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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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08 September 2006

PRESS RELEASE: Removal of Jewish Passenger for Praying Shows Rise in Intolerance on the Back of Islamophobia

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) is deeply concerned at the removal of a Jewish passenger from an Air Canada Jazz flight for praying. The man, a Hassidic Jew, was removed after passengers complained to a flight attendant that his praying was making them nervous.

IHRC is also very worried about a statement allegedly made by the flight attendant who removed the passenger. According to a witness to the incident, she told the passenger that she recognized that he wasn’t a Muslim but apologized that they had to take this action. Such as statement implies that had the passenger been a Muslim, there would have been no need to apologise.

IHRC Chair Massoud Shadjareh stated:

“One of the hidden dangers of Muslim profiling and other aspects of institutional Islamophobia is that it creates an atmosphere in which other forms of intolerance and anti-religious hostility is legitimised.”

According to newspaper reports, Air Canada Jazz spokesperson Manon Stewart said that the crew had to act in the interest of the majority of the passengers. IHRC believes that this was the very attitude which created the atmosphere that allowed genocide to take place in Nazi Germany, Rwanda and the Balkans.

For more information please contact (+44) 20 8904 4222, or (44) 7958 522196 email:info@ihrc.org [ ENDS ]

Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Fax (+44) 20 8904 5183
Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org