Man accuses Delta of kicking him off plane for speaking Arabic


Delta Airlines passenger Adam Saleh claims he was kicked off an airplane early Wednesday morning after making a fellow passenger "uncomfortable" by speaking Arabic to his mom on the phone and to a friend he was traveling with. "Please spread," Saleh asked, posting a video of the aftermath of the incident to Twitter:
Although all the details leading up to Saleh's removal are unclear, in the video Saleh and his friend stand in the aisle of the airplane, apparently in the middle of being kicked off the flight. "Guys, we spoke a different language on the plane and now we're getting kicked out," Saleh tells the camera. A nearby passenger shakes his head and says "that's insane."
"This is 2016," Saleh adds, apparently in disbelief. "2016."
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Outrage immediately began pouring in:
Earlier this year, Delta removed a Muslim couple from an airplane after a passenger complained that the pair seemed suspicious. Following the incident, Delta said in a statement that the company "condemns discrimination toward our customers in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or gender. As a global airline that brings hundreds of thousands of people together every day, Delta is deeply committed to treating all of our customers with respect."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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