Muslim Iraqi student kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for speaking Arabic

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 15: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was created with a smartphone.) Southwest Airlines planes sit at their gates at Baltimore-Washington Inteational Airport as flights are delayed due to technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center August 15, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The FAA is investigating an automation problem with flight tracking at a center in Virginia that has caused delays in flight arrivals and departures in the Washington and New York City regions. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

SHAFAQNA-A college student and Iraqi refugee was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight this week, reportedly for speaking Arabic during a phone call.

According to the Daily Califoian, UC Berkeley senior Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, who fled Iraq in 2002, was overheard by another passenger saying goodbye to his uncle on the phone, using the phrase phrase “inshallah,” which translates to “if God is willing.” The woman, who has not been identified, reportedly thought he had said the word “shahid,” meaning martyr, which is associated with jihad. From the Daily Califoian:

When Makhzoomi hung up, he noticed a female passenger looking at him. Once he made eye contact with her, she got up and left her seat.

“She kept staring at me and I didn’t know what was wrong,” he said. “Then I realized what was happening and I just was thinking ‘I hope she’s not reporting me.’”

Makhzoomi was quickly removed from the plane by security, searched by officers with dogs, and told that he would not be allowed to re-board the flight. According to NBC, he alleges that the incident was fueled by Islamophobia, and that all he wants now is an apology. Southwest has not given him one.

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