Apology demanded after airport terror stop for reading Syrian book

 A British woman says she is being  forced to go to court to get an apology after she was questioned by  counter-terrorism police for reading a Syrian art book on a plane.Faizah Shaheen was reported to authorities by Thomson cabin crew on a honeymoon flight to Turkey in 2016.Her lawyers told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme she believes she was singled out because of her race.Thomson said its crew were "trained to report any concerns" as a precaution.

'Singled out'

Ms  Shaheen - a Muslim, whose work in mental health care in part involves  looking for the signs of radicalisation in young people - was reading  Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline on the outbound flight.The book is a collection of literature, photos, songs and cartoons from Syrian artists and writers.She was stopped by police when she returned to the UK two weeks later.Ms Shaheen and her husband were taken to a room at Doncaster Airport for questioning under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act. She  said the interrogation lasted around 30 minutes, during which she was  asked about the book, her work and the number of languages she spoke."I  felt upset and distressed, followed by anger. I struggled to accept  that I was being singled out for reading a book on art and culture," she  explained."One year on, Thomson Airways has failed to provide an explanation or apology despite legal involvement."This attitude has left me with no option but to seek a declaration from the court under the Equality Act."