A plane passenger was arrested after allegedly refusing to sit beside a woman, citing Islamic Sharia law, before striking a female flight attendant who tried to resolve the dispute.
The incident unfolded on June 1 aboard a flight bound for Düsseldorf, Germany, according to a report from German outlet Bild.
The passenger was identified only as a 29-year-old Turkish migrant living in Germany.
“According to initial witness statements, the man invoked Sharia law and refused to sit next to a woman,” a police spokesperson told the outlet.
When a female flight attendant approached him to discuss the seating issue, the situation reportedly escalated. Authorities said the passenger either punched or slapped her in the face.
Police were waiting when the aircraft landed in Düsseldorf, and the man was taken into custody.
Investigators said he eventually admitted to assaulting the flight attendant, but not before allegedly insulting the federal officers who questioned him.
The passenger apparently did not realize that one of the officers could understand Turkish and heard the remarks, according to officials.
He was charged with assaulting the flight attendant as well as insulting the police officers.
The passenger allegedly attempted to use Sharia law to justify refusing to sit beside a woman, although religious law has no legal standing over Germany’s civil and criminal laws.
Early reports identified the airline as Turkish Airlines. However, a company representative denied any connection to the incident on Friday.
“The incident in question did not occur on a Turkish Airlines flight and is unrelated to Turkish Airlines,” the representative said.
Sharia Law is only valid in private religious facilities. It is not legal in any other place, and surely not anywhere in public. It is merely a “suggestion” as to how followers should act in their lives. It should be banned from public abuse throughout the world.