ALKHOBAR, 19 January 2007 — Muslims in general do not view flying from, to or in the United States as an attractive proposition. However to participate in Haj, using air transport is a must. So in recent weeks, more Muslims than usual have been relying on the US air transport system.
Just before the return of pilgrims to the United States there was an incident of concern, with the case of Majed Shehadeh coming to light. Germany’s Foreign Ministry is asking US authorities for an explanation of why this German businessman of Syrian descent, who wanted to surprise his daughter with a holiday visit, was deported.
Shehadeh was detained in Las Vegas on Dec. 28 after he arrived on a flight from Frankfurt. The 62-year-old Muslim was placed in a holding cell for four days before being sent home without explanation. Allegedly Shehadeh’s prescribed heart medicine was also withheld and US immigration authorities did not inform the German Consulate about the case. German citizens generally do not need visas to visit the US.
Since I, a Muslim woman, was flying to Las Vegas via New York on Jan. 5 for business, I was quite apprehensive. I decided to do my best to save myself from harassment. In place of my head scarf, I donned a pink hat and striped wool scarf. I left my abaya in the closet and instead wore a turtle-necked sweater, baggy jeans, a long wool coat and trainers. I made sure nothing I had on contained any metal to set off the metal detectors at the airport. I also removed everything with Arabic script from my luggage and as for jewelry, wore only my wedding ring.
I tried to comply with the published regulations in regards to carry-on luggage for flights to and within the United States. I decided to leave my laptop behind because it causes additional scrutiny at checkpoints. As instructed, I placed all aerosols, liquids, gels and pastes that I wanted to take in my carry-on luggage in a one quart clear ziplock bag. This bag would have to be shown at any baggage security point.
Approaching airport security before the flight to New York, I thought I would pass through without a hitch. I was wrong. The inspector rummaged around in my purse until he found my roll of paper tape, which he confiscated. He explained that it was illegal to take tape onboard because I might decide to tie up hostages with it if I happened to hijack the plane. The thick cables used for charging my camera and mobile phone were allowed to pass, even though they could be employed for the same the same purpose.
I sat in the boarding lounge to see how other passengers fared. Most passengers had something confiscated from their carry-on baggage. Many were pilgrims returning from Haj and they were very upset when their souvenirs were seized. One man lost his jar of honey. The jar was over the 90ml limit. The inspector took three oranges away from a woman. A businessman’s cologne was taken. There was less than 90ml of cologne in the bottle he was carrying, but the bottle itself was 200ml and was consequently illegal. A pilgrim with a nasty skin condition approached the inspectors. The security officer found that she had a big jar of Vaseline. The petroleum jelly was being used in the treatment of the terrible scaling on her hands. Thank God, they eventually agreed to give the Vaseline to the flight crew to keep, so that the ill woman could at least use it during the trip.
Eventually, we were all deemed to have no dangerous articles on our persons and the plane took off. During the flight, I was delighted to discover that our meals were served on china and we ate with cutlery including stainless steel knives and forks. It was good to know that while I wasn’t able to take my own knife past security, the airline was allowed to provide me with sharp objects onboard.
I made it all the way to Las Vegas without incident. My luggage was lost but otherwise I wasn’t harassed. On the return journey, the same screening hassle was used. Piles of water and soda bottles were left in bins by the X-ray machines. Cosmetics and face cream were confiscated from some women. One child’s sweets were taken away.
On the other side of the security check point I bought a bottle of water, drank some and then put it in my carry-on bag for the long flight east from Las Vegas to New York. It was a night flight and I was one of the last passengers to board the plane. It’s often said that truth is stranger than fiction, but on that flight I found that I’d been seated in the midst of a group of observant Jews, instantly identifiable by their kippah or skull caps. We all smiled politely at each other and they went to sleep for the next four hours. I spent the next four hours reading and chuckling to myself about the absurd situation.
Once in New York, I checked in for the next flight and went through the screening process again. Then I went to the rest room to freshen up. Pulling a clean shirt from my bag I was shocked to discover the bottle of water I had bought in Las Vegas. I examined the bottle. There was probably 200ml of water inside it and the bottle itself held 591ml. I put the bottle down on the counter across from me and considered it with horror. What should I do with it? After going over all the options I decided to stuff the bottle back in my bag exactly the way I’d found it.
I quickly changed and then went to board the flight. Once we took off, the air hostesses came around and offered each passenger a bottle of water. Never had anything that looked so innocuous conjured up such awful associations in my head.
I’m just a journalist and not an expert on airport security, but much about US flight security seemed designed more to harass innocent airline passengers than to deter any terrorist. As for that bottle of water, it’s still with me. It’s sitting on my dressing table and I treat it with respect. In fact I’ve got a fear of water that I never had before.
