A UC BERKELEY STUDENT WAS KICKED OFF A
SOUTHWEST FLIGHT AFTER A PASSENGER OVERHEARD HIM SPEAKING
IN ARABIC AND WAS CONCERNED.
NOW THE STUDENT THAT GOT KICKED OFF IS
KHAIRULDEEN MAKHZOOMI.
THERE HE IS.
AT THAT POINT HE WAS A LITTLE WORRIED BECAUSE HE NOTICED THAT
SHE WAS PAYING EXTRA ATTENTION TO HIM, HE WAS SPEAKING IN
ARABIC, AND HE WONDERED IF SHE WAS GOING TO REPORT HIM.
WELL, SHE DID REPORT HIM.
HE SAYS HE NEVER USED THAT PHRASE,
BUT AUTHORITIES ARRIVED AND HE WAS SEARCHED.
THIS IS A SUPER COMMON PHRASE NOT JUST IN ARABIC BUT IT HAS
GONE FROM ARABIC TO OTHER LANGUAGES AS WELL, IT'S IN
TURKISH, IT MEANS I HOPE SO.
WOW.
IN TURKISH, IT'S A
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LANGUAGE FROM ARABIC, BUT LIKE MANY
LANGUAGES, BORROWS FROM OTHER LANGUAGES.
WE WERE TALKING
TO YOUR MOM OVER THE WEEKEND ANA AND SHE SAID SHE KNOWS WHAT THAT
MEANS BECAUSE SHE IS ARMENIAN.
IF SHE WERE TO SAY, I DON'T
KNOW, SPEAKING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE.
DANGEROUS.
ALL
FOREIGNERS ARE DANGEROUS.
WE MUST MONITOR ONE ANOTHER OKAY.
MAKE SURE THAT YOU HELP KEEP AN EYE ON THE DANGEROUS FOREIGNERS
AND REPORT THEM TO THE AUTHORITIES.
THERE WERE HALF A
DOZEN FBI OFFICIALS.
THEY HAD A DOG AND IN REALITY ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT SET THEM OFF WAS NOT JUST THIS NOSY PERSON AND BY
THE WAY, LOOK, IF YOU SAW SOMETHING ACTUALLY SUSPICIOUS, I
GET IT.
YOU ARE ON THE PLANE.
MAYBE YOUR FAMILY IS ON THE
PLANE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ALL HUMANS.
SOMETIMES I SEE A
DUDE AND I GO ñ I DON'T TURN THEM IN BECAUSE FOR WHATEVER
REASON THEY TRIGGERED SOMETHING IN MY SUBCONSCIOUS.
I HOPE THAT
I DO NOT ACT ON THAT BIAS, BUT I AM SAYING TO YOU I GET IT.
YOU
SEE SOMEBODY AND YOU ARE A LITTLE CONCERNED OR WHATEVER.
BUT IT IS A DIFFERENT THING THEN BEING LIKE, HE SAID A WORD I
DON'T UNDERSTAND.
REMOVE HIM FROM THE PREMISES.
SHE DOES
THAT.
SHE PANICS.
I WOULD HOPE THAT THE AIRLINE AND SECURITY
DOES THEIR DUE DILIGENCE.
YOU BRING THE DOG, WHATEVER, THE
GENITALS THING IS HORRIBLE.
AFTER YOU CHECK IN ON HIM AND
YOU FIND OUT HE WAS JUST AT AN EVENT WITH THE SECRETARY
GENERAL OF THE UN AND THAT HIS FATHER WAS
ASSASSINATED BY SADDAM HUSSEIN.
HE'S A REFUGEE FROM SADDAM HUSSEIN.
REMEMBER THE GUY WE
TOPPLED?
AND THEN YOU GO BACK AND SAY, SO SORRY.
LET'S PUT YOU BACK ON THE PLANE.
NO.
INSTEAD, THE GUY SAID, ìWHAT IS THIS, IS IT ISLAMAPHOBIA?î
THE KID GETS KICKED OFF.
HE'S 26.
THEY WERE VERY UPSET ABOUT
THAT.
YOU CANNOT HURT AN AIRLINE EMPLOYEES FEELINGS.
THAT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF TERRORISM AND HE MUST BE
REMOVED FROM THE PLANE.
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT WILL MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT
CLOSELY MONITORING MUSLIMS IS OKAY BECAUSE THEY ARE MORE
PRONE TO TERRORIST ATTACKS.
I DO NOT AGREE WITH THAT.
BUT IF YOU ARE SPREADING THAT TYPE OF MENTALITY AND THAT
TYPE OF ISLAMAPHOBIA, UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT
JUST GOING TO STOP AT MUSLIMS.
I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO MUSLIMS, BUT WHEN I SPEAK
ARMENIAN, I AM SURE IT SOUNDS KIND OF AGGRESSIVE AND CRAZY.
TO THEM, CERTAINLY.
OF COURSE.
MAYBE IT SOUNDS REALLY DANGEROUS.
GET HER OUT OF HERE.
THIS IS SO STUPID THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THIS WEIRD,
PARANOID STATE AND WE ARE TAKING OUR ANGER AND OUR FEARS ON
INNOCENT PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING NOTHING WRONG.
NOT ONLY DID HE GET KICKED OFF THAT FLIGHT, HE DIDN'T GET ON
ANOTHER FLIGHT AND GET TO WHERE HE NEEDED TO BE UNTIL NINE
HOURS LATER.
HE WAS NINE HOURS LATE WHERE HE NEEDED TO BE.
HE HAD ATTENDED A DINNER AT THE LOS ANGELES WORLD AFFAIRS
WITH THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
HIS STORY CHECKED OUT.
THEY MADE EVERYBODY WAIT.
THEY MADE
THE PLANE WAIT.
THE STORY WILL CHECK OUT.
I THINK THE EMPLOYEE
HERE'S FAR MORE AT FAULT THAN THE PASSENGER.
BECAUSE THE
EMPLOYEE COMES AND APPARENTLY SPEAKS ARABIC, SO HE TELLS THEM
WHAT HE SAID AND AT THAT POINT THE EMPLOYEE SHOULD OF BEEN LIKE OH,
OKAY.
IF YOU TALK TO HIM AND YOU GET A SENSE OF - HE WAS
TALKING TO HIS MOM.
HIS FATHER HAS BEEN MURDERED.
YOU SAY
OKAY.
NO, THE EMPLOYEE WAS LIKE DID YOU JUST SAY ISLAMAPHOBIA?
YOU HURT MY FEELINGS.
THAT'S IT.
YOUíRE OFF THE PLANE.
DON'T CARE.
YOU DARED TO OFFEND ME?
NO.
YOU'RE DONE.
SO THAT IS THE COUNTRY WE LIVE IN.
THIS STORY INCLUDES SO MANY DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN
SOCIETY RIGHT NOW.
NOT JUST ISLAMAPHOBIA, ALSO IF YOU ARE A PASSENGER ON AN
AIRPLANE, YOU ARE ALWAYS IN THE WRONG.
IF YOU HAVE ANY COMPLAINT, YOU ARE WRONG.
I DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS THAT THERE IS THIS ONE TYPE OF
BUSINESS IN THE US WHERE THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG
BUT THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH FLIGHTS.