• A Muslim man who frequently travels to visit his mother has been placed on the no-fly list following his Palestinian activism.
• CAIR plans to sue the FBI for ‘unfairly targeting Palestinian Americans.’
An America’s Muslim civil rights organisation is suing the FBI, alleging that it is unfairly targeting Palestinian Americans for their opposition to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This includes a man who was unexpectedly added to the no-fly list.
Mustafa Zeidan, who has been trying to visit his mother in Jordan every few months despite her health issues, was denied a boarding pass at LAX on March 28. “I was shocked when airport security informed me that I couldn’t board the flight without providing any explanation,” Zeidan said.
Having lived in the U.S. for 30 years with no prior legal issues, Zeidan was surprised to learn he was on the no-fly list and deemed a threat to national security. “Being placed on the no-fly list has left me feeling deeply humiliated and distressed,” he said.
The only notable change in Zeidan’s life was his involvement in weekly protests in Victorville against the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
Dina Chehata, civil rights managing attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles, noted, “For the past two years at least he’s been really frequently visiting his mother every two to three months. That’s very often. He’s not had any issues doing that until he started this very direct activism.”
CAIR has filed a federal lawsuit against the FBI and other agencies, seeking to have Zeidan removed from the no-fly list. “The government can place anyone on the list without notice, explanation, or due process, and unrelated to any illegal activity,” CAIR-LA legal director Amr Shabaik said.
FBI officials declined to comment on the pending litigation. Zeidan is uncertain about how long it will take to resolve his situation but plans to continue his demonstrations and protests against injustices toward the Palestinian people.
