Abdulle, a Muslim woman from Maryland, said she was removed from the flight from Chicago to Seattle "without any credible explanation".

Ms Abdulle said she wanted to switch seats but instead, she ended up being removed from the flight.

This was the second such incident involving the carrier this month after an Iraqi man claimed that he was removed from a Southwest Airlines plane after a fellow passenger heard him speaking in Arabic.

Zainab Chaudry, an official with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a news conference that Ms Abdulle had boarded the Seattle-bound aircraft on Wednesday when a flight attendant told her she would not be permitted to remain on board.

Airport police then escorted Ms Abdulle, who is of Somalian descent and was wearing a hijab, to the ticket counter, where she waited several hours for a later flight, Ms Chaudry was quoted as saying by The Baltimore Sun.

The flight attendant and Southwest employees inside the terminal were unable to provide "any reasonable explanation" for their action, Ms Chaudry said, adding that Ms Abdulle, who speaks little English, was reduced to tears and "suffered extreme distress and anxiety as a result of this experience."

When police asked the flight attendant at the gate if there was any reason why Ms Abdulle had been taken off the plane, the flight attendant reportedly replied, "No" and that she did "not feel comfortable" with the passenger.

Brandy King, a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, was quoted as saying that the "information available, collected at the time of the event, indicates that our employees followed proper procedures in response to this customer's actions while on board the aircraft".

"We are not in the business of removing passengers from flights without reason," Mr King said.

Ms Abdulle's husband Abukar Fidaw said, "She was humiliated because of her religion and the way she dressed."

In a similar incident on April 6, UC Berkeley senior Khairuldeen Makhzoomi was supposed to fly from Los Angeles to Oakland. Instead, Mr Makhzoomi was removed from Southwest Airlines flight after speaking Arabic before his flight took off, the Daily Californian reported.
April 18, 2016 01:52 IST | Last Updated: April 18, 2016 01:52 IST

Muslim Woman Asks For Different Seat, Is Removed From Plane 'Without Explanation'

Originally Posted by blue

Sadams gone now why don't he piss off back there? He's unemployed but flying around.. He's done his bit to soften the West up he must be proud

[QUOTE="blue"]^ oh but Blue, he has a Down syndrome family member that he cares for, that softens our hearts. He's now a poster boy for the U.N propagander machine[/QUOTE
Small mindedness like this will keep the bulls--t going for years to come.

The only problem with these stories is it's difficult to tell from reading them whether this was a case of a Middle Eastern man who really was victimized by a paranoid idiot woman and airline, or if he went out of his way to act "suspicious" and get people's attention so he can play the victim role and sue.

Often only an unbiased and intelligent witness could tell for certain.

He certainly didn't try to keep a low profile during questioning:

"The conversation between Makhzoomi and the employee became complicated and political. The employee informed Makhzoomi that he was not allowed to return to the plane."

Originally Posted by stroller

He certainly didn't try to keep a low profile during questioning:

"The conversation between Makhzoomi and the employee became complicated and political. The employee informed Makhzoomi that he was not allowed to return to the plane."

It depends who initiated the political talk.

Originally Posted by BobR

The only problem with these stories is it's difficult to tell from reading them whether this was a case of a Middle Eastern man who really was victimized by a paranoid idiot woman and airline, or if he went out of his way to act "suspicious" and get people's attention so he can play the victim role and sue.

Often only an unbiased and intelligent witness could tell for certain.

Yes, lots of conclusions being jumped to in this thread. Very difficult to really know how things went down. Even CCTV would not be much help.

A hijab-clad Muslim woman in the US was reportedly removed from a Southwest Airlines plane after she asked for switching seats with a flight attendant saying she "did not feel comfortable" with the passenger.

Ms Abdulle, who speaks little English,

Speaks little English eh?, so how did she inform the staff she was unhappy sitting next to another passenger ?
Maybe shouting pointing and demanding like an typical entitled big mouthed immigrant.
No wonder she got chucked off.
The sooner they put all immigrants in cargo, the better .

^ so Mrs Abdulla did not like the passenger in the seat next to her and wanted the flight attendants seat instead.
Imagine if that was a possibility for everybody.
Good on security for keeping her feet on the ground for 7 hours, that would of made her safe to fly.

SOUTHWEST OFFERS ARABIC SELECT® UPGRADE: SPEAK ARABIC WITHOUT GETTING KICKED OFF PLANE
written by Staff April 18, 2016



DALLAS – Southwest Airlines announced a new premium upgrade available for all passengers starting May 2016. Arabic Select® allows Arabic-speaking and Muslim passengers to comfortably speak the Arabic language without having to worry about getting kicked off the plane.

The Southwest website describes the upgrade benefits in detail:

“Introducing our new premium offering. For just $45, upgrade to our exclusive Arabic Select® seats. Now you can fly with confidence knowing that your language choices won’t arouse suspicion that you’re a terrorist.”

Southwest spokesperson, Jenny Haroldson, commented that the option highlighted Southwest’s commitment to ensuring that all customers have a pleasant flying experience — even if their language of choice makes white people uncomfortable.

“We understand that some of our passengers don’t feel safe when they hear guttural sounds coming from a swarthy passenger. But we also kinda don’t want to blatantly discriminate our Middle Eastern customers, most of whom likely have little if anything to do with terrorism. Arabic Select® is the perfect solution.”

Tammy Romo, Executive Vice President of Southwest explained the business aspect. “It’s just a fact that a percentage of our customers would stop flying with us if we didn’t kick Arabic speakers off their flights. With Arabic Select®, we offset that loss in revenue. So, to our Arab customers we say, go ahead and shout ‘Allahu Akbar‘ and ululate to your heart’s content. We got you covered!”

The Arab and Muslim community welcomed the news and applauded Southwest’s commitment to diversity.

“This is a fantastic service from Southwest,” remarked Basel Awad of the Arab American Forum. “Now Arabic passengers can say phrases like “insha-Allah” and “baba ghanoush” without being confronted by an underpaid, overzealous flight attendant with a power complex.”



But not everyone has welcomed the news from Southwest.

“It’s just political correctness run amok,” complained Jared Redding, a Southwest frequent flyer. “If we let Arabs speak Arabic on a plane, how can we be sure they’re not speaking code with their ISIS brethren?”

Southwest assured customers that Arabic Select® would not affect security.

“Our passenger safety is always the number one priority. That’s why Arabic Select® seating is in the back of the plane, farthest away from the cockpit. And don’t forget, a flight marshal is on every flight. And trust us, he’s going to be keeping a close eye on those Select seats, if you catch my drift,” Romo responded with an awkward wink.

Other airlines are reportedly looking to roll out analogous offerings to stay competitive with Southwest.

United Airlines has used focus groups to test its new Hassle-Free Head Gear® upgrade, allowing Muslim women with hijab or Sikh men with turbans to be treated like human beings for a nominal fee of $55.

Also included in the upgrade is a complimentary in-flight snack of hummus and chips since, as United executive Oscar Munoz put it, “That’s what you people eat, right?”


Southwest Offers Arabic Select® Upgrade: Speak Arabic Without Getting Kicked Off Plane | The National Profiler

Good one.