Bashir Mann, from the Muslim Council of Great Britan, complained of heavy-handed and humiliating searches by anti-terrorist police officers.
Dozens of executives have said they are no longer prepared to fly from Scotland and are using Manchester instead. Strathclyde Police said it was looking at training to raise awareness of cultural and religious sensitivities.
Mr Mann said: “I’d never experienced anything like that before in Scotland. This was a show of sheer discrimination, victimisation of certain sections of the community in Scotland.”
Glasgow businessman Mohammed Ashraf said it was “undignified” to be stopped and questioned.
“After being through all the checks that normal people go through, at the last moment you are stopped again and asked questions as everybody else passes you by,” he said.
Ahmed Tassi, a Lebanese nurse working in Glasgow, said his wife was frequently targeted.
“She is a Canadian. She is more of an English speaker than me but she happens to be Muslim and covers her hair. 90% of occasions when we pass through they say ‘step aside’ and she gets the full search.
“I am always waiting half an hour or an hour for her come.”
A Strathclyde Police spokesperson said: “We have had a meeting with representatives from the Muslim community. Their concerns have been acknowledged and we have pledged to work with the community to address these issues. We are looking at further training of our officers, particularly at airports to raise awareness of cultural and religious sensitivities.”
I travel quite a bit. Three of the last four times I have traveled I have been pulled aside, asked questions, had various items of clothing removed from my body, had security take swipings from my shoes, clothing and computer equipment to check for explosives, etc.
And, I am blonde-haired and blue-eyed.
Did I complain? No.
Am I boycotting the airport? No.
Do not take these people seriously for a second.
1 comment:
"Glasgow businessman Mohammed Ashraf said it was “undignified” to be stopped and questioned.
“After being through all the checks that normal people go through, at the last moment you are stopped again and asked questions as everybody else passes you by,” he said."
So there we have it from the horse's mouth - Muslims do not consider themselves to be 'normal people'.
If the boycott could attract backing from the MCB etc, then Glasgow airport would be able to market itself as an officially recognised 'Muslim-free zone' offering 'Muslim-free flights', which would be a great reassurance to nervous air-travellers
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