Television presenter, Imam and ex-Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, Ajmal Masroor (44), claims that he was barred from boarding a plane to New York from London Heathrow airport, as the officials allegedly had concerns regarding one of his social media followers.
Masroor was due to travel to New York where he was going to lead prayers and speak at two events before he was stopped at Heathrow. He has also set up a website, Flying While Muslim, where fellow Muslims can share similar travel experiences. He works at the Islamic Society of Britain and is renowned for speaking on combating extremism within Islamic communities.
Ajmal Masroor shared, “I was just about to get on the plane when an American official told me my visa had been revoked. I asked why and he said: 'Maybe you did something wrong.' They were insinuating there was somebody in my Facebook group they wanted to talk to and don't like. I was surprised, humiliated and isolated.”
Masroor was left with no other option but to cancel his engagements at short notice and head back to his home in north London.
He also visited the US embassy to resolve the issue but to no avail. He said, “I think it was a fishing exercise. When I asked what it was about they told me: 'It's beyond our pay grade.' They asked if I had done anything- lots of questions- but everything I do is in the public domain. There's 28,000 people who follow me on Facebook. The whole idea of Facebook is that people have the right to engage with you if they want because you're a public figure. I have a public page.”
He further stated his disappointment. “This isn't making America Safer. If I've done something wrong, try me in a court of law. Don't cast aspersions and insinuations- that makes me mad. In the American constitution we're all innocent until proven guilty.”
