I'd like to hear the Captains side of the story...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Two Muslim leaders who were removed from a commercial airliner in Memphis said they were told it was because the pilot refused to fly with them aboard.

Imams Masudur Rahman and Mohamed Azaghloul arrived at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport several hours after they were scheduled to arrive. They were forced off a plane by a pilot on Friday morning.

"It reminded me when the black lady was kicked from the bus because of racism. That history I found today in that plane," said Raham.

Both men passed multiple security clearances by TSA and Delta Airlines before boarding. They were even rescreened after they were pulled off the flight. Rahman said they had no problem being screened multiple times.

"It is their job to do it. It is out job to show our stuff. We don't have anything. We are living in America; we want the security of America," said Rahman.

But still the pilot refused to let them board.

"The only reason the pilot has cited was some of the passengers didn't feel comfortable, but when the passengers were asked if they felt uncomfortable, none of them indicated that they were," said the imams' attorney, Mo Idibili.

The imams said despite urging from Delta officials, the pilot didn't budge. They said Delta management apologized profusely and put them on a later flight. The flight the imams were kicked off of was operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which is based in Atlanta. It does business with Delta but is not part of Delta.

Ironically, the two made the trip to Charlotte for a conference of imams, where they would be discussing "Islamophobia," the fear of Islam.

"Don't convict them in your mind and heart because you may be uncomfortable with someone who may have a different faith," said Jibril Hough with the Islamic Center of Charlotte.

Their attorney said his office plans to launch an investigation into the incident. If it turns out the pilot was not justified in putting the imams off the plane, his office will sue for negligence and a violation of civil rights. Atlantic Southeast Airlines released a statement and said it apologizes for any inconvenience but it takes security very seriously.