Armed police removed a British man from an easyJet flight after another passenger saw him write a message about a prayer meeting on his mobile phone.
Laolu Opebiyi, a Christian from London, was ordered off the flight to Amsterdam and had to wait three hours to catch the next one.
The Guardian said he was forced to hand over his phone and password to prove to the authorities that he was innocenct. He said he was arranging a conference call prayer with friends using WhatsApp.
Nigerian-born Opebiyi said the passenger next to him must have assumed he was a Muslim and jumped to the conclusion that he may be a terrorist.
“That guy doesn’t know me and within two minutes he’s judging me,” he told the Guardian. “Even if I was a Muslim, it was pretty unfair the way I was treated. I don’t think anyone, irrespective of their religion should be treated in such a way.
“If we keep on giving into this kind of bigotry and irrational fear, I dare say that the terrorists will have achieved their aim.”
An easyJet spokesman said: “The safety and security of its passengers and crew is our highest priority which means that if a security concern is raised we will always investigate it as a precautionary measure. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to the passenger.”