Washington, October 22: US Airways has agreed to compensate six imams it kicked off a domestic flight in 2006, a decision welcomed by a leading Muslim advocacy group as a “victory for justice” in one of the most infamous cases of what some call “flying while a Muslim”.
“A tentative settlement has been reached at last,” Ibrahim Hooper, the National Spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told IslamOnline.net on Wednesday, October 21.
In 2007, six American imams filed a discrimination lawsuit against US Airways, the country’s fifth largest airline, for violating their civil rights after removing them from a domestic flight and holding them for six hours over what a passenger felt was “suspicious behavior”.
The imams were traveling to Phoenix from Minnesota after attending a national imam conference.
They all had valid tickets for US Airways flight 300, cleared the security screening and headed for their designated gate for departure.
Three of the imams performed prayer prior to departure. Subsequent to boarding the plane, the six were removed from the flight, handcuffed and detained in the airport for questioning for over six hours.
Upon release, US Airways and other airlines refused to allow them to purchase tickets for other scheduled flights to Phoenix.
Message
“We are considering this a victory for justice and civil rights,” said Hooper.
The imams will now receive an undisclosed amount from US Airways in compensation for the incident, but not an apology.
“The imams feel their rights have been restored,” Hooper said.
“This should be the end of this case.”
Still, the settlement is celebrated as a victory for the rights of American Muslims, estimated between six to seven millions.
“We are considering this a victory for justice and civil rights,” said Hooper.
“This case sends a message to airlines officials that they need to be aware of the anti-Muslim hysteria raging in today’s America.”
The imams’ case was one of many examples that some are describing as “flying while Muslim” phenomenon.
Earlier this year, nine members of a Muslim family, including two children, were removed from a domestic flight to Orlando, Florida, after some passengers overheard them chatting about the “safest” seats in the plane.
In 2007, forty Muslim pilgrims were barred from boarding a Northwest flight from Germany to their hometown Detroit and were left stranded at the airport struggling to find another flight back home.
Out of 1,022 complaints filed against airlines since 2001, the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) has taken only four consent orders in which the carriers acknowledged no wrongdoing but pledged to spend $4.4 million to expand training for workers.
–Agencies