Alaska Airlines sued for allegedly deplaning two Muslim-Americans over Arabic texts

Alaska Airlines wrongfully removed two Black Muslim men from one of its flights in Washington state after a fellow passenger complained about one of the men sending a text message in Arabic, a recent federal lawsuit alleges.

Abobakkr Dirar and Mohamed Elamin boarded a trip in Seattle headed to San Francisco in February 2020, the lawsuit states. Just before takeoff, Dirar sent text messages and emojis to a friend who wasn't on the plane. Another passenger, who couldn't read or speak Arabic, saw the text messages and complained to an Alaska Airlines flight crew member, Dirar and Elamin's lawyers said in a statement. 

The lawsuit, filed August 2, claims the unnamed passenger who reported the men quickly stood up, grabbed his bag and exited the plane. An Alaska Airlines manager then deplaned Dirar and Elamin, after which the men were subjected to extra security checks and blocked from boarding a plane together on a re-booked flight. Airport security personnel also took Dirar's cellphone, the lawsuit alleges.