September 22, 2019 — Dallas, TX
The DFW Muslim Jewish Advisory Council was dismayed to hear allegations that an American Airlines flight from Birmingham to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was cancelled because a crew member and passenger reported feeling uncomfortable after they saw two Muslim passengers wave to one another.
Motivational speaker Abderraoof Alkhawaldeh referred to the incident as “the most humiliating day of my life.” As he and passenger Issam Abdallah were followed by law enforcement, questioned by the FBI and subjected to an additional TSA search.
No one’s freedom of travel should be restricted simply because of their race or religion. We hope that this incident is thoroughly investigated to ensure that respect for diversity is embraced by all American Airlines employees.
The Muslim Jewish Advisory Council calls on American Airlines and the U.S. Department of Transportation to take this alleged incident seriously, review internal processes to prevent discriminatory actions by airlines staff in the future, and continue its longstanding tradition of working with the community at large to provide a valued service to travelers in the DFW metroplex and across the globe.
