GENEVA, Switzerland, April 25 (UPI) -- A French woman boarding a flight to New York from Geneva with her husband and two children was barred from flying due to what she suspects is the mispronunciation of her name.

Printed on her passport surname first, Alic Aïda can sound like "al-Qaida," the terrorist organization, when mispronounced. Alic says the mispronunciation is common and her friends joke about it but she didn't think this particular case was funny.


"Alic Aïda, Al Qaeda. When friends make the play on words to try and pull my leg, I am used to it, but not this. Especially since my name is actually pronounced Alitch. It is of Yugoslav origin. And now here I am labelled as a risk," she told The Local.

Alic says she called the American consulate in Lyon but was unable to confirm the reason why she was put on the list.