Muslim family files lawsuit after getting 'kicked off' flight at O'Hare airport

Flight crew asked them about harness for one of their children before 'kicking them off the flight' out of the blue

An Arab-American Muslim family is filing a case against United Airlines after they were ‘kicked off the flight’ at O’Hare airport last year.

The couple said they were on a flight from O’Hare to Washington DC when the flight crew asked them about the harness for one of their children. They were then kicked off the flight out of the blue.

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has now filed a lawsuit on behalf of Eaman and Mohamad Shebley.



When inquired about, United Airlines said the family was re-booked for another flight because their children’s safety seat did not adhere to the rules.

Shebley, mother of the two children, had asked for a strap for her child’s safety seat. Instead, the crew asked them to remove the seat and after a short while they were asked to leave the plane, said CAIR in a statement.

"They felt singled-out and helpless," a CAIR representative Renner Larson said. "We are tired of more and more of these instances: of Muslims being taken off flights for flimsy reasons."



CAIR sent the airlines a letter and asked them to tender an apology.

"We reached out to the family following their flight on March 20 to discuss their concerns," a United Airlines representative said. "They were originally scheduled to fly on SkyWest 5811, operating as United Express from Chicago O'Hare to Washington, DC, but we re-booked them on a later flight because of concerns about their child's safety seat, which did not comply with federal safety regulations.

"Both United and SkyWest hold our employees to the highest standards of professionalism and have zero tolerance for discrimination," the representative added.

The article originally appeared on ABC7 News