An airline has sparked fury on the internet after forcing a 12-year-old Muslim girl to remove her hijab before boarding the plane even though she has already passed through TSA security.
Air Canada staff allegedly confronted the California-based girl, Fatima Abdelrahman, and told her to remove her headwear because she wasn’t wearing it in the photo in her passport either.
According to Fatima, the confrontation in front of her squash mates who were traveling with her left her not only embarrassed but also “scared and worried.”
As her letter of complaint explained, the girl requested the staff to have her hijab removed in a private area. After her request got declined, she was forced to expose her hair in front of other passengers.
“It’s a part of me. It’s something that I wear every day. It’s part of my daily life. I am proud to wear it,” the 13-year-old said in an interview with ABC.
“The Air Canada agent looked at my picture, looked at me, and said ‘These don’t connect. You need to take it off,’ he pointed at (hijab). I said, ‘No, I can’t.’ He said, ‘No, you need to!’ I said, ‘No, I can’t, religious purposes,’” she added, before explaining she was also denied private screening.
“So I quickly took it off, didn’t really know what to do. All my teammates had passed, my coach had passed. I had no idea I was alone. So I quickly took it off. She barely glanced and then up at me. And said ‘Ok, hurry up! Hurry up! Go grab your stuff!’”
After the incident, Fatima realized just how bad she was discriminated against.
“First of all, the hijab doesn’t cover my face. So even though in the passport photo I was not wearing the hijab, you can still see my face, and see that it is the same person.
“I saw someone wearing a hat, but they weren’t asked to remove it. Not trying comparing the scarf and a hat. But still, it does cover your head. So why was I asked to remove it, and not them? So yeah, I did feel discriminated against.”
Fatima’s sister also lashed out at the airline and tagged them on Twitter where she demanded answers.
After an official complaint and rage all over the internet, Air Canada responded and said: “We are truly sorry to hear about this situation and we certainly understand your concerns.”
Allegedly, they have also e-mailed the family and informed them that they have updated their boarding policies to allow people with religious head coverings pass without removing headwear.
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Replaced!