Appeals court upholds firing of Muslim pilot
AP ^ | 9/19/6 | JIM SALTER
sfgate.com
Saint Louis -- A Muslim pilot fired a week after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was let go because he was seen in a bar in uniform, not because of religious bigotry, a three-judge federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday.
The panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court judge's ruling that Trans States Airlines did not violate discrimination laws in firing Mohammed Shanif Hussein of San Bruno, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2001.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office in St. Louis filed the suit on behalf of Hussein. EEOC attorney Robert Johnson said the agency was still considering whether to seek a hearing before the full 8th Circuit.
"We're disappointed with the ruling," Johnson said. "We considered it a strong case of discrimination because of the reaction to what happened on 9-11."
Hussein does not have a listed telephone number.
Bill Mishk, a spokesman for Trans States, said the company is "obviously pleased that the appeals court agreed with our position."
Hussein, of Indian descent and a native of the island Fiji, moved to the U.S. in 1997 and was hired as a probationary pilot by Trans States, a commuter airline based in the St. Louis suburb of Bridgeton.
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