Lawsuit against Air Canada after Muslim woman was forced to take off her hijab in front of passengers

The Council of American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint against Air Canada on behalf of a Muslim girl who was forced to remove her hijab in front of passengers on a flight to San Francisco.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint against Air Canada on behalf of a Muslim girl who was forced to remove her hijab in front of passengers on a flight to San Francisco.

“The Council is concerned that Muslims traveling on Air Canada may face similar treatment if the nature of the company’s policies and procedures is not clarified,” Ahmed Rafiqi, the legal and civil rights coordinator for the Council’s San Francisco branch said. 

Rafiqi demanded that “Air Canada” sincerely apologizes to the family of the girl Fatima Abdul Rahman (13 years).

The family wants a written apology from the Canadian airline.

Sources noted that the girl’s lawyer is ready to negotiate with the Canadian company in order to reach a settlement, to avoid a legal battle.

The incident began when Fatima was forced to take off her headscarf in August, returning to San Francisco, despite completing a security check at the gates and refusing to remove her headscarf in a private room or place.

In August, Fatima, an American Squash player, traveled to the Canadian city of Toronto to take part in a sports tournament on the same day.