Kashif Irfan, Family Members Removed From Air Tran Airlines Flight After Brother Atif Remarked that the Jet's Wings Were Next to His Window

Photo: My FoxDC, Members of Irfan Family

Nine Muslims were kicked off an Air Tran Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., to Florida after other passengers reported hearing a suspicious remark. Do you want to know what the suspicious remark was? Passenger Kashif Irfan tells The Washington Post the confusion began when his brother, Atif, remarked aloud that the plane's jets were next to his window. This was a serious case of racial profiling. So what if the comments were that the plane's jets are next to his window? I hate to have a seat over near the wings. What if I said that aloud the next time I was flying? Will I be kicked off? Crazy. Of course, Air Tran didn't have the decency to put the family on another flight once they discovered the dust-up was without merit. They had to pay for seats on another airline.

Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI.

Kashif Irfan, one of the removed passengers, said the incident began about 1 p.m. after his brother, Atif, and his brother's wife wondered aloud about the safest place to sit on an airplane. "My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Irfan said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' I think they were remarking about safety."

Irfan said he and the others think they were profiled because of their appearance. He said five of the six adults in the party are of South Asian descent, and all six are traditionally Muslim in appearance, with the men wearing beards and the women in headscarves. Irfan, 34, is an anesthesiologist. His brother, 29, is a lawyer. Both live in Alexandria with their families, and both were born in Detroit. They were traveling with their wives, Kashif Irfan's sister-in-law, a friend and Kashif Irfan's three sons, ages 7, 4 and 2. Source: Washington Post

You'd better believe that they were profiled because of their appearance and the fact they were Muslims. News flash -- not every Muslim is a terrorist. The least they could have done was to book the family on another flight as soon as possible, instead of playing hardball when Air Tran had egg on its face. The airline was clearly out of line and owe this family more than just a mere public apology.