Airline pilot ordered Muslim couple off flight to US

Flight attendant said Muslim woman's headscarf and man's "sweating" made her nervous.

Nazia and Faisal Ali, were kicked off a Delta Airlines flight from Paris to Cincinnati on July 26. They have lodged a complaint against Delta. The Enquirer/ Liz Dufour

CINCINNATI // A Muslim couple were thrown off a Delta Arlines flight after a flight crew member complained that their presence made her feel uncomfortable.

Nazia and Faisal Ali boarded the aircraft for a nine-hour fight from Paris to Cincinnati on July 26 at the end of a trip to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. Mrs Ali, 34, told the Cincinnati Enquirer she had just removed her shoes and sent a text to her parents when a member of the ground crew approached the couple and asked them to gather up their belonging as “You’re not going to be on this flight.”

It transpired that one of the flight crew had told the pilot that she was uneasy about the Muslim couple seated in the second row of economy class. The woman was wearing a headscarf and using a phone and the man was sweating and had tried to hide his mobile phone, she allegedly told the pilot, who then contacted the ground crew.

After being led off the aircraft, the Alis say they were questioned in a “rough manner” by a French security official who wanted to know how long they had been in Paris and where they had stayed and took photos of their passports. They insisted they be allowed back on the flight but noticed it was already pushing back from the gate. After questioning them, Mr Ali said the ground crew member told them, “You did nothing wrong. That’s the way the world is right now.”

Mr and Mrs Ali emigrated to the US from Pakistan with their respective families and both became American citizens 16 years ago. Mr Ali, 36, has a degree from the University of Cincinnati and is a director of the home health care company he owns with his father and brother, while his wife attended Wright State University, also in Ohio. They have three sons aged five, four and two.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a complaint against Delta to the US department of transportation for discrimination. CAIR also called for the department to create guidelines for US based airlines on the removal of passengers.

In a statement, Delta said the airline condemned all discrimination towards its customers and was “deeply committed to treating all of our customers with respect.” It was investigating the incident and would refund Mr and Mrs Ali’s air fare.

For the Alis, who flew home the next day, it was a bitter end to a memorable holiday in London and Paris.

“It was humiliating. We were treated like criminals,” said Mrs Ali. She considered not wearing her headscarf when they flew back to the US the next day but thought better of it, “because I did nothing wrong.” She added, “This was an international flight crew. They should be more educated.”

*The National Staff