Abdul Aziz is one of nine Muslim passengers which were removed from an AirTran flight on January 1, 2008, after a fellow passenger reported "suspicious" conversation between Atif Irfan and his wife, Sobia Ijaz, both family friends of Aziz. All of the passengers removed were among Irfan's extended family and friends. Aziz, a Library of Congress attorney, threatened to file a civil rights lawsuit against AirTran airlines.CNN.com: Muslim family removed from plane remains at odds with airline (January 2, 2009) AirTran later apologized to all passengers on the flight for the delay and misunderstanding.ABC News: AirTran Apologizes to Muslim Passengers (January 2, 2008)

After the FBI cleared them of any wrongdoing, Aziz and his companions were allowed to book another flight, but were charged nearly double the price of their original flight. AirTran later issued an apology, offered to refund any additional costs they incurred and gave them a free flight home.ABC News: AirTran Apologizes to Muslim Passengers (January 2, 2008)

• "I guess it's just a situation of guilt by association... They see one Muslim talking to another Muslim, and they automatically assume something wrong is going on." — Abdul Aziz

• U.S. News & World Report: Does Muslim Family Booted From Plane Strengthen Case for Religious Literacy? (January 2, 2009)