(WASHINGTON, DC, 8/17/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s ruling allowing CAIR’s federal antidiscrimination lawsuit against Mesa Airlines to move forward.
[NOTE: CAIR offers a guide for airline passengers who believe they have been targeted by racial or religious profiling or discrimination.]
Issam Abdallah and Abderraouf Alkhawaldeh, two respected leaders of the Dallas-Fort Worth area Muslim community, suffered egregious racial discrimination while attempting to fly home to Texas after an international relief fundraiser in Alabama. The pilot 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.”
Earlier this year, United States District Judge Reed O’Connor granted summary judgment for Mesa. The Fifth Circuit reversed and sent the case back to the district court for trial, holding that a jury could find that the pilot’s actions were illegally motivated by racial discrimination.
READ: The Fifth Circuit’s Decision
https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/MesaOpinion.pdf
“Issam and Abderraouf were profiled, surveilled, and deemed to be a threat simply because of their race,” said CAIR Staff Attorney Hannah Mullen. “We are thrilled by the Fifth Circuit’s ruling and look forward to taking this case to a jury.”
“It is unacceptable to treat anyone like a ‘terrorist’ because of their race or their religion.” said CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri. “Mesa Airlines failed to give Issam and Abderraouf the dignity promised by our civil rights laws.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri, 202-642-4934, lmasri@cair.com; CAIR Staff Attorney Hannah Mullen, 202-742-6420, hmullen@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com, CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com