Reading a Book on a Plane Can Get You Detained If You're Muslim

A British Muslim returning home to the U.K. from a honeymoon in Turkey was detained for reading a Syrian art book on a plane, news outlets reported Thursday.

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Faizah Shaheen was detained by South Yorkshire Police at Doncaster Airport July 25 because a Thomson Airways cabin crew member had spotted her for “suspicious behavior”, which, as it turned out, was nothing more than the book she was reading: Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline, an award-winning book by Malu Halasa that features essays, short stories, poems, songs, cartoons and photographs from Syrian authors and artists.

Shaheen said she was angered and reduced to tears by the experience and intends to file a formal complaint against the police and the airline.

Shaheen posted this Facebook status Thursday. | Photo: Facebook

“I was completely innocent, I was made to feel like a culprit,” she said to The Independent.

“I was queuing at passport control and saw police staring at me. I just got through passport control and then two police officers approached me and took me aside and asked me to show my passport again,” Shaheen said, in recalling the incident. “I asked what was going on and they said I had been reported due to a book I was reading and was to be questioned under the Terrorism Act.”

“I was asked what I do,” she said. “I told them I work as a child and adolescent mental health services practitioner for the NHS. Ironically, a part of my job role is working on anti-radicalisation and assessing vulnerable young people with mental health problems are at risk of being radicalised.”

“I said that to the police. I’m actually part of trying to fight radicalization and breaking the stereotypes. It was a very hurtful experience to go through. I fight for different causes and then to be victimized and experience this first-hand and made me realise how bad it is,” she recounted. “Instead of reminiscing about our honeymoon I am left talking about this experience. I do question if whether it would be different if it was someone who wasn’t Muslim.”

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Labour’s Keith Vaz, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, said the airline had clearly overreacted and should issue an apology to Shaheen..

“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,” Vaz told The Independent.

The airlines itself said it may have been overly cautious, but said the employee that reported the young NHS worker was simply following protocol.

“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,” they said in a statement.“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.“