Bedford MP stopped from boarding flight ‘because name is Mohammad’

LONDON: An MP was stopped from boarding a flight to Canada “because his name was Mohammad”, the Commons has heard.

According to British media, Mohammad Yasin, Labour MP for Bedford, was travelling with a group of MPs as part of a parliamentary delegation last week and said it was “humiliating”. He said he was questioned at Heathrow Airport check-in by Air Canada officials and asked if he was carrying a knife or other offensive weapon.

Air Canada said it was “following up internally the handling” of the matter. Labour MP Clive Betts, raising a point of order in the House of Commons, said the “racist and Islamophobic” treatment of his colleague Yasin was “completely unacceptable”.

Betts, who was travelling to Canada with other members from the House of Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, said Yasin was questioned “for a considerable period” and he was told it was “because his name was Mohammad”.

He said Yasin was also asked where he was born. Yasin was only able to board the flight after proving he was an MP -- and showing he had a visa to enter the country.

Yasin said: “It was stressful and humiliating to be singled out in such an aggressive way by immigration control, especially when travelling in a group as a representative of the British Parliament on long arranged committee business.

“While I don’t expect special treatment as a Member of Parliament, it does concern me that had I not been an MP, how much worse the experience might have been.”

Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, said that similar issues were raised when he arrived at Montreal airport, Canada and when travelling back to the UK.

A spokesman for Air Canada said: “Unfortunately Mr Yasin was designated for additional screening prior to his flight after a security check, but he was still able to travel as planned as he was quickly cleared.

“We are following up internally the handling of this particular matter to ensure procedures were properly followed and we have also been in touch with UK and Canadian authorities.

“We regret any inconvenience or upset this situation may have created for Mr Yasin and have reached out to apologise.”

Mr Yasin said: “I am grateful for the cross-party support I have received from Parliament, the chair of the Levelling Up Committee and the Commons speaker and am happy to accept the invitation from the Canadian High Commission to discuss my experience further.”