PRESS RELEASE
22 February 2020
Muslim Council of Britain responds to comments made by Ryanair CEO
On Saturday 22nd February, in an interview in The Times, Michael O’Leary advocated profiling Muslim men at airports, claiming “males of a Muslim persuasion” are “the bombers”. O’Leary is the Chief Executive Officer of Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline group.
Responding, a spokesperson for the MCB said:
“Michael O’Leary should be under no illusion: his comments are racist and discriminatory. He openly advocates discrimination against “males of a Muslim persuasion”, which presumably is not based on specific intelligence but solely whether someone ‘looks or acts like a Muslim’. This is the very definition of Islamophobia.
“Institutional discrimination against Muslims is well established: whether it is the ability to get a job, buy a flat or even getting car insurance. The challenges of #flyingwhilstMuslim are well documented across the globe.
“It is a shame that such racism is being expressed so openly, and that the CEO of a large airline would so want to discriminate against his customers so brazenly.”
ENDS