Muslim woman detained at UK airport for reading Syrian art book takes legal action

Faizah Shaheen was flying back from her honeymoon in Turkey on August 3, 2016, when she was reported to authorities. (Photo courtesy: The Independent)

DUBAI: A British Muslim woman who was detained at a UK airport for reading a book on Syrian art while on a flight from Turkey is taking her holiday company to court.
Faizah Shaheen was flying back from her honeymoon in Turkey on August 3, 2016, when she was reported to authorities at Doncaster Airport by Thomson Airways cabin crew.
She, along with her husband, was questioned in a room for 15 minutes under Schedule 7 of the UK's Terrorism Act.
Shaheen, a mental health worker, had been reading “Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline.” The book is a collection of literature, songs and cartoons from Syrian authors and artists.
Her lawyers have said that she believes she was singled out because of her race, The Independent reported Saturday.
“I felt upset and distressed, followed by anger,” she said. “I struggled to accept that I was being singled out for reading a book on art and culture.”
Shaheen told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire program that she found the airline’s response insufficient.
“One year on, Thomson Airways has failed to provide an explanation or apology despite legal involvement. This attitude let me with no option but to seek a declaration from the court under the Equality Act,” she said.
ITN solicitor Ravi Naik said no meaningful reply has been received despite requests for an apology.
“The Equality Act contains strong protections against discriminatory treatment on the basis of someone’s race and religion and for good reason,” he said.
“We have asked the airline to apologize, to which we have never received a meaningful reply.”
In a statement, Thomson Airways said that they are “really sorry if Ms Shaheen remains unhappy with how she feels she was treated.
“We wrote to her to explain that our crew undergo general safety and security awareness training on a regular basis. As part of this they are encouraged to be vigilant and share any information or questions with the relevant authorities, who would then act as appropriate.”