Woman dragged off Southwest Airlines plane says it was motivated by 'anti-Muslim bias'

Professor Anila Daulatzai was filmed as she was forced from aircraft after 'complaining of dog allergy'

Anila Daulatzai was filmed being dragged from a flight to Los Angeles (YouTube/screengrab)

A pregnant woman who was forcibly removed from an Southwest Airlines flight has claimed she is a victim of sexism and racial profiling.

Anila Daulatzai, a professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, was filmed as police dragged off the flight to Los Angeles at Baltimore-Washington airport last week

Officials from the airline said she was removed after reporting that she had a life-threatening allergy to a pair of dogs that were travelling in the plane's cabin.

Ms Daulatzai’s lawyers have denied this and instead claimed she was “profiled, abused, interrogated, detained, and subjected to false reporting and the trauma of racist, vitriolic public shaming precisely because she is a woman, a person of color, and a Muslim.”

They said that she told the crew she was allergic to the animals but she never claimed it was life-threatening and agreed she could cope by sitting further away.

The 46-year-old then sat down in her seat and began doing some work when several Southwest Airlines representatives questioned her, before asking her to leave the plane.

When she refused, they summoned the Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MDTA).

“Police pulled her from her seat by her belt loop, dragged her through the aisle exposed with torn pants, and humiliated her for the world to see in a now viral video,” her lawyers said in a statement.

They added: "She survived sexism, racial profiling, and police brutality that fateful day. Her mistreatment was particularly distressing because she is presently pregnant with her first child."

Ms Daulatzai was taken into custody and charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and other misdemeanor offences.

An MDTA representative said on Wednesday: “Despite her clear attempt to resist a law enforcement officer, Ms. Daulatzai was professionally removed from the aircraft within the guidelines of the MDTA police.

“This remains an open case that will be handled in the appropriate venue, not through various media channels.”