LONDON 鈥� Air sa国际传媒 is being accused in the U.K. House of Commons of delaying a British MP from boarding a flight 鈥渂ecause his name is Mohammad."
Clive Betts, standing on a point of order in the House this week, said fellow Labour MP Mohammad Yasin was pulled aside for questioning recently at London鈥檚 Heathrow airport "for a considerable period" while other lawmakers he was travelling with were allowed through.
Betts told the House that Yasin was asked whether he was carrying a knife and where he was born.
He said the questioning was being done by 鈥渙fficials from Air sa国际传媒 and, we believe, the Canadian government鈥� despite Yasin having a visa to enter sa国际传媒.
Betts said Yasin was eventually allowed to get on the flight, but he was "challenged" again at the Montreal and Toronto airports.
He said while Yasin has received apologies from Air sa国际传媒 as well as sa国际传媒鈥檚 parliamentary secretary to the federal immigration minister, it was important to put Yasin鈥檚 experiences on the parliamentary record due to their "racist and Islamophobic nature."
"We raised the issue with our high commissioner in Ottawa, who was very supportive," Betts is quoted as saying in Hansard, the official record of the proceedings.
"She was amazed at what had happened, given the multicultural nature of sa国际传媒 as an open and welcoming country. She has raised the matter with the Canadian government and appreciates that I am raising it in Parliament, to try to ensure that no one is treated in this way in future."
Air sa国际传媒 did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the airline said in a statement reported by the BBC that it regrets any inconvenience or upset caused and that it has reached out to Yasin to apologize.
"Unfortunately Mr. Yasin was designated for additional screening prior to his flight after a security check, but he was still able to travel as planned as he was quickly cleared," the BBC reported Air sa国际传媒 said.
"We are following up internally the handling of this particular matter to ensure procedures were properly followed and we have also been in touch with U.K. and Canadian authorities."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2023.
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