Even if there are questions, you should not answer them, nor do they have any right to confiscate it as it's not illegal, nor is it on the prohibited items list.

Escalate to the supervisor or airline GSC as needed.

I brought quite a large one home from Morocco for my son, disassembled of course, in my hand luggage. No comments on it at CDG or at LAX from CBP although the agent did ask me what "sheesha" was on my declaration form.

CBP personnel in DHS are more competent in determining prohibited items than TSA personnel in the same Department, so I am not surprised that LAX's CBP wouldn't make a mountain out of air. The TSA is unfortunately another beast but usually even they don't make an issue of transporting this item, at least not if disassembled and with the more dense components placed in checked luggage rather than carry-on.

I have known many people to fly with a bong. It's a perfectly legal item, and a pipe, hookah, or even cigarette paper should fall into the same category. If the standard is: you can smoke pot from it, then they should confiscate empty aluminum cans, aluminum foil, notebook paper, Bic pens, and just about anything else a creative and desperate high school student can come up with. What a security guard (even a federally employed one) imagines what you could do with your hookah should not be your concern, and they should not share their thoughts with you.

Pack the pieces in different bags, but I cannot understand why you should have any trouble.

Aw, you stopped using my site? :(

my bad :(. i lost my bookmarks a while back and did a f/t search to find a link-can you post/pm me the link? :)

I have
 

I have seen a number of those (pardon the pun) and there is nothing about them that is prohibited.