Southwest Airlines draws outrage over man removed for speaking Arabic

The account of a UC Berkeley researcher who was removed from a flight after a fellow passenger heard him speak Arabic on his phone has drawn condemnation and outrage for the airline, Southwest, about a perceived pattern of barring travel. Khairuldeen Makhzoomi was removed from the Oakland-bound flight from LAX April 6. According to Makhzoomi, he was removed from the flight and questioned by the FBI after another passenger informed airline staff about his phone conversation, which was to his uncle in Baghdad. He ended the call with the word “inshallah”, meaning “God willing”, and said the passenger thought he used the word “shahid”, meaning “martyr”, during the conversation. Southwest said Makhzoomi was removed because of “potentially threatening comments made aboard our aircraft”. <br/>