Despite visa waiver trial period, Israeli agents repeatedly delayed, detained and interrogated American Muslim travelers, subjecting one to front and rear genital area search
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/18/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has lodged a formal complaint with the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security concerning the discriminatory, abusive, and traumatic treatment that Israeli government agents at Ben Gurion Airport perpetrated against an American citizen during the ongoing U.S. visa waiver trial period.
READ: CAIR’s Formal Complaint to Department of State and Department of Homeland Security
The incident occurred on Friday, August 11, as the traveler, an American Muslim from New York who uses the moniker SQ and runs popular YouTube and Instagram channels @WAYOFLIFESQ, attempted to depart Israel for the United States.
Israeli security agents delayed SQ, who is visibly Muslim due to his thobe and beard, for several hours at Ben Gurion Airport even after he presented his U.S. passport. Agents subjected him and dozens of other visibly Muslim travelers to repeated rounds of questioning and extra screening before demanding that he undress himself. When SQ refused, an Israeli agent subjected him to a hand search of his front and rear genital area, groping his private parts.
SQ was then verbally abused by an Israeli airport employee for being late to his flight, which had been held at the gate while he underwent hours of additional screening. Cell phone video footage shows SQ crying and apologizing to passengers on the plane as he tells them he was delayed by Israeli security.
SEE AFTERMATH CAPTURED ON CELL PHONE VIDEO POSTED ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/reels/audio/1440459110072266
A day after landing, SQ found that two of his hard drives and his camera footage had been inspected, presumably by Israeli officers. His camera’s lens was damaged, and the camera bag was soaking wet, resulting in substantial damage to his equipment, possibly amounting to up to $10,000.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said:
“The abusive treatment that this American Muslim traveler experienced at the hands of Israeli agents at Ben Gurion Airport is appalling and disgusting. This incident and other documented incidents of discrimination make it abundantly clear that Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has no intention of changing its abusive behavior towards U.S. citizen travelers who are Muslim, Palestinian or Arab-Americans.
“If the Israeli government is subjecting American citizens to discriminatory delays, interrogations and genital area searches while it’s being monitored as part of the U.S. visa waiver program trial period, we can only imagine what the Israeli government will do if it’s fully admitted to the program.
“The Biden Administration should demand justice for the victims of these abuses and reject the Israeli government’s bid to join the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.”
Last week, CAIR shared multiple separate instances of the Israeli government singling out and discriminating against American citizens of Palestinian descent attempting to travel to Israel and Palestine. CAIR also encouraged community members who have experienced travel discrimination at Israeli border crossings to report their experiences to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and to AJP Action and CAIR.
SEE: CAIR Alerts State Department to Israeli Targeting of Palestinian-American Travelers, Families in Violation of Visa Waiver MOU
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com