London: A British Muslim woman who was returning to the UK after vacationing in Turkey claimed police detained her because she shares the same name as the Daesh bride Shamima Begum.
Returning to Manchester Airport, Shamina Begum reported that she was asked if she "thought bombing was okay" and instructed to seek help from UK Border Force personnel because they claimed her name was the same as that of "someone of interest."
Begum, who was travelling with her partner, claimed that five officers had detained her in accordance with Terrorism Act 2000 Schedule 7.
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She added that her handbag and mobile phone were taken before she was fingerprinted, had her DNA taken, and was interrogated for three hours about her name, her Muslim faith, and even her mortgage.
Begum claimed that while on her period, she was made to use the lavatory in an unlocked cubicle with a male officer present in what she called a "humiliating" ordeal.
She admitted to The Independent newspaper, "I'm traumatised." She continued, "At first I was confused because I've been to many places before and never had this problem.
In the end, Begum was freed and no further action was taken against her.
She cried the entire way from the airport to her house after being let go and was unable to leave the house for about four weeks. "In the days right after this, I would wake up every day wishing I hadn't. I didn't deserve to be treated that way because I'm not a terrorist. Unfortunately, it was a dark and trying time that has continued to affect me.
I was speechless because it was so embarrassing. Giving out leaflets explaining what a Schedule 7 stop is is simple for the police, but what about aftercare? It has taken me six months to properly discuss it.
Begum complained about how she was treated to Greater Manchester Police, who declined to comment on the matter. Police personnel rejected Begum's complaint, maintaining that the stop was appropriate and justified.
"If it isn't because of my race and religion, why aren't police stopping every white person who walks through the airport," she continued after filing an appeal against the ruling. Black and brown people are primarily the targets of discrimination.
"I was stopped, but it wasn't just that; it was the questions I was asked. I am not a terrorist just because I was born and raised in a Muslim country and have a Muslim name.
Shamima Begum, who left her London home at the age of 15, entered areas controlled by Daesh by way of Turkey before having her British citizenship revoked in February 2019.
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She is currently engaged in legal conflict with the British government over the revocation of her citizenship while living in a camp in Syria for former Daesh wives and their families.
