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New Jersey (IINA) - A Muslim flight attendant in the US has filed now a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that his co-workers repeatedly called him a terrorist and a member of militant groups Hezbollah and the Taliban.

Farkhan Mahmood Shah, of Edison, New Jersey, also claims in the lawsuit, filed recently in the Superior Court in Middlesex County that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents came to his house after he complained about the harassment to company officials.

Shah who is originally from Pakistan alleges that he was targeted for religious and ethnic harassment after the attacks of September 11, NJ.com reported.

American Airlines failed to stop the harassment after he reported it, Shah claims in the lawsuit.

Shah, who started working at the airline in 1999 as a flight attendant, says in the suit that he was called a terrorist, part of Hezbollah and the Taliban, and other offensive names, Hindustan Times News reported.

On one flight, he claims another flight attendant tried to convert him from Islam to Christianity.

American Airlines spokesperson Matt Miller said the company is reviewing the complaints in Shah's lawsuit.

American does not tolerate discrimination of any kind, Miller was quoted as saying.

Shah said he reported the alleged harassment in 2008 when he began to notice erroneous marks on his record for being late and missing work.

The complaint escalated to the airline's New York human resources office in 2013 following numerous complaints where he also brought up the record errors, the suit said.

Shah claims the harassment continued over the next two years as his case was moved around to a number of different human resources representatives without any resolution, according to the suit.

In 2016, he filed a complaint with US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the suit states. Less than two weeks later, Shah claims FBI agents showed up at his house again, asking him if he planned on hurting anyone.

Shah received his Right to Sue letter from the EEOC earlier this year and remains on airline's staff.

The suit, which names American Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, seeks damages, attorney fees and other relief.

Source: International Islamic News Agency

Category: Education