As the investigation widens into the events of 11 September, British Muslims and members of ethnic minority groups say they are increasingly on the receiving end of hostile treatment at the hands of immigration officials and aviation authorities.
Salim Hussain, 43, a self-employed property developer, travels from London to Miami twice a year to visit relatives. His sister and her husband moved to the United States from Birmingham around 25 years ago - and have settled in Fort Lauderdale. A self-confessed 'orthodox Muslim' who has twice completed the holy pilgrimage of Haj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Hussain normally wears the traditional Islamic dress of shalwaar-kameez and a head-wrap. Two weeks after the events of 11 September, he flew to Miami, as he has been doing for 20 years.
'I've never had any problems before,' he says. 'I like to think of myself as a seasoned traveller who always knows what he's doing. But this time on the plane, I felt this overwhelming sensation that I was being watched the whole time. People were definitely wary in talking to me - like I might do something wrong. To be honest, I felt incredibly self-conscious and seemed to realise for the first time in my life that I am a Muslim. I'd never given it much thought before.'
Understandably perturbed when he thought he overheard neighbouring passengers expressing concerns over his presence on the flight, Hussain says he chose not to complain to an air steward. 'I didn't really want to create any fuss,' he admits. 'Where would that have got me? It would only have added to people's suspicions about me. But I think this is something that's going to get worse - people of all colours are going to be under suspicion from now on.'
Hussain's experience is indicative of attitudes elsewhere in the travel industry. Muslims are increasingly under suspicion for reasons as innocuous as language and dress: cultural differences that would have almost certainly gone unnoticed until the events of last month. Two weeks ago, three men of Arab origin were asked to disembark from a charter flight before it took off from Stockholm for the Canary Islands after several passengers voiced concern at their presence. And authorities in Beijing have since told major Chinese airlines to stop ticket sales to nationals from 20 countries' specifically those people who originate from the Middle East. The airlines have also been told to refund tickets Middle Eastern passengers may have purchased.
The stigma currently attached to Muslims extends well past the travel industry. Mosques in London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester have all been targeted by vandals in the five weeks since the attacks on New York and Washington. And the Monitoring Group, a racial advisory bureau in London, has received a number of complaints from British Muslims who have been sub jected to racial harassment in both the workplace and in everyday life at work.
Farida Khan has experienced a particularly repellent example of Islamophobia. A primary school teacher in south London, she explains how she was ordered off a bus by the driver, who complained of 'not allowing any fanatics onto the route'. 'He was particularly angry,' she says, 'and screamed and shouted at me for wearing a drape over my head. Some of the other passengers did get up to complain - but he wasn't listening to any of them. If that's the attitude we have to put up with on something as simple as a bus journey, imagine what it's like for Muslims who are flying at the moment.'
Muslim travellers have every right to bring forward their complaints, says Simon Evans, chief executive of the Air Transport Users' Council, an independent regulatory body. 'British Muslims are right to voice their fears over travelling abroad in the current climate - these are highly sensitive times when white and Muslims passengers are generally worried about air travel.'
Evans continues: 'I would say that any passenger who feels that he or she has been unfairly treated by other passengers should ask the air stewards to move them. Quite often they can be moved to another part of the plane. Or perhaps even inform the staff on their entrance to the plane.
'With tensions running quite high, you find that simply explaining fears and concerns goes a long way towards making a difference.'
How to get a smooth flight
· If you are asked to leave a flight, you are legally entitled to sue the airline for compensation
· If you feel you are being targeted by other passengers, ask a flight attendant to move you to another seat
· Passengers who encounter problems could contact the Air Transport Users' Council on 020 7240 6061
· Should you experience discrimination while travelling abroad, report it to staff at the nearest British Consulate
· Misunderstandings can be avoided by talking about the problems. Many people will not have realised the effects on British Muslims since the attacks on Washington and New York.
