Unopened Can Of Soda Denied Muslim Woman To Prevent Its Use As A “Weapon”




Flight attendant to passenger wearing hijab and asking for unopened can of coke: "No diet coke for you"

Flight attendant to passenger wearing hijab and asking for unopened can of coke: “No diet coke for you”

United Airlines (United) is accused of discrimination by a Muslim woman who was refused a can of unopened soda because the flight attendant said it might be used as a “weapon”.

Tahera Ahmad, a Muslim chaplain at Northwestern University, told CNN that during a May, 2015 flight, she was offered an opened can of Diet Coke by a flight attendant and for hygienic reasons she requested an unopened can. The flight attendant refused, saying it was against policy. However, Ahmad noticed that a passenger near her had been given an unopened can of beer. When Ahmad questioned the flight attendant about this inconsistency, the flight attendant grabbed the beer and opened it, saying “We are unauthorized to give unopened cans to people because they may use it as a weapon on the plane.” Ahmad then asked other passengers if they had seen what had happened, and was told by one man, “You Muslim, you need to shut the f–k up. Yes, you know you would use it as a weapon, so shut the f–k up.”

Describing the incident on Facebook, Ahmed wrote that the episode left her in tears of humiliation from discrimination. “I thought people would defend me and say something. Some people just shook their heads in dismay,” she wrote. “I was being treated as a threat to everyone around me 30,000 ft. above the ground and no one said anything.”

After the flight both the flight attendant and the pilot apologized to Ahmad, who wore a hijab –  Muslim headscarf – during the flight. The pilot accompanied  her to the Customer Service desk and helped her file an official  complaint.

Shuttle America, who operated the flight, is owned by Republic Airways, which contracts with United. Both United and Shuttle America initially referred to the incident as a “misunderstanding about a drink”. However,   Ahmed complained that it was not about the a can of coke and should not be trivialized as such. She told NBC that the issue was  targeting and profiling passengers.

United has since offered an  apology. In a statement, it said, “While United did not operate the flight, Ms. Ahmed was our customer and we apologize to her for what occurred on the flight. After investigating this matter, United has ensured that the flight attendant, a Shuttle America employee, will no longer serve United customers.” United also said it does not tolerate discrimination – or behavior that appears to be discriminatory – on its flights and will continue to work “with all our partners on cultural awareness”.

Republic Airways released a statement in which it expressed deep regret for “the poor judgment and lack of sensitivity” the flight attendant demonstrated. It said there was no policy that prevented serving unopened beverage cans to passengers and no policy about speculation on how passengers might use the can. The spokesperson said he was not aware of a flight incident in which a can of soda was used as a weapon.

Employees at United and Shuttle America undergo annual sensitivity training, and according to the Shuttle America spokesperson, the flight attendant will be given additional sensitivity training before returning to her position. Although she will not fly United Express, she will be assigned elsewhere in the Republic Airways network.

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