An American Airlines flight attendant singled out a Muslim passenger on a December flight and repeatedly told him “I will be watching you,” before he was ultimately removed from the flight, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The passenger, Mohamed Radwan, was taking his seat on a Dec. 6 flight from Charlotte to Detroit when a flight attendant identified him by name and seat number while issuing the warning loud enough for other passengers to hear, according to the complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Mohamed Ahmed, seat 25-A: I will be watching you,” the complaint quoted the flight attendant as saying.
An American Airlines spokesman said Thursday the company conducted its own investigation earlier this year after being contacted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations and determined no discrimination occurred.
“We thoroughly reviewed these allegations and concluded that no discrimination occurred,” spokesman Matt Miller said. “We serve customers of all backgrounds and faiths and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.
According to the complaint, the flight attendant repeated the comment about watching Radwan at least three times, but did not make any similar comments to other passengers.
Radwan asked the flight attendant about the comments and was told he was being “too sensitive,” the complaint said.
After he raised the issue with another flight attendant, Radwan was asked to come to the front of the plane to discuss the incident. He was then removed from the plane after being told the flight attendant who made the announcement was “uncomfortable.” Radwan booked a later flight through a different airline.
CAIR said Radwan’s treatment is the latest case of Muslims or passengers of Middle Eastern-descent being arbitrarily removed from flights without an “objectively reasonable cause or explanation.”
“It is apparent that American Airlines removed Mr. Radwan from his flight not out of a legitimate and credible safety concern or need, but because of his identifiably Arabic and Muslim name.”
In April, a college student was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight after another passenger overheard him speaking Arabic, one of at least five similar cases in the last eight months.
In its complaint, the Council on American-Islamic Relations accused American Airlines of violating a federal regulation prohibiting air carriers from discriminating against passengers of “race, color, national origin, religion, sex or ancestry.”
It requested DOT to investigate the incident and take a broader look at a potential pattern of discrimination by major U.S. carriers. The complaint also requests DOT to develop clear guidelines for determining when a passenger may be removed from a flight and require regular diversity training for employees.
The Dallas Morning News
Muslim passenger removed from American Airlines because Flight Attendant felt uncomfortable
