Dear Senator Lieberman:

On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union and its nearly 600,000 members, we write to express our grave concern with the removal and subsequent detention of six Muslim imams from a United Airlines flight in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 20, 2006.  The imams were attempting to return home from a meeting of the North American Federation of Imams, where one of the scheduled themes of discussion was how to “dispel misconceptions” about Islam.  These religious leaders were deemed a threat to security merely because they had, in accordance with their faith, conducted their evening prayers in Arabic shortly before boarding the flight.

Unfortunately, this is hardly the first instance of religious, racial, or ethnic discrimination in air travel.  In the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, “flying while Muslim” became a serious problem for those travelers of certain skin tones and faiths.  That problem persists still today.  This most recent instance of discrimination brings into sharp relief the ugly undercurrent of religious, racial, and ethnic ignorance that still influences much of air travel policy.  These men have been neither accused of nor charged with any crime, yet they were handcuffed, denied the ability to travel, and publicly humiliated simply because they had exercised their constitutionally protected right to free exercise of their religion.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (“DHS”) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties has already opened an investigation into this matter.  Unfortunately, this investigation is limited both in breadth and depth, focusing only on the actions of DHS employees in this specific case.  The United States Congress should embrace this opportunity to fulfill its obligation to American people of all faiths to protect our foundational freedom to worship as we see fit.

The ACLU strongly urges you to begin the 110th Congress by calling for public hearings into the issue of religious, racial, and ethnic discrimination in air travel.  Congress must also assess the potential impact on travelers, including members of ethnic, racial and religious minority groups, of the name-based Secure Flight aviation security system.  It is critically important that as the government takes legitimate steps to increase the security of air travel it protects the rights of all air travelers.

Sincerely,

Caroline Fredrickson
Director

Tim Sparapani
Legislative Counsel