A British Muslim woman claims she was detained by police at Manchester Airport because her name is similar to Shamima Begum, the woman who left the country as a teenager to join Isis in Syria, according to reports.
Shamina Begum, 37, was returning from a holiday in Turkey with her partner when she was told to seek assistance at the e-gate machines. Ms Begum - who is 14 years older than Shamima Begum - alleged a Border Force staff member said her name seemed to be the problem, in that it was similar to 'someone of interest'.
She made her way through towards baggage reclaim, but claimed five officers then raced towards them and detained her under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, advising that she shared the same name as someone 'wanted', reports The Independent.
The newspaper reported her bag and phone were seized and she claimed she was subject to three hours of questioning about the origins of her name, why she is a Muslim, her family history, details of her mortgage payments, and whether she 'thinks bombing is okay'.
Ms Begum, who was eventually released by the police with no further action, told The Independent that she felt “humiliated” and has since had to access medication from her GP as a result of the ordeal. Prior to going on holiday, the paper reported both her parents had died.
"I'm traumatised," she told The Independent. "At first I was confused. I've travelled to many destinations previously and never had this problem. 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."
"Differences in skin colour aside, we should all be treated equally. The officers had no reason to stop me and couldn’t give me a proper reason for the stop. I didn’t even get an apology; I think I’m just a statistic to the police who they can say was stopped and screened. They stripped me of my humanity and I’m dreading going on holiday again despite my love of travelling.”
The Independent reported Ms Begum, who works at a government agency and lives in the north of England, had her DNA and fingerprints taken and added to the police database.
In a complaint letter to Greater Manchester Police dated October 2022, she wrote: "I was told that my stop was based on the fact that my personal biodata was similar to that of a person of interest in relation to terrorism. I contend that this personal biodata was nothing more than my name, which is a very common Bengali name. I, therefore, believe that the stop was entirely arbitrary and as a result of religious and cultural ignorance and the overzealous attitudes of the officers."
GMP declined to confirm the exact reason for the stop when approached by The Independent, saying it related to her “biodata” which can mean anything from a person’s name to their address. Begum is a common name in the Bangladeshi diaspora.
Ms Begum’s complaint was not upheld and police said the stop was justified and handled properly, but she has lodged an appeal.
A spokesperson for GMP’s Professional Standards Branch said: "Upon receipt of a complaint, our assessment team reviewed the circumstances and identified that the use of Schedule 7 was reasonable and proportionate. We are, however, aware of an appeal against the outcome of this review so we will not be commenting any further at this time.
"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."
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