Qatar Airways suspends flight attendant for 'abaya photo'

Qatar Airways has suspended a flight attendant after a picture surfaced online of him smiling with a pair of abayas - the traditional black robe worn by some Muslim women - that were discarded on board an international flight.

"Qatar Airways strongly expresses its respect for all passengers travelling aboard its flights," the state-owned airline tweeted on Tuesday.

"Therefore, the crew member in question has been suspended pending an investigation into the incident."

Women travelling from Gulf countries sometimes dress conservatively, then change out of their traditional clothing when landing in Western countries.

The image set off an uproar among Qataris and others in the Gulf after a Kuwaiti Twitter user brought it to the attention of the airliner this week.

"Is this the message that we are sending to the West? That our religion is insubstantial and that we only adhere to it when we are in our own countries? What a disgrace these women have caused," said one Twitter user.

Qatar Airways recently eased restrictions on cabin crew identify themselves as employees on social media platforms.

"For the past year, we have been testing a new policy on our cabin crew, allowing them to identify themselves as Qatar Airways employees on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram," an airline spokesperson told the Qatar-based Doha News.

"They are our ambassadors, and they have shown that they are more than capable of handling the responsibility."

Should the flight attendant have been been suspended? Let us know in the comments.