Flying While Muslim

The harsh treatment of the imams by US Airways, the MAC officers and the FBI came as a result of a series of innocent and ordinary activities by the imams that were construed to be “suspicious” merely because of the religion, ethnicity and national origin of the actors.

When the imams arrived at the gate, they prayed their evening prayer together which is a constitutionally protected and innocent activity. One passenger notified US Airways that the 6 Arabic men were engaged in criticizing US involvement in Iraq, they sat spread out in the plane and they were heard saying “Allah, Allah…” Clearly, the passenger indicated activity that is neither criminal nor suspicious. However, since the Imams were “Arabic men,” any activity was construed to be suspicious.

As a result of the passenger’s note, US Airways acted hastily to remove the Imams from the aircraft without ever approaching any of the imams (as per US Airways policy). The police were summoned immediately to have them removed. The imams were denied service on a US Airways plane despite having purchased tickets for their flight and passing all security checks without incident. They were then lined up against the wall in the jet bridge in a humiliating fashion where all passengers watched. They were made to stand facing the wall like common criminals as they were frisked by officers and sniffed by police dogs.

The imams were then handcuffed and taken one-by-one to detention centers in the airport where they waited for hours. They were not allowed to speak to one another and requests to speak to their lawyers were denied. Finally, the imams were interrogated by an agent of the FBI and an agent of the Secret Service before being cleared. Even after the Imams were cleared by the FBI, US Airways would not allow them to re-book on another flight with US Airways. They were denied at the ticket counter. Eventually, the Imams had to take a Northwest flight back to Phoenix.

The six imams ‘flying while Muslim’ case is a landmark in our nation’s civil rights movement, like other historic cases that have defined the struggle for equality and constitutional rights,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “We urge all those who value freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination to support the imams in the final phase of their case.”

Mr. Award added that this case will set a positive precedent against religious and ethnic profiling for travelers of all faiths. Awad noted that CAIR receives a number of reports each year from those who believe they were singled out for “flying while Muslim.”

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