Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 25-02-2017
A son of boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been interrogated by US authorities for two hours about his Muslim identity and Arabic name.
Muhammad Ali Jr who was born in Philadelphia and has a US passport, was travelling with his mother Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the late sports icon’s second wife yesterday when he was taken in for questioning by US customs officials.
Muhammad Ali’s friend and lawyer Chris Mancini told the Louisville Courier-Journal that both were held for questioning at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport on because of their Arabic-sounding names.
“To the Ali family, it’s crystal clear that this is directly linked to Mr Trump’s efforts to ban Muslims from the United States.”
Camacho-Ali however released after she showed US Customs agents a photo of herself with her ex-husband.
Ali Jr however, had no such photo – and according to Mancini was held for nearly two hours and repeatedly asked “Where did you get your name from?” and “Are you Muslim?”
When he said that he, like his father, was a Muslim, the agents asked further probing questions.
President Donald Trump’s late January executive order imposed a 90-day entry ban for citizens of seven Muslim majority countries until it was halted by a US federal court.
Mancini says that he and the Ali family are trying to find out how many other people were stopped for similar questioning, and are considering a federal lawsuit.
Airport and Customs officials did not answer queries from the newspaper about the case. – Radio Islam & Agencies
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