US man sentenced for forcefully removing Muslim woman's hijab on flight

Attorney says case sends a clear message to anyone to express their faith without fear

A North Carolina man who forcefully removed a Muslim woman’s hijab aboard a flight last year has been sentenced by a federal judge.

Gill Parker Payne , 37,  who shouted “this is America!,” while forcefully pulling off  a Muslim woman’s hijab has been sentenced to a year in probation and two months of home detention.



Payne was also fined $1,000 for the attack, according to a statement by the US Attorney’s Office in the District of New Mexico.

“You hurt me, you disrespected me you violated me,” said the victim, Khawla Abdel-Haq in court on Tuesday, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

“I was scared, and it shouldn’t be like that,” she said, adding that she didn’t leave her home for weeks out of fear after the in-flight attack.

In a written plea agreement, Payne admitted he targeted Abdel-Haq because of her hijab.

According to Justice Department court documents Payne said: “I saw that KA was wearing a headscarf. I was aware that it is a religious practice of Muslim women to wear a headscarf.”

Payne pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour count of obstructing a person’s free exercise of religious beliefs. He was on a Southwest flight from Chicago to Albuquerque when he noticed Abdel-Haq seated a few rows in front of him wearing a hijab.

Since pleading guilty, Payne admitted he has acquainted himself with other religions, including Islam. He also said that he recently visited a mosque. “I’m embarrassed. I’m 100 per cent embarrassed,” Payne said in court on Tuesday.



The case “sends a clear message to anyone who contemplates the use of threats or intimidation to interfere with the right of individuals, including members of our Muslim community, to express their faith without fear.” US Attorney Damon P Martinez of the District of New Mexico said in a statement.

“The Justice Department is committed to protecting the religious rights of Muslims in New Mexico by aggressively prosecuting those who perpetrate hate crimes against them,” he added.

This article originally appeared on BuzzFeed.