H/T Dorrie

Masudur Rahman, Mohamed Zaghloul Asked To Deboard Delta Flight In Charlotte

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/masudur-rahman-mohamed-za_n_858823.html
By RANDALL DICKERSON 05/ 6/11 05:39 PM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two Muslim religious leaders say they were removed from a commercial airliner in Memphis on Friday and were told it was because the pilot refused to fly with them aboard.

Masudur Rahman, who is also an adjunct instructor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, said by telephone from the terminal at Memphis International Airport [called the press right away, huh?] that he and another imam had already been allowed to board their Delta Connection flight to Charlotte, N.C., before they were asked to de-board.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Jon Allen in Atlanta confirmed the incident and said it was not initiated by that agency.

A Delta Air Lines spokeswoman said the flight was operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which is also based in Atlanta. ASA didn’t immediately respond to telephone calls seeking comment.

Rahman said he was dressed in traditional Indian clothing and his traveling companion was dressed in Arab garb, including traditional headgear. . . .

The aircraft pulled away from the gate, but the pilot then announced the plane must return, Rahman said. When it did, the imams were asked to go back to the boarding gate where Rahman said they were told the pilot was refusing to accept them because some other passengers could be uncomfortable.

Rahman said Delta officials talked with the pilot for more than a half-hour, but he still refused. [Good  for him. Backing down is a BIG mistake with these guys.] . . .

[The first thing they did!] They called the Council on Islamic-American Relations [sic], a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in Washington, D.C. [This is a set-up, I’m thinking, to get a chance to sue another airline.]

“It’s racism and bias because of our religion and appearance and because of misinformation about our religion.” Rahman said. “If they understood Islam, they wouldn’t do this.” [Actually, I think the pilot and passengers understand it very well. These two were making themselves obvious, and the pilot didn’t much care for it. He’s the captainof the ship; he calls the shots. Now he’ll probably be sued].

He said a Delta manager apologized for the pilot’s actions [What a weasel], but that he and Zaghloul never spoke directly with the pilot.

Ibrahim Hooper, of the Islamic-American organization, said the group will follow up with the airline and with the TSA to help ensure such incidents do not continue to occur.[This is CAIR’s raison d’etre. Force us into silence; accept that we’re a conquered nation].Hooper said airline officials at Memphis tried to resolve the situation, but the pilot refused [to be bullied into changing his decision; again, good for him].