A SCOTTISH woman who was questioned under the terrorism act after reading a book about art in Syria on a plane is to take legal action against the airline.
Faizah Shaheen, 28, originally from Glasgow, was detained by police at Doncaster Airport last July after returning from her honeymoon in Marmaris, Turkey.
The interrogation took place after a member of Thomson Airways cabin crew reported her to the police for “suspicious behaviour” after she was seen reading the book Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline.
Following the incident, Ms Shaheen, who is a Muslim and works as an NHS mental health practitioner, complained to the airline. She expressed surprise that Thomson Airways failed to acknowledge any fault or give any assurances that a similar incident would not happen again.
She has now said she is taking the company to court in a bid to get an apology for the incident. She said: “I felt upset and distressed, followed by anger. I struggled to accept that I was being singled out for reading a book on art and culture.
“One year on, Thomson Airways has failed to provide an explanation or apology despite legal involvement. This attitude has left me with no option but to seek a declaration from the court under the Equality Act.”
Ms Shaheen told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme she does not want compensation, but “an apology and explanation from Thomson Airways to ensure that it never happens again”.
Her legal team has written to Thomson telling the company it believed she had been a victim of discrimination. Ravi Naik, of ITN solicitors, said that while Thomson had acknowledged its initial communication, it had not responded since January.
He said: “The Equality Act contains strong protections against discriminatory treatment on the basis of someone’s race and religion and for good reason.”
Ms Shaheen and her husband were taken for questioning under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act. She said the interrogation lasted around 30 minutes, during which she was asked about the book, her work and the number of languages she spoke.
The book is a collection of literature, photos, songs and cartoons from Syrian artists and writers.
Jo Glanville, director of English PEN – a British free speech organisation who helped fund the book Ms Shaheen was reading – said: “Thomson should review its staff training procedures so that such an error never happens again. Reading a book should never be viewed as grounds for suspicious behaviour.”
In a statement, Thomson Airways said: “We’re 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.”
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