I was escorted off a flight due to racist profiling. Britain must banish this bigotry
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Last week, I was demonised and detained after other passengers’ baseless claims. Pointing the finger at any woman in a headscarf is no way to tackle extremism.
By Maryam Dharas
Do you speak English?” has got to be the one of the most patronising questions you can be asked. I’m only ever asked that because I wear hijab, as if being a part of western culture and being Muslim are mutually exclusive. Never mind the fact that I was born and raised in London or that I’m going to a Russell Group university to study English – it seems that I will always be stereotyped and judged first by the scarf on my head.
It was also the first question I was asked as I was escorted off an easyJet plane with my sister and brother at 6am last Wednesday morning at Stansted airport. We’d passed security and boarded the flight to Naples, but just as I was about to nod off we were told there was a seating issue and that all three of us would have to follow the air stewardess, who offered no explanation of whe...
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