‘Islamophobia Now Legitimized In US After Paris Attacks,’ Muslim Artist Alleges After Being Forced To Leave Plane

Kameelah Rasheed is considering not flying any more after she was repeatedly interrogated by authorities while traveling to Turkey for holidays.

Rasheed passed security checks at Newark Liberty International Airport but was called again for further interrogation. She was allowed to board a United Airlines flight but forced to leave the plane before takeoff as an FBI agent wanted to talk to her.

Rasheed says it was an attempt to ostracize her.

"I think this happened because I'm Muslim, because I'm travelling to Istanbul, because they have power with no checks and balances, because security means violating people's rights, because there's a general lack [of understanding of] what safety means, because people don't understand basic geopolitical situations," the 30-year-old told Al Jazeera Wednesday.

Rasheed, who wears a headscarf, was the “only visibly Muslim” on the flight with around 200 passengers. She says Islamophobia has not come back after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. On the contrary, she believes Islamophobia has always been there in the United States and has been legitimized after the Islamic State attacks in France.

"Right after 9/11, you could do it [commit hate crimes towards Muslims] for a couple of years and no one would blame you… And now after Paris, it's like, 'look at what they did, I can treat them how I want',” she said.

According to Rasheed’s official website, she is a research-based conceptual artist, writer and educator. Her biography on the website says her work has been reviewed and written about in The New York Times, Art 21, Wall Street Journal, ArtSlant and Hyperallergic.