AirTran has issued an official apology to the Irfans, who were removed from a flight to Orlando after passengers reported that members of the family were having suspicious conversations. The Irfans, a typical American family who happen to be into the whole Muslim thing, had been discussing the safest place to sit on the plane. “I just meant as far from the white passengers as possible. Those people really make me nervous,” said Inayet Irfan. “I have kids, for Pete’s sake!” She ammended her statement and maintained that worship of the prohpet Pete was not a part of her Islamic faith.
The apology was a 180 from AirTran’s original account of the incident, which was much more accusatory of the Irfans and even suggested that one of them “became irate and made inappropriate comments.” “That was me,” said nine-year-old Elroy Irfan. “I really had to go to the bathroom and when I asked I said ‘pee-pee.’”
AirTran refused to let the family onto any of its flights despite their clearance to travel by the FBI. To remedy the mishap, the airline refunded the family’s money and offered to fly them home for free. Yet, their sudden change of heart came across as insincere when the pilot was heard stating in a private conversation that “[AirTran] needs to send all these shady Muslims right back to where they came from. Silver Spring, Maryland.”
The Irfans accepted the airline’s apology, but still feel that their treatment of the situation allowed a complaint based on discrimination to escalate into a major injustice. Atif Irfan, a tax attorney, expressed that he may be inclined to sue the airline, not for monetary gain, but in order to bring attention to the racial profiling against Muslims that occurs at American airports every day. “I shouldn’t be judged by airport officials because i have a beard and a dark complexion. That duty is already executed flawlessly by police officers”.
