Student Kicked Off Southwest Flight for Speaking Arabic, Demands Apology

A 26-year-old University of California student, has accused Southwest Airlines of unjustly removing him from a flight after another passenger reported him for speaking Arabic. The student, Khairudeen Makhzoomi in conjunction with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is demanding an apology from the Dallas based airline.

The alleged incident occurred before take off on a short distance flight from Oakland, Ca to Los Angeles, Ca. Makhzoomi recalls calling his uncle in Baghdad and communicating in Arabic when he began to feel uncomfortable after fellow passengers appeared upset by his phone conversation. A female passenger eventually reported Makhzoomi to the Southwest flight crew and he was subsequently removed from the plane.

The Executive Director of CAIR, Zahra Billoo, called the incident “incredibly traumatizing” and details the student’s experience being subjected to a security check that included drug-sniffing dogs and a physical search. Southwest Airlines stands by the staff’s decision to eject the college student. Southwest believes the staff followed necessary protocol after the reporting passenger claimed Makhzommi’s conversation involved threatening language according to her translation.

Makhzoomi is concerned with the apparent discriminatory practices of American airline companies and is demanding an apology for the unfair treatment he received for “flying while Muslim.”