Muslim advocacy group suing FBI after SoCal man placed on no-fly list following activism

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The nation's largest Muslim civil rights group is suing the FBI, claiming it's unfairly targeting Palestinian Americans for speaking out against the war in Gaza.

This includes a local man who was suddenly placed on the no-fly list.

Even though Mustafa Zeidan's mother lives more than 7,000 miles away in Jordan he tries to visit her every few months.

Zeidan's mom suffers from health problems and depends on him.

On March 28 Zeidan was set to fly to Jordan but was denied a boarding pass at LAX.

"I was shocked when airport security informed me that I couldn't board the flight without providing any explanation," Zeidan said.

He has been in the United States for 30 years and has never been in trouble with the law.

He was informed he had been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and deemed a threat to national security.

Zeidan said, "Being placed on the no-fly list has left me feeling deeply humiliated and distressed."

The only thing that's changed: Zeidan leading weekly protests in Victorville condemning the war in Gaza.

Dina Chehata, civil rights managing attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles said, "For the past two years at least he's been really frequently visiting his mother every two to three months. That's very often. He's not had any issues doing that until he started this very direct activism."

CAIR has filed a federal lawsuit against the FBI and other agencies demanding Zeidan be removed from the no-fly list.

"The government can place anyone on the list without notice, explanation or due process, and unrelated to any illegal activity," CAIR-LA legal director Amr Shabaik said.

Asked for a response, FBI officials said they don't comment on pending litigation.

Zeidan doesn't know how long it's going to take to get him off the no-fly list.

In the meantime he said he's going to continue to demonstrate and protest the alleged injustices against the Palestinian people.