CHICAGO – Two men were temporarily blocked from
boarding a Southwest flight in Chicago last week when a passenger became
nervous after overhearing them speak in Arabic.

Maher Khalil and Anas Ayyad were carrying a small
box of Baklava when the passenger at the gate became suspicious.

“If that person doesn’t feel safe, let them
take the bus,” Khalil reportedly told the airline agent at the gate.  “We’re American citizens just like everybody
else.”

The two men claimed they were also delayed by TSA
before boarding the plane because they were Middle Eastern.

After their small box of sweets was inspected,
the discrimination continued on board the plane.

The two men claimed they opened the box and began
sharing the baklava with other passengers.

The airline said in a statement that the incident
only lasted a few minutes.

“We had a slight delay boarding, lasting
only a few minutes, while we completed a brief passenger conversation. All
customers were boarded and traveled on to their scheduled destination,
Philadelphia,” the airline said. “Southwest Employees welcome
hundreds of millions of Customers onboard annually. We are responsible for the
comfort of all passengers and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”

This incident marks the latest case against
Southwest where customers alleged discrimination.

Last week, six men were removed from a flight
from Chicago to Houston after reportedly asking other passengers to switch
seats so they could all sit together.