Misheard Words Prompt Southwest To Remove Muslim Woman From Flight

AOL Travel News:

Southwest Airlines is apologizing after a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf was pulled off a flight on Sunday because a flight attendant thought she heard her say into her cell phone: "It's a go."

Irum Abbasi, a San Jose University graduate student, was slated to fly at 8:15 a.m. from San Diego when she hurriedly finished a phone call to a Verizon representative by saying sharply, "I have to go,'' Edgar Hopida, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, tells AOL Travel News.

Read the whole story: AOL Travel News

Comments

[ammsamm]

05:54 AM on 03/20/2011

San Jose State University does exist: http://www.sjsu.edu/

Why "unfortunately"? Is AIPAC not enough for you.....

[Erewhon7]

01:07 PM on 03/20/2011

As someone unfamiliar with academia you're excused for being unable to distinguish between a non- existent institution "San Jose University" and San Jose State.

You must have attended "Harvard State".... LMAO.

[truthupontruth]

01:44 PM on 03/19/2011

Hey Southwest, thanks for doing the right thing and apologizing. Anyone can make a mistake.

[ammsamm]

04:43 PM on 03/19/2011

You are right. It takes a bigger man to apologise after doing something wrong. Thanks, Southwest.

[janedoe31]

11:41 AM on 03/19/2011

She may not have done anything wrong, but when someone looks different and does not follow the norm (which in this case not to dress in Muslim garb) you are putting yourself in a position of scrutiny and suspicision. Given the wars, international problems etc, I guess she had a choice as well, take the head dress off or be prepared for the extra attention. You can't have it both ways.

[ammsamm]

04:47 PM on 03/19/2011

I admire this woman and applaud her for having the conviction to be seen openly and publicly as a Muslim woman, however much "attention" that gets her. I especially liked the apology she received - great to know this was a learning opportunity for Southwest.

[Talossa]

01:52 AM on 03/28/2011

Do you applaud Christians for having the conviction to spread their religion in the Islamic world?

[kevinmsieg]

11:41 AM on 03/19/2011

You are ignorant and foolish if you doubt for a second that their aren't groups of people in this world who are to this day still trying to plot the next terrorist attack against us. You can criticize people for being too harsh towards certain groups or religions but I would never criticize the airline or that flight attendant for being vigilant and being careful when we all know something horrific could very easily happen again. Airplanes and airports must be exempt from peoples politically correct sensibilities especially when the safety of U.S. Citizens is at risk.

[truthupontruth]

01:42 PM on 03/19/2011

Just wondering, out of the 16,000-odd murders that occurred in the US last year, how many were at airports?

[John Robbins]

04:48 PM on 03/19/2011

Of the 16,000-odd terrorist attacks by Muslims since 911, how many were by Muslims?

[Mark Webber]

05:35 PM on 03/19/2011

So you mean it could never happen? OK we believe you can all relax now : )

[scoobanchi]

02:57 PM on 03/19/2011

How do you feel about firearm restrictions? Remember columbine?

[ammsamm]

12:09 AM on 03/19/2011

American air stewards seem to be the most poorly educated and most poorly trained in the world.

[Hawkwind420]

08:08 PM on 03/18/2011

How can anybody in their right mind (pardon the verbiage) think that this was OK? I hear yuppie businessmen on planes using that phrase all the time and nothing happens to them. And I'll take a seat next to a Muslim woman ANY day over one next to some money grubbing, egotistical suit-clad yuppie....SHE DID NOTHING WRONG!

[John Robbins]

04:41 PM on 03/19/2011

And neither did the airline.

[kevinbaja]

05:41 PM on 03/18/2011

i notice there are never any repercussions on the staff/crew of said airlines, other than travel vouchers for the "accused" and a big wet "so sorry" from the execs. i wonder how far the passenger will get if/when they complain/comment when they aren't comfortable flying with some flight attendant or pilot who "looks" or "sounds" suspicious....?

[ammsamm]

04:28 PM on 03/18/2011

Calling the FBI for women wearing head scarves, and men performing religious prayers......

Americans have surpassed themselves.

[ammsamm]

04:55 PM on 03/19/2011

No - you have your government and your media to thank for it.

It was probably much easier than they expected.

[ammsamm]

05:06 PM on 03/19/2011

This is the second threat you've made. Be very careful.

[Arsalannn]

02:31 PM on 03/18/2011

Ugh we have the same last name...
I traveled by myself for the first time a few months back and it was a nightmare. Didn't think that I fit the profile, but I realized that an 18 year old male traveling by himself with a one-way ticket and barely any baggage probably looked pretty suspect.. Has anyone seen a terrorist wearing skinny jeans, listening to his ipod, or sporting retro Marc Jacobs glasses before...?

Maybe it was the beard. Remind me to shave off the stubble next time lololol

[stuoverit]

02:10 PM on 03/21/2011

Hipsterrorist

[Arsalannn]

04:46 PM on 03/21/2011

hahaha I'm not sure whether the first or second part of that label is more offensive.

[altoplano]

12:52 PM on 03/18/2011

It is unfortunate what happened to Ms. Abbasi, but not assimilating the values of the society she lives in caused some people to be uneasy around her.

To my fellow liberals who say that she has the right to wear what she wants, that is true, but please remember that by wearing a symbol of oppression, she is actually perpetuating that oppression. Take a minute to remember that even today women are dying -- yes, dying -- because of it. Here are just a few cases:

- Aqsa Parvez, of Toronto. She was killed by her father and brothers because she refused to wear an identity-concealing garment. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/06/16/parvez-sentence.html

- The wife and four daughters of Mohammed Riaz of Blackburn, England, who threw gasoline on them while they slept and ignited it because he was distraught over their increasing acceptance of Western ways. http://www.iris.org.il/blog/archives/2250-UK-Muslim-Honor-Killing-Wife-Daughters-Burned-Alive.html

- Noor Almaleki of Phoenix, whose father ran her over with his Jeep because he thought she was becoming too Westernized. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing_in_the_United_States

They all have the same themes: male dominance of women and the idea that women are inherently morally suspect.

So let's just step back for a moment and remember these women and consider what exactly women who "choose" to wear identity-concealing garments are actually doing.

[spacekadet1]

01:23 PM on 03/18/2011

When somebody is forced to wear anything it is oppression. When somebody chooses to wear a religious garment out of a sense of observance then it is not. When a person is forced to dress or remove a religious garment that one chooses to wear, then it is certainly oppression. You obviously do not know the difference.

[John Robbins]

02:55 PM on 03/18/2011

I can choose to wear a T shirt with an offensive political message about Muslims. No rules against it. But there might be some consequences to that too...

You see, the hijab/jilbab is essentially a political message, no matter what anyone claims. It is not required by Islam, and this is well established. It is popular now because it is a huge F YOU to the West. And that is exactly the message this lady is continuing to send.

Is she allowed to?

Of course, it is her right to.

But she does not have the right to demand no one notice either.

[altoplano]

06:34 PM on 03/18/2011

As long as one woman is oppressed, they are all oppressed.

[Doug Sandlin]

03:58 PM on 03/18/2011

You're confusing sad, primitive culture-based crimes with religion, though.

Islam doesn't condone murder on any level.

Wearing a head scarf is a choice, and the head scarf is a symbol --- and any symbol worn as part of one's attire means what it means to the wearer, not to anyone else (referring to regular people; obviously symbols worn by religious clergy, etc. are a different matter).

If Muslim women associated the head scarf with honor killings, many wouldn't wear it -- especially those who wear it as a confident, purposeful expression of their identity.

[altoplano]

04:27 PM on 03/18/2011

How nice that you are in the luxurious position of being able to determine that. I would let the victims know, but they are all dead, unfortunately. Such a fine distinction is lost on them and all the other women who continue to suffer.

You need to take a hard look at your priorities when you place your own viewpoints, no matter how liberal you think they are, above the very lives of these women. Quite shocking, actually.

[altoplano]

05:57 PM on 03/18/2011

How great that you are in the luxurious position to be able to make that pronouncement. I would dearly love to relay it to the victims, but they are all dead. The fine distinction you make is irrelevant to them.

It's time to stop the cultural relativism, Doug, and examine your priorities. I find it truly shocking that your ideology (no matter how liberal you think it to be) takes precedence over these women's lives.

[Veeve]

12:24 PM on 03/18/2011

The xenophobia is becoming truly embarrassing. I was hoping my country was better than to continue with it, but I guess in a democracy, we always have to account for the least common denominator. I hope she sues Southwest for a fat, six figure settlement and uses that money to pay off all her student loans, lol.

[fmz]

11:35 AM on 03/18/2011

We live in a fcked up country getting worse by the day. Turn off the TV, it's nothing but pure propaganda given to you by psychopaths!

[thedave108]

05:23 PM on 03/18/2011

This man speaks the truth...............Candy coat it at your peril.......

[John Robbins]

04:49 PM on 03/19/2011

Turn off the TV, it's nothing but pure propaganda given to you by psychopath­s!
===
Yes, on MSNBC.

[samm2202]

09:10 AM on 03/18/2011

How awful, I feel sorry for the woman. No one should be profiled as a terrorist because of their appearance or religion, but it happens all the time

[truthupontruth]

12:08 AM on 03/18/2011

I recently read Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink", and I am coming to grips with the fact that large swaths of the current 20-60 y.o generation are in possession of a subconscious automatic bias against Muslims that they will never be able to overcome. Edward Bernays discovered that, when creating a public persona for an important person like the president of the US, first impressions are indeed last impressions. If one does their homework properly and understands how the brain operates, those in power can manipulate these impressions for the benefit of the powerful. By creating a homogenizing influence through the education system and mainstream media, starting with newsreels at the theatre, radio programming, and moving on through television, and now including video games, movies and internet programming, all supported by massive amounts of advertising, one can control what the public sees, knows, and how they think. Americans have a tremendous fear of the unknown, personified through whatever targets are presented through whichever medium - young black males, Russian communists, liberals, Muslims, I wonder who's next? And actually, Muslims make the best enemy, because they are so diverse, disorganized, and non-hierarchical that there can never be a singular official representative, like the Pope, or some high priest. It's like an endless game of whack-a-mole, where the person holding the mallet has been convinced the game will never end. I could continue, but I think I've made my point.
Gladwell, or X, pick your Malcolm and just read more.

[Doug Sandlin]

07:32 AM on 03/18/2011

Hey Truth - Thanks very much for this comment; deep - and potentially powerful.

Two things:

1. I've been meaning to read Blink for years, and you just shifted my "meaning to" to "gonna start" (I'm pretty sure I have it, and if I don't, Kindle makes that part really easy.)

2. Note To All: THIS "thing" is the main one, the big deal one, etc. etc.

It occurs to me that while "those in power can manipulate these impression­s for the benefit of the powerful." is a true statement, many of us (and I include myself in this) may have been manipulated by that very method into misunderstanding who "the powerful" are.

Who are the powerful? Take a moment, go to the nearest mirror, take a good look, and come back.

Yep.

"The powerful" is us.

Platitude? Nope.

Fact.

There are a lot more of us (regular citizens, sitting at computers) than there are of "them" ("the government", "the media", etc. etc. etc.).

As Gandhi said prior to India gaining independence from the largest empire the world had ever known, without a shot being fired:

"Three hundred million Indians cannot be controlled by one hundred thousand British if those Indians are not willing to be controlled."

"They" can try all the "top down" manipulation they like; those days are *gone*, my friends.

We have the information, we have the numbers, and we have reality on our side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-LlUZ3qIqw

[Doug Sandlin]

07:34 AM on 03/18/2011

It occurs to me that while "those in power can manipulate these impression­­s for the benefit of the powerful." is a true statement, many of us (and I include myself in this) may have been manipulate­d by that very method into misunderst­anding who "the powerful" are.

Who are the powerful?

Take a moment, go to the nearest mirror, take a good look, and come back.

Yep.

"The powerful" is us.

Platitude?

Nope.

Fact.

There are a lot more of us (regular citizens, sitting at computers) than there are of "them" ("the government­", "the media", etc. etc. etc.).

As Gandhi said prior to India gaining independen­ce from the largest empire the world had ever known, without a shot being fired:

"Three hundred million Indians cannot be controlled by one hundred thousand British if those Indians are not willing to be controlled­."

"They" can try all the "top down" manipulati­on they like; those days are *gone*, my friends.

We have the informatio­n, we have the numbers, and we have reality on our side.

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=s-LlUZ3qI­qw

[RockyMissouri]

10:14 PM on 03/17/2011

WOW! Stunning ignorance on the airlines' side! They didn't even ask her questions..! Some of us have sunk to an incredible low level... We have got to speak out, or it will only get worse..