Can Diet Coke Be Used as a Weapon 30,000 Feet in the Air?

A United Airlines flight attendant refused to give a passenger an unopened can of Diet Coke aboard a United flight, saying the woman could use the can as a weapon, the passenger claims.

The woman, Tahera Ahmad, an interfaith chaplain at Northwestern University and prominent religious scholar, posted her story on Facebook, setting off a social media backlash Saturday morning against United Airlines.

Ahmad says she was offered an open can but asked for an unopened can for sanitary reasons. The flight attendant refused, saying to do so was against airline policy.

“No Diet Coke for you,” the flight attendant declared, according to Ahmad.

Ahmad, who was on Flight 3504 bound for Washington, D.C., to speak at the Kids for Peace Conference, says the flight attendant then handed the man seated next to her an unopened can of beer. After seeing that, Ahmad asked for an explanation, and the flight attendant told her unopened cans can be used as weapons.

Ahmad replied that she was clearly being discriminated against, noting the unopened can of beer. Ahmad claims the flight attendant grabbed the man’s beer and opened it for him and said “it’s so you don’t use it as a weapon.” Ahmad looked to fellow passengers for some acknowledgment the flight attendant was being discriminatory. And for that, she was brought to tears.

A man in the aisle next to her leaned over, Ahmad claims, and said, “You Moslem, you need to shut the f--- up. ... You know you would use it as a weapon, so shut the f--- up.”

Ahmad wears a hijab, the traditional head covering of Muslim women.

It’s routine on many flights for flight attendants to hand unopened beverage cans to passengers.

On Twitter, many people are raising protests with the hashtag #UnitedforTahera.

United Airlines released a statement Saturday: “United is a company that strongly supports diversity and inclusion, and we and our partners do not discriminate against our employees or customers,” according to a statement posted online. “We are reaching out directly to Ms. Ahmad to get a better understanding of what occurred during the flight.”

On Saturday afternoon, Ahmad posted an update on Facebook, saying the flight attendant apologized to her for the “utterly rude” behavior. She said the pilot did, too, and escorted her to customer service to file a formal complaint.

POSTED ON FACEBOOK

In 2010, Ahmad was the first Muslim woman to be appointed by the university to a chaplaincy. She’s the director of interfaith engagement at the school. According to her biography, she was raised in Morton Grove and graduated from Niles West High School, where she played varsity basketball. She studied at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut and was the Muslim chaplain/advisor and Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts. She’s featured in the PBS documentary “The Calling,” about faith and youth leadership.

The university notes that she’s worked with the U.S. State Department, leading workshops on cultural awareness and religious diversity.

Last fall, Ahmad traveled to Indonesia to participate in the International Qur’an Recitation Competition. She was the first American woman ever to do so. She told North by Northwestern that prejudices shouldn’t stop Muslims from practicing their faith and honoring traditions.

“While we have our own challenges, we celebrate diversity in several ways. We can truly experience our traditions and still be proud Americans,” she said, adding that she was a proud Northwestern Wildcat, too. “I was really honored to represent NU. I even wore a purple hijab the day of!”

• RELATED: United Airlines Responds to Discrimination Claim