Arab-American family outraged after being kicked off US flight

Arab-American family outraged after being kicked off US flight
A Muslim family travelling on a US airline has complained of discrimination after being forced off the aircraft.
2 min read
03 April, 2016
The family filed a 'discrimination' complaint to the airliner [Getty]

A Muslim family was outraged after being kicked off a United Airlines flight for alleged "safety reasons" as the incident was caught on camera and spread across social media platforms.

Eaman-Amy Shebley, the mother of three travelling on the US-based flight, accused the airline of discrimination after being asked to leave the plane.

Footage of the incident filmed by Shebley were posted on her Facebook page and caught the attention of many in the public opinion who voiced support for the Arab-American family.

A flight attendant is seen asking Shebley and her husband to leave the plane to which the family responds with firm resistance before another male member of staff reiterates the demand.

“Shame on you United Airlines for profiling my family for no reason than how we look," a hijab-wearing Shebley wrote on a Facebook post. "My three kids are too young to have experienced this.”

“Unfortunately there’s a growing problem on airlines of Muslims being removed from flights when they cause no reasonable security concerns," Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relationsof Michigan [CAIR], Dawud Walid told WDIV.

The airliner responded to concerns suggesting a lack of children's safety seats onboard the flight was the reason behind the sudden ejection of the family.  

'We rebooked them on a later flight because of concerns about their child’s safety seat, which did not comply with federal safety regulations," United Airlines wrote in a statement.

"Both United and SkyWest hold our employees to the highest staneards of professionalism and have zero tolerance for discrimination.”

The airline apologised for the incident and rebooked the family of five on another plane following the incident.

The Shebley family has filed an official complaint.