British woman held after being seen reading book about Syria on plane

First topic message reminder :

Faizah Shaheen was detained after a Thomson Airways crew member reported her for suspicious activity on a flight to Turkey


‘I couldn’t understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this’ … Faizah Shaheen.

Free-speech groups have condemned the detention of a British Muslim woman after a cabin-crew member reported her for “suspicious behaviour” while reading a book about Syrian culture on a flight to Turkey.
Faizah Shaheen, a psychotherapist in Leeds, was detained by police at Doncaster airport on 25 July, on her return from her honeymoon in Turkey. A Thomson Airways cabin-crew member had reported Shaheen on her outbound flight two weeks earlier, as she was reading the title Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline.
Police officers questioned Shaheen for 15 minutes under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, under which the police can detain individuals without grounds for suspicion of involvement in criminal activities, including terrorism.
Shaheen, whose work in the NHS includes efforts to stop radicalisation among young mental health patients, told the Independent she intends to make formal complaints against the police: “I was completely innocent – I was made to feel like a culprit … I couldn’t understand how reading a book could cause people to suspect me like this. I told the police that I didn’t think it was right or acceptable. I do question if … it would be different if it was someone who wasn’t Muslim.”




A collection of essays and writings by more than 50 artists on “challenging the culture of violence” in the country, Syria Speaks was published by British imprint Saqi Books in 2014. It received positive reviews from the likes of musician Brian Eno and author AL Kennedy, who described it as “a wise, courageous, imaginative and beautiful response to all that is ugly in human behaviour.”
Jo Glanville, director of English PEN – which supported the book’s publication with a grant towards translation – said Thomson Airways should be “highly embarrassed about this gross act of misjudgment”.
“The current culture of anxiety around extremism now means that even our reading material has become grounds for suspicion of terrorist activity,” she said. “The freedom to read any book, no matter the subject, is a fundamental cornerstone of our liberty.” Glanville also called Schedule 7 a “continuing problem” and said it was overdue for reform.
Zaher Omareen, the co-editor of Syria Speaks, condemned Shaheen’s detention as a “despicable incident”.
“Judging individuals and even taking measures against them based on their race, their looks, their language, or the printed words they carry is unacceptable and unjustifiable,” Omareen said. “It was enough to carry a book which includes the word ‘Syria’ in its title for its owner to be under suspicion as a potential terrorist. I would like to remind the people and the government that Syria must not be reduced to the politicised and power-constructed soundbites carrying simplistic messages of violence and horror.”
In a statement, a Thomson Airways spokesperson said: “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. 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.”
Lynn Gaspard, the managing director of Saqi Books said: “If Faizah gets in touch, I would be happy to invite her to our bookshop in west London and offer her any of our titles.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/04/british-woman-held-after-being-seen-reading-book-about-syria-on-plane


FFS!   That's just pure ignorance.

Didge wrote:And also, you brought up asking whether he was in the EDL and BNP

I never did, so maybe you can explain that also Irn lol

You broiught Victor into it when you said this...

"Er you claim stuff like that smacks of the EDl and BNP.
I bet you would not say the same to Victor,"

I just asked you if you were suggesting that Victor was involved with the BNP or the EDL.

I really can't think why you said that - care to explain then

You brought up asking me about the edl and BNP about him and now you are backtracking

ha ha ha ha

I rightly asked why you only responded to me, when victor agrees with me

Do you shit your pants debating him then?

So when you said this also, you were lying then when you brought up the edl and BNP

"For heavens sake what are you raving about now? I haven't gone on about you,"

Didge wrote:You brought up asking me about the edl and BNP about him and now you are backtracking

ha ha ha ha

I rightly asked why you only responded to me, when victor agrees with me

Do you shit your pants debating him then?

No no Didge. I'll ask you again and please don't avoid answering this time

You broiught Victor into it when you said this...

"Er you claim stuff like that smacks of the EDl and BNP.
I bet you would not say the same to Victor,"

I just asked you if you were suggesting that Victor was involved with the BNP or the EDL.

I really can't think why you said that - care to explain then?

Didge wrote:So when you said this also, you were lying then when you brought up the edl and BNP

"For heavens sake what are you raving about now? I haven't gone on about you,"

Yes Didge and you said I bet you wouldn't say that to Victor.

Stop lying and twisting this around - you're sunk

Didge wrote:

Irn Bru wrote:


For heavens sake what are you raving about now? I haven't gone on about you, I asked you a civil question about your past views on stop and search and I expected a civil answer. It's racial profiling by whover does it and the question has been asked: would this have happened to a white woman returning from a holiday? What do you think?

And if you think this is right then you agree  that the authorities have the right to do as I said in my post,,,,,,,,correct?

Er you claim stuff like that smacks of the EDl and BNP.
I bet you would not say the same to Victor, however if you did not mean, fine
I see you failed to answer my points which is why you are wrongly claiming it is wrong for the Police to go off memebers of the publics suspicions.

So you need to answer the following points again which I will further elaborate on.

1) Due to the heighten and increased number of terrorist attacks and the fact she was coming back from a country that has just had a recent coup and terrorism attacks. Do you think its very possible that the mere aspect of someone reading a book that has Syria in the title may lead to people coming to the wrong conclusion.

2) Does this also mean due to the heightened and increased fear that will arise from this situation, that it was also not very smart by the lady in question also drawing attention to herself reading such a book?

3) If you expect some people not to be led at times by fear, based on the situation, then you have no conception of what fear can do to people.

4) What do you expect the Police to do given the limited information they were given?

5) Ignore the information?

6) Act on the information to rule out any possibility of a threat?

7) Is the security and safety of this country of less importance than the short inconvenience that she suffered?

8 Have you even asked whether the people who reported this could even have been Muslims or of Middle eastern ethnicity themselves?

Here is the post for all to see

i asked why are you only asking me and not victor on this subject

So why have you not questioned Victor on this

Irn Bru wrote:

Didge wrote:So when you said this also, you were lying then when you brought up the edl and BNP

"For heavens sake what are you raving about now? I haven't gone on about you,"

Yes Didge and you said I bet you wouldn't say that to Victor.

Stop lying and twisting this around - you're sunk

Yes victor and i agree on the topic, so why have you nbot brought up the same claims to him

Didge wrote:

Irn Bru wrote:

Didge wrote:So when you said this also, you were lying then when you brought up the edl and BNP

"For heavens sake what are you raving about now? I haven't gone on about you,"

Yes Didge and you said I bet you wouldn't say that to Victor.

Stop lying and twisting this around - you're sunk

Yes victor and i agree on the topic, so why have you nbot brought up the same claims to him

What is it that Victor and yourself have agreed on? Is it that it was appropriate for you to bring him up on the subject we were duscussing?

Here's what I said...

"OK I'm saying that to Victor as well although I don't see that he is in anyway involved with the BNP or the EDL. Are you suggesting that he is?"

You're lying and twisting like you do - please stop it.