A member of the British Parliament known as “Mohammad” was allegedly singled out for questioning by Air Canada officials “for a significant period of time” last week simply because of his first name, the House of Commons has denounced.
“It was completely unacceptable for any member of this House to be treated in this way. But because he was a member of parliament, he was allowed to take his flight. However, had he been one of our constituents polled in this way, he could have been rejected,” complained House of Commons Speaker Clive Betts, according to The Guardian on Monday.
The House of Commons therefore deplored the treatment meted out to Bedford MP Mohammad Yasin during his visit to Canada last week, while he was allegedly pushed aside while boarding by Air Canada officials to find out his place of birth and in particular his place of birth He would have carried a knife or a gun if he had testified.
“When the committee checked in for their flight at Heathrow all MPs were able to get through except the MP for Bedford who was delayed for a long time because of his questioning. He was told it was because his name was Mohammad,” Clive Betts continued, describing the incident as “racist and Islamophobic,” according to British media.
And despite his visa, the same problems would have been raised upon his arrival in Montreal and his departure from Toronto, he said, adding that he could have finally taken his flights after the consul general was involved.
“It was stressful and humiliating to be singled out so aggressively by immigration control,” the MP testified, according to the BBC.
Mohammad Yasin reportedly received “an apology from the Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Immigration Minister and Air Canada,” but “given the racist and Islamophobic nature of it.” [incidents]“The president would consider “writing to the Canadian High Commissioner,” he added, according to The Guardian.
Air Canada, for its part, noted that the lawmaker “was subjected to additional screening after a security check before his flight, but that he could still have traveled as planned” after a “quick approval,” the BBC reported.
“We regret any inconvenience or upset this situation may have caused Mr. Yasin and have apologized,” the airline reportedly added.