Man accuses JetBlue of racial profiling

Iraqi man Raed Jarrar has decided to take legal action against JetBllue Airlines after an incident last year where he was refused admittance to an airplane because he appeared to be of Arab origin and was wearing a t-shirt with an Arabic phrase written on it.

The lawsuit is being filed on behalf of Mr. Jarrar by the ACLU and the New York Civil Liberties Union, who on the day in question had “We will not be silent” emblazoned in Arabic as well as English on his shirt. Regianld Shuford, a senior attorney with the ACLU said, “Racial profiling is illegal and ineffective and has no place in a democratic society.”

When security turned Mr. Jarrar over to a JetBlue desk, he was told that his t-shirt was making people uncomfortable and that he would not be allowed on the flight. He was given the option of taking off the shirt for the flight but he refused.

He eventually agreed to wear a shirt overtop of his, and said he was forced to sit at the back of the plane during the flight. Cases of discrimination have been reported every month since January 2002.

www.jetblue.com