Muslim Men Who Were Taken Off Flight Sue For Discrimination

A lawsuit was filed in Tennessee federal district court yesterday by two Muslim men who were taken off an Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight from Memphis (TN) to Charlotte (NC) after the pilot was uncomfortable with them being on board. The two-- a professor and a Muslim cleric-- were wearing traditional Islamic dress and were on their way to a conference on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bias. (See prior posting.) The complaint (full text) in Rahman v. Delta Airlines Inc., (WD TN, filed 12/19/2011) claims that the airline's actions violated federal and state anti-discrimination laws. It also asserts claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress, slander and negligent supervision.  A CAIR press release and a report from the Memphis Commercial Appeal have additional details.