United Airlines is facing a customer backlash after discriminating against a Muslim passenger. Tahera Ahmad was on an internal US flight when she was refused an unopened can of soda. The flight attendant believed she would use it as a weapon.
Ahmad, a Muslim chaplain from Northwestern University, was traveling from Chicago to Washington, DC, for a conference aimed at promoting dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian youth.
During the flight, she asked the flight attendant if she could have a can of diet coke. However, the 31 year-old’s request wasn’t granted. The attendant told her: “Well I’m sorry I just can’t give you an unopened can so no diet coke for you,” Ahmed wrote on her Facebook page.
Moments later, the passenger sitting next to her was given an unopened can of beer. This prompted Ahmad to ask the flight attendant why she hadn’t been given an unopened can of diet coke.
“We are unauthorized to give unopened cans to people because they may use it as a weapon on the plane,” the attendant is reported by Ahmad to have said.
An astounded Ahmad tried to ask her fellow passengers to support her claim, but unfortunately she only received more abuse.
A man sitting in the opposite aisle yelled at her saying; “you Muslim, you need to shut the F** up.” The 31 year-old responded by saying, “What?!”
The man apparently leaned over, looked her in the eye and said: “Yes you know you would use it as a weapon, so shut the f**k up.” Fighting back tears so as to not cause a scene, Ahmad said she was shocked no one came to her defense, and that other people just shook their heads in dismay.