SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 17: A group of 40 American Muslims returning home from Haj said on Tuesday they were not allowed to board a flight from Frankfurt to Detroit because of their religion and background.

On Jan 7, the group of American Muslims who were largely Lebanese-American Shias had landed in Germany and were going to take a connecting flight to Detroit. Northwest allowed some of them on the flight, but barred about 40 of them, they told a press conference at a mosque in Dearborn.

They said Northwest discriminated against the Muslims and left them on their own to find accommodations while trying to book other flights.

“Probably they were afraid of 40 Muslims on one flight,” said Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini, head of the Islamic Centre of America, a Shia mosque in Dearborn. Al-Qazwini, who was part of the group, said he and other Muslims have had profiling problems before with Northwest Airlines.

Northwest said the passengers were not allowed on the flight because they were late. However, Al-Qazwini said the group had arrived at the gate at least an hour and 30 minutes before the departure while others who came after us were allowed to board the airplane.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations organising the press conference, called for an investigation into the matter. The CAIR said that it will represent the group of Muslims in any possible legal action against Northwest.