The Block Australia 2022 winner Omar Slaimankhel‘s younger brother Zakir was the man caught on camera being verbally abusive to Qantas staff in a recent viral video.
ICYMI – footage taken by another passenger showed a family of five being removed (and subsequently banned) from a Qantas flight bound for Bali on October 20.
The removal came after Zakir Slaimankhel began shouting at aircraft attendants for three minutes because they were being “disrespectful” and caused his “wife to cry” due to alleged “racist” remarks.
“Get out of my face. Get the hell out of my face,” Zakir could be heard saying in the footage. “You’re being so rude. You’re so annoying.”
When the attendant warned him that they would call security, Zakir added: “Unless you carry my kids out, force them out. We’re not leaving. You can force my kids out, but we’re not leaving.”
Media didn’t make the connection between Omar and Zakir until the 27-year-old rugby player posted several pictures on Instagram of himself enjoying House Five’s luxe amenities.
Omar – who scored $1,586,666.66 profit to share with his best mate Ozman “Oz” Malik during the November 6 finale of The Block – was not present during the now-viral incident.
Omar’s Brother Zakir Slaimankhel Responded to Being Removed and Banned By Qantas Airlines
After Zakir and his family were removed from the flight, they were banned from going on any Qantas or Jetstar flights in the future.
After receiving numerous requests for a statement on the incident, Zakir shared a lengthy statement on Facebook.
He claimed that the viral TikTok video – which is said to have amassed “5.7million views within 24 hours” – was “character assassination” towards him.
Omar’s Brother Zakir Slaimankhel Alleged the Qantas Team Members Discriminated Against His Family
Zakir also alleged the conflict with the Qantas staff members came after they made a “racist” comment towards his wife.
He stated the cabin crew had been looking at his wife in a “patronising manner, which made her feel disgusted” after she went into the bathroom to change their newborn son.
“This prompted my wife to ask her, ‘why are you looking at me like that?’ to which she said, ‘I’m not looking at you. I’m looking past you’. Her response was absurd as my wife was still standing in the toilet suite of an aircraft,” Zakir wrote.
He continued: “she mentioned ‘it’s people like you with that head thingy’ in a stereotypical and racist manner. My wife was shocked and started shaking. The behaviour of the staff members made her feel extremely humiliated and distraught.
“Their treatment inflicted immense anxiety within her. She felt isolated, overwhelmed and discriminated against. It made her question herself and feel powerless being a visible Muslim who wears a hijab.”
Zakir alleged his family were “marginalised” by Qantas staff, which caused “emotional distress and trauma”.
“We felt embarrassed, dehumanised and belittled,” he said. “The racist undertone on display throughout the communication and actions of the Qantas staff members was beyond disrespectful.”
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