A Muslim woman’s hijab alone rendered her suspect on a domestic flight

Evidence

On March 13, 2011, Irum Abbasi, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent, was pulled off of a plane because a Southwest Airlines crew member thought she heard Abbasi say “It’s a go” on her cell phone. Abbasi actually said, “I have to go” because her flight was about to take off, but her hijab rendered her suspect in the eyes of the flight attendant, resulting in her removal from the plane and a search of her body. After she was cleared to return to the plane, the pilot refused to allow her back on because the crew was uncomfortable with her presence. She was issued a voucher and placed on the next flight (Quraishi 2011). — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 153

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

• SEED: Prime visceral material: a single misheard phrase escalates to body search and denial of boarding through a woman’s hijab alone.

Related

• A misheard cell phone phrase led to a hijab-wearing passenger’s removal and body search. (similarity 0.88)
• Searched Muslims perceive airport stops as deliberate, not random, and the certainty wounds them. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• The hijab marks Muslim women instantly and provokes hostile public encounters #exemplifies (0.85) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 22