London - A Muslim newlywed was detained by airport police under terror laws after cabin crew spotted her reading a book on Syrian art as she flew back from her honeymoon.
Faizah Shaheen was quizzed by officers at Doncaster airport after being reported by Thomson Holidays staff on a flight from Turkey.
The 27-year-old, who helps prevent teenagers with mental health issues from becoming radicalised, said she was made to feel ‘like a culprit’.
Shaheen felt she was discriminated against because of her faith and treated as a terror suspect because she was reading about Syrian culture.
Police questioned her for 15 minutes under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act and told her their suspicions were aroused by her holiday reading.
The book, entitled Syria Speaks: Art and Culture From The Frontline, is an award-winning collection of essays, poems and songs from Syrian artists and writers. Shaheen, who works with mental health patients in the NHS, said if a non-Muslim passenger had been reading the same work, they would not have been stopped.
‘I was completely innocent,’ she said. ‘I was made to feel like a culprit. I do question whether it would be different if it was someone who wasn’t Muslim.’
After coming through passport control, Shaheen was taken aside by two police officers who asked to check her documents again.
‘They said I had been reported due to a book I was reading and was to be questioned under the Terrorism Act,’ said Shaheen, from Leeds.
‘I became very angry and upset. I couldn’t understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this. I told the police I didn’t think it was right or acceptable.’
She was given an information leaflet explaining that Schedule 7 legislation is used by police to determine whether a person appears to be or has been involved in terrorism. The mental health practitioner said she fought back tears as she told police how she works to protect children at risk of radicalisation.
‘I’m actually part of trying to fight radicalisation and breaking the stereotypes,’ she said. ‘It was a very hurtful experience. I fight for different causes and then to be victimised and experience this first-hand made me realise how bad it is.
Shaheen said that the experience had tainted the memories of her honeymoon.
Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the airline had acted out of turn in reporting her reading material.
He said: ‘In the current climate people are worried. But there is always a balance to be struck. Reasonable people would not regard reading a book on Syria on its own, without any other concerns, as warranting the questioning of an individual. Thomson Airways should accept that a mistake was made and apologise to the woman concerned.’
The airline said crews are obliged to report any concerns about passengers and err on the side of caution. A spokesman said: ‘We appreciate that in this instance Ms Shaheen may have felt that overcaution had been exercised. However, like all airlines, our crew are trained to report any concerns they may have as a precaution.’
Daily Mail