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MSNBC - August 20, 2007
Six-Year-Old Muslim Boy Denied Entry To U.S.
WOODBRIDGE, Va. - A 6-year-old Muslim boy is at the center of an international immigration fight. Moroccan-born Mustapha Zindinne came to the United States in 2001 and became a U.S. citizen last year. His wife joined him in Woodbridge six months ago as a permanent resident. The couple expected their son would soon follow.
The couple told News4's Michael Flynn that bureaucratic red tape is keeping their 6-year-old son from joining them. The couple's attorney, Morris Days with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Herndon, suspects the delay might be that the boy's name, Youssaf Zindinne, is similar to one on a U.S. security watch list.
"Because there's a name that looks similar you're not taking into consideration the age of the child," Days said. "How could he be a terrorist?"
About two weeks ago, another local couple from Morocco was reunited with their 3-year-old son at Reagan National Airport after two years. The same Islamic civil rights group worked to bring him here. They say that boy's name is similar to the name of the deceased founder of Hamas.
Youssaf is living with relatives in Morocco.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20360561/from/ET/
Evening Standard UK - August 20, 2007
Seven-year-old Muslim boy stopped three times
on suspicion of being a terrorist
For seven-year-old Javaid Iqbal, the holiday to Florida was a dream trip to reward him for doing well at school. But he was left in tears after he was stopped repeatedly at airports on suspicion of being a terrorist.
The security alerts were triggered because Javaid shares his name with a Pakistani man deported from the US, prompting staff at three airports to question his family about his identity.
The family even missed their flight home from the U.S. after officials cancelled their tickets in the confusion. And Javaid's passport now contains a sticker saying he has undergone high level security checks.
The ordeal began in Manchester when Naushaba Nadeem, a doctor, and her children Sana and Fareeha, both nine, Javaid and five-year-old Iftikhar, tried to board a flight to Orlando.
Dr Nadeem, 35, said: "When we arrived at the front counter to check in at Manchester Airport, staff said there was a security block on Javaid's name.
"We had to stand at the desk for three hours while they checked everything out. Eventually, everything was fine and we were given our boarding passes."
The family enjoyed their eight day holiday earlier this month, taking in Disney World and other attractions before returning to the UK on a route that began with an internal flight from Orlando to Philadelphia.
Dr Nadeem said: "It happened again at Orlando Airport and then Javaid's name was blocked again at Philadelphia Airport. "This time they had cancelled our tickets by the time they gave Javaid security clearance. I was all on my own, I don't know anyone in Philadelphia."
Javaid said: "All this was about my name. They said that it had a block on it. We felt scared and didn't know what was going on."
His father Nadeem Iqbal, 48, a consultant anaesthetist, said: "My son is psychologically traumatised by this experience and said he doesn't want to fly to America again…..
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23409033-details/Seven-year-old+Muslim+boy+stopped+in+US+three+times+on+suspicion+of+being+a+terrorist/article.do
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