A Muslim student was thrown off a Southwest flight, when he was heard speaking Arabic over the phone and one of his words was interpreted as another that sounded like “martyr”. Read the full story after the jump.
Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, a political science student at Berkeley, was speaking in Arabic during a phone conversation with his uncle as he awaited takeoff when a nearby passenger reported him.
The 26-year-old was speaking to his uncle about his attendance at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council with Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, when he said the word “inshallah”, which means “God-willing”, but somebody thought he said “shahid”, which means “martyr”.
Makhzoomi is seeking an apology from the airline but has yet to receive one. After being detained, the FBI began to question him about his bags and the phone conversation and said when authorities began to “search his genital area” for a knife, his “eyes began to water.”
It’s been two weeks since the incident and the student suggests that we handle terrorism not with ignorance but with “education and knowledge”.
