British Muslim accuses Thomson of discrimination
Thomson is being threatened with legal action after cabin crew reported a passenger to the authorities for reading a Syrian art book on a flight to Turkey.
British Muslim Faizah Shaheen was questioned by counter-terrorism police under Section 7 of the Terrorism Act when she returned to Doncaster two weeks later from her honeymoon in 2016.
She said the interview, which lasted around 30 minutes, involved questions about the book, her work and the languages she spoke.
Shaheen, who works in mental health care and is trained to look for signs of radicalization in young people, was reading Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline on the outbound flight.
The book is a collection of literature, photos, songs and cartoons from Syrian artists and writers.
Her lawyers claim she was a victim of discrimination and have written to Thomson demanding an apology, but claim none has been forthcoming.
"This attitude has left me with no option but to seek a declaration from the court under the Equality Act," she told the BBC.
Ravi Naik, of ITN solicitors, said that while Thomson had acknowledged its initial communication, it had not responded to its correspondence since January.
"The Equality Act contains strong protections against discriminatory treatment on the basis of someone’s race and religion and for good reason," he said.
"We have asked the airline to apologise, to which we have never received a meaningful reply."
Shaheen said she does not desire compensation, but ‘an apology and explanation from Thomson Airways to ensure that it never happens again’.
Thomson said in a statement: "We’re really sorry if Ms Shaheen remains unhappy with how she feels she was treated.
"We wrote to her to explain that our crew undergo general safety and security awareness training on a regular basis.
"As part of this they are encouraged to be vigilant and share any information or questions with the relevant authorities, who would then act as appropriate."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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