Muslim woman returning from Turkish holiday is detained by police and grilled for hours ‘because her name is one letter different to Shamima Begum’s’
- Shamina Begum says she was questioned for three hours at Manchester Airport
A British woman returning to Manchester Airport from a holiday in Turkey claims she was detained by police and asked ‘if she thinks bombing is OK’ for having a similar name to ISIS bride Shamima Begum.
Shamina Begum, 37, said she was told to seek assistance at the e-gate machines and claims Border Force staff said the problem was her name, which was similar to ‘someone of interest’.
Shamina, who was returning from a trip with her partner, alleges that five officers raced towards them and detained her under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
She claims her phone and bag were taken off her and that she was questioned for three hours over her name, why she is a Muslim, her family and mortgage. She also says she had her DNA and fingerprints taken.
Shamina, who works at a government agency, claims she had to go to the toilet in an unlocked bathroom with a male officer present, while she was on her period.
She was eventually released with no further action but has been left traumatised.
Shamima Begum was just 15 when she travelled to Istanbul in Turkey from Gatwick Airport to join the so-called Islamic State (IS)
‘Just because I am a Muslim with a Muslim name and background, it doesn’t make me a terrorist,’ she told The Independent.
She added: ‘After I was let go, I cried all the way from the airport to my house and I couldn’t face the outside world for about four weeks.
‘In the immediate days after this happened, I’d wake up every day and wish I had not. I’m not a terrorist and didn’t deserve to be treated that way. It was a dark and difficult time which still impacts me, unfortunately.’
The woman, from the North, says she has had to have medication from her GP as a result of the incident.
She says there was no reason for her to be stopped and claims she didn’t receive an apology. Shamina now dreads going on holiday again.
She wrote a complaint letter to Greater Manchester Police, dated October 2022, arguing that she believes she was stopped due to religious and cultural ignorance, according to The Independent.
The newspaper says it was told by GMP the reason for why she was stopped was related to her ‘biodata’.
Isis bride Shamima Begum passing through security barriers at Gatwick Airport on February 17, 2015
Read more: Shamima Begum says losing bid to return to the UK was ‘worse than prison’
Her complaint was reportedly not upheld by police who say the stop was justified, reasonable and proportionate, but Shamina has put an appeal forward.
‘We are, however, aware of an appeal against the outcome of this review so we will not be commenting any further at this time,’ the force added.
‘Schedule 7 remains a vital piece of legislation to protect the UK Borders and is subject to review by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation to ensure it is used effectively and fairly.’
MailOnline has contacted GMP for further comment.
Shamima Begum was 15 when she travelled to Istanbul in Turkey from Gatwick Airport to join the so-called Islamic State (IS) with her close friends at east London’s Bethnal Green Academy – Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15.
She was eventually found nine months pregnant in a refugee camp in Al-Hawl in February 2019 by a Times journalist.
Shamima was stripped of her British citizenship after announcing her desire to return to the UK.
Since then, she has been embroiled in a battle with the British legal system and lost her latest legal challenge over the decision to deprive her of her British citizenship.
She lost her first appeal to return to the UK but successfully challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal.
But the Government submitted a fresh appeal, meaning her return was put on hold pending a Supreme Court battle.
She was dealt a fresh blow when the Supreme Court ruled she could not come back to the UK – leading to her begging the British public for forgiveness.
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