A Winnipeg woman is talking after she was forced to take off her hijab while trying to board a Flair Airlines flight.
Kazi Amin flew to Bangladesh with her husband and children to visit her family. On his return flight, he had to change airplanes at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Amin cleared customs, but said she was arrested by an employee when she tried to board her plane.
“The airline employee took my passport, looked at my passport, looked at me and said that my passport does not match my face, so I have to eliminate my [hijab]”said Amin.
An Hijab is a religious garment used by some Muslim women. Amin and her husband tried to explain that the Hijab cannot be withdrawn for religious reasons, but the staff did not listen.
Amin said he felt “humiliated” and “helpless.”
“I don’t know what else I could do. I removed my hijab in public … we are not allowed to eliminate our hijab in public. We can only eliminate our hijab in front of our family,” Amin said.
Amin’s passport photo was taken in 2016 before he used a hijab. She said Flair Airlines told her to take it away because her hair looked different in the passport photo. Amin Afsara Raidah’s daughter said that this is not a reasonable excuse.
“I am blond at this time. I can be dark hair again, so will it go and will bleach my hair at that time before boarding the plane? It makes no sense,” said Raidah.
Amin had already cleared customs and security when asked to take off the scarf from the head. The Canada air transport security website says that passengers do not have to eliminate cutlery from the religious head unless it causes an alarm during detection.
The guidelines continue to say that if a physical search is required, passengers are supposed to have the option to perform that search in a private room. Amin said that he was not given that option.
Flair said the employee is licensed and there is an ongoing investigation. He said the worker is an employee of Flair’s Ground Partner, AGI.
“While the individual involved is employed by AGI, our land management partner, not to Flair airlines directly, we hope that all service partners will maintain the same standards of respect, professionalism and non -discrimination that we require from our own team,” said the CEO of Flair Airlines, Maciej Wilk, in a statement to CBC News.
“Agi has issued a formal apology to the passenger.”
Raidah said the apology is vague. He published it on social networks so that people could see him and said he would have liked to see his mother directly.
“There are many other people who have gone through a similar situation, and they are not just Muslim women,” Raidah said.
“The staff must be properly trained, making sure to comply with ethics and after the Canada Transport protocols.”
Raidah says he is talking to his lawyer on how to take legal actions against Flair Airlines for the incident.
A Winnipeg woman is talking after they told her to take away the hijab before being able to board a Flair Airlines flight.
