United Airlines faces boycott for 'Islamophobia' at 30,000 ft

Chicago, May 31: Hundreds of people have pledged to boycott United Airlines after a Muslim passenger alleged discrimination due to Islamophobia over an unopened can of Diet Coke onboard the American airliner.

Tahera Ahmad's Facebook post over the "clear" discrimination went almost immediately went viral yesterday. The Muslim chaplain at Chicago's Northwestern University was onboard a flight this weekend when she asked for an unopened can of soda for hygienic reasons and says was told, "Well, I'm sorry. I just can't give you an unopened can, so no Diet Coke for you."

When the man next to her allegedly got an unopened beer can from the in-flight service, Ahmad said she was told something even more inflammatory: "We are unauthorised to give unopened cans to people, because they may use it as a WEAPON on the plane."

Ahmad said her fellow passengers were of no help. In her post, she says she was told by another male passenger across the aisle that "you Moslem, you need to shut... up" and used an offensive word.

He said she knew she would use it as a 'weapon' so she should better shut up.

"I am sitting on a United airlines flight in the air 30,000 ft above and I am in tears of humiliation from discrimination... #IslamophobiaISREAL," she posted.

Ahmad did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but Muslim activists took to social media to call the alleged incident an "inexcusable" act of bigotry as other social media users said they would boycott United Airlines based on what they interpreted as open discrimination.

United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart told the Guardian that the airline was attempting to contact Ahmad in order to "get a better understanding of what occurred during the flight".

He said United was discussing the alleged incident with Shuttle America, the airline's regional partner that operated the flight. Federal Aviation Administration policy forbids carrying on unopened alcoholic beverages but does not appear to have a specific "unopened can" regulation, the report said.

Ahmad told the Chicago Sun-Times that she received an apology from the flight attendant on behalf of herself and the other passenger, saying that the United employee had "acknowledged it was unethical and said he never should have said anything".

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Cut all ties with Israel and impose arms, trade embargo; history will record our action: Iran to Muslim countries

News Network

May 5,2024

Iran has urged Muslim countries to cut all relations with the Israeli regime as means of pressuring Tel Aviv to end its ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Saturday, addressing the 15th Heads of State and Government Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Gambia’s capital Banjul.

“Beyond doubt, this time period will also pass by, despite all its hardships and adversities for the Palestinian nation,” he said.

“However, the manner and quality of the role that is played by us, Muslim states, in the face of this crisis will go down in history,” the top diplomat added.

“Undoubtedly, severance of diplomatic and economic ties and [imposition of] practical arms and trade embargo [on Israel] serves as an important means of cessation of its genocide in Gaza and atrocities in the West Bank and the Noble al-Quds.”

At least 34,654 people have died in Gaza since October 7, when the Israeli regime began the war in response to al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation by the coastal sliver’s resistance groups.

Despite the unabated campaign of bloodshed and destruction, the regime has so far fallen short of realizing its goals, including defeating Gaza’s resistance, causing forced displacement of the territory’s entire population to neighboring Egypt, and enabling the release of those who were taken captive during al-Aqsa Storm.

Amir-Abdollahian said Gaza’s developments proved that elimination of the Palestinian resistance “was nothing but an illusion.”

“Because the Israeli regime is not a legitimate government. It is only an occupying apartheid power,” he said, adding, “Passage of time is not going to lend legitimacy to an occupying power.”

The foreign minister asserted that realization of sustainable peace and security in the region was only possible through cessation of the regime’s occupation of Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, return of the Palestinian refugees to their homeland, and manifestation of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

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