Brooklyn Woman: I Was Profiled, Kicked Off Plane for Being Muslim
The skies were not so friendly to Kameelah Rasheed.
The Brooklyn resident was on a flight to Turkey when a FBI Agent singled her out and removed her from the plane at the Newark Liberty International Airport, she claims, after she had already cleared security and customs.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, she said, "I think this happened because I'm Muslim, because I'm traveling to Istanbul, because they have power with no checks and balances, because security means violating people's rights, because there's a general lack [of understanding of] what safety means, because people don't understand basic geopolitical situations."
After two rounds of questioning, Rasheed was allowed to fly, but her Lufthansa flight had already taken off. When they offered Rasheed another ticket, she chose to stay home fearing that she would be targeted again. She is requesting to get refunded for her flight.
After the terrorist attacks in Paris, several incidents of racial profiling have been noted by passengers in U.S. airports. Two Palestinian men in Chicago’s airport said they were pulled aside by Southwest Airlines clerk when a passenger complained about them speaking Arabic.
Watch: What's At Stake: Marc Lamont Hill’s Commentary on Paris Attack in the video below.
(Photo: Kameelah Rasheed via Twitter)
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