Two Muslim Texans settle with Mesa Airlines
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Two Muslim men from North Texas have settled with regional carrier for American Airlines, Mesa Airlines, after alleging the crew found them “suspicious” and referred them to law enforcement before they could fly. In 2019, Abderraoof Alkhawaldeh, a motivational speaker from Irving, and Issam Abdallah, a Dallas nonprofit leader, were traveling home from Birmingham, Ala., to DFW International Airport when the incident occurred. Terms of the settlement were not released. Court documents allege that soon after the plaintiffs boarded the flight, a passenger and crew member raised concerns to the captain that the men were a “security threat,” delaying the flight. Upon arrival, the two men were trailed by law enforcement officers, interviewed by an FBI agent and had their bags searched by TSA officers. “Airlines cannot use racial profiling or other forms of discrimination in deciding who gets to fly with them,” Justin Sadowsky, trial attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a release. “The color of one’s skin or the way they dress is not a substitute for rational, evidence-based security screenings.” Mesa has not responded to a request for comment. In August, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals — which includes Texas — ruled that the discrimination case would move forward to a jury trial. The fifth court reversed the district court’s initial summary judgment after evidence was shown that a Mesa Airlines pilot’s actions were motivated by racial discrimination, according to the release. The decision ultimately led to a settlement with financial payments to both men. “Our community should not have to live in fear of ‘flying while Muslim,’” Mustafaa Carroll, CAIR-Dallas interim executive director, said in a release. “When airlines have to pay for discriminating against Muslims, they will learn to stop.” Last year, American Airlines faced a few racial discrimination complaints after removing two Black celebrities from flights in January and was sued in federal court by a Black passenger for also being kicked off a flight. In October, a Black musician flying to Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight with his two biracial sons was accused of human trafficking. The musician, David Ryan Harris, later started a change.org petition to draw attention to the issues biracial families face when flying. A California mother is also suing Southwest Airlines for accusing her of child trafficking her biracial daughter, an incident that took place back on Oct. 22, 2021.
TLDR: 2 Muslims board a Mesa flight. The CA assumed they were terrorists based on their “Arab, Mediterranean” race and refused to fly with them on board, telling security that she was “not flying this plane with a brother named Issam on it.” and ordered them off the plane. Later got harrased by FBI, TSA, the feds, etc. Judge found the case valid based on discrimination and had a good chance of success in court. Mesa settled before it went to court.
Happened in 2019 and was just settled last week.
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TLDR: 2 Muslims board a Mesa flight. The CA assumed they were terrorists based on their “Arab, Mediterranean” race and refused to fly with them on board, telling security that she was “not flying this plane with a brother named Issam on it.” and ordered them off the plane. Later got harrased by FBI, TSA, the feds, etc. Judge found the case valid based on discrimination and had a good chance of success in court. Mesa settled before it went to court.
Happened in 2019 and was just settled last week.
Happened in 2019 and was just settled last week.
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Interesting considering Mesa is literally the most diverse airline out there. And has a bunch of middle eastern pilots on the seniority list, with me being on of them in the past. If I was FO on that flight and heard the CA say that, I would've put her in her place in front of everyone. And called off the flight. I'm not letting that sh1t slide on my watch. She's lucky I wasn't on that flight as an FO, deadheader, or commuter.
I hope she got sacked by the company and the union sacked her as well. We don't need pilots like this at Mesa.
I hope she got sacked by the company and the union sacked her as well. We don't need pilots like this at Mesa.
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Interesting considering Mesa is literally the most diverse airline out there. And has a bunch of middle eastern pilots on the seniority list, with me being on of them in the past. If I was FO on that flight and heard the CA say that, I would've put her in her place in front of everyone. And called off the flight. I'm not letting that sh1t slide on my watch. She's lucky I wasn't on that flight as an FO, deadheader, or commuter.
I hope she got sacked by the company and the union sacked her as well. We don't need pilots like this at Mesa.
I hope she got sacked by the company and the union sacked her as well. We don't need pilots like this at Mesa.
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To add, its a shame this CA made Mesa look bad, and costed Mesa big bucks in settlement money when they are already in debt. Everyone I've interacted with at Mesa was phenominal with no stigma against anyones race/religion. Examiners, pilots, FA's, etc. I felt very happy and respected at my time at Mesa. The only ones who had a problem with arabs or minorities in general, were unsurprinnsgly usually the FFDO's. Even then, I'd just keep my mouth shut and bid avoid when the next bid comes along.
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Other than looking Arab and boarding a plane? Absolutely not. They were profiled. Straight and simple. Hence why the judge sided with them and why Mesa decided to give them settlement cash. The CA was a straight ahss who deserves to be terminated from Mesa.
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To add, its a shame this CA made Mesa look bad, and costed Mesa big bucks in settlement money when they are already in debt. Everyone I've interacted with at Mesa was phenominal with no stigma against anyones race/religion. Examiners, pilots, FA's, etc. I felt very happy and respected at my time at Mesa. The only ones who had a problem with arabs or minorities in general, were unsurprinnsgly usually the FFDO's. Even then, I'd just keep my mouth shut and bid avoid when the next bid comes along.
“when their pilot, from the East African country of Eritrea, canceled the flight based on their "Arabic, Mediterranean" ethnicity, and told security personnel she refused to fly the plane "with a brother named Issam on it."
so an African American woman racially stereotyped 2 guys?
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