A Muslim doctor is demanding an official apology from a U.S. airline after he was asked to abandon a flight in the U.S. this week, CBC reported.

Ahmed Farooq, a Winnipeg doctor, who was escorted off an airplane in Denver on Tuesday, condemned the incident as "institutionalized discrimination."

Dr. Farooq said that reciting his evening prayers was interpreted by one passenger, whom he said was apparently drunk and had previously threatened him during the trip, as an activity that was suspicious.

"The whole situation is just really frustrating," Dr. Farooq said.

"It makes you uneasy, because you realize you have to essentially watch every single thing you say and do, and it's worse for people who are of color, who are identifiable as a minority."

Even Transportation Security Administration officials realized the flight crew had overreacted, but the 27-year-old radiology resident and two colleagues — a man and a woman, were already taken off their flight and asked to stay in Denver for the night and catch a flight the next day at their own expense.

"There's no recourse," Farooq said. "There's no way to really be able to talk to anybody to really be able to reason it out. The police officers who talked to me afterwards and subsequent officials within the first three to five minutes, they were like, 'You know what? The crew made a mistake. We apologize that they took you off. They overreacted.'"

Winnipeg MP Pat Martin urged the federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day to address the case with his American counterparts.

•Discrimination

About 4.5 million Arab Americans live in the United States, nearly 2% of the American population. The number of Muslims in the States is expected to grow to each about 6 million by the year 2010, surpassing the Jewish population in the U.S.

•Polls

Recent polls and surveys showed rising Islamophobia among Americans.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll carried out last March found that more than half of Americans believe there are more "violent extremists" within Islam than in any other religion and that the Islamic faith encourages violence against non-Muslims.

Analysts also say that negative feelings towards Muslims have become much more pronounced than in the immediate aftermath of September 11 attacks on the Unite States, thanks to the biased media approach towards Muslims and the Islamic faith linking them to terror and terror attacks worldwide.

Muslim men removed from flight 613

If you wear a leather jacket in warm weather and speak something that sounds like Arabic, then you are suspicious.

I'm going to dress like a Rabbi when I travel

oooh kinky...

I wonder if Indiana Jones speaks Arabic...

Well said.

He probably should. However I think its important to understand how deep the average person's fear runs right now. On the holiday flight, you are talking about ordinary average people who, rightly or wrongly, get their information from the only sources available to them, the press. They are going on holiday, for a rest, a break. They are taking their loved ones with them, their wives and children. No matter what people say about standing up to terrorism, there is a huge amount of fear right now in the general public with regard to so called muslim terrorism.

Situations like the holiday flight incident will happen more often, sad though it is.

CG

ignorance is what is being spread and due to that terrorisem will spread even further...

they but turn the hands towards terrorisem by discriminating in this way...

more hate will be born and more fear and it will lead to even bigger divides...

those who kill innocents are not muslim we as muslims dont accept them if anything those who are non-muslims force us into there group and to there side by doing these types of things you but send a message to muslims and that is wether you are a terrorist or just a follower of islam there i no place for you in the west and in the end majority of muslims will be pushed into sticking with the terrorists eventhough in the first place they dont agree with there ways at all...

you but only rally the cause of the terrorist and his sick ways...

islam condemns terrorisem and deaths of innocents and always has done...

non-mualims mix up sympathy for the innocent muslims with support for terror and that beyond anything is the biggest weapon in the hands of those who are against islam and the terrorists...

comn people grow a brain and wake up!

Wear T-Shirts stating you're not a terrorist. I'm wearing one with 'I'm a Sikh not Muslim' - You know how these vigilantes get confused...

Looking back though, for example..the September 11 attacks...none of the alleged bombers had beards or wore Sunnah clothing. They dressed like normal westerners. So where does this association with the beautiful Sunnah of Muhammed (SAW) and terrorism come from?

No, but laden does and he is inspiring them!

But Bin Ladin is just one man. Throughout history there have been literally millions of bearded men who don sunnah clothing.....that DIDN'T blow anyone up...or inspire anyone to.

Yes, but they don't cause hysteria do they and they don't sell newspapers (and i don't mean on the corner shop either) :winks:

Muslim pilot reveals shock at being ordered off flight