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Arab-American Journalist Detained by Israeli Security for ‘Flying While Muslim’
It is well known in the Arab community in Israel that “Flying While Muslim” will earn you extra security checks and delayed travel. Palestinian-American journalist Noor Wazwaz shared her experience of flying into Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport across her social media channels, where she has more than 28,000 followers.
Wazwaz, who says her goal is become “the first Muslim hijab [head scarf]-wearing news anchor on American television,” decided to become a journalist to better represent “[the] Arab and Muslim voice in Western media.”
She shared her travail of entering Israel this week in order to get to Palestine, the most expedient way to arrive internationally; far quicker than landing in Amman, Jordan, and driving to the Israel-controlled West Bank. Wazwaz reports that she was detained for more than four hours, followed by an interrogation by Israeli security personnel who accused her family of terrorist activity based on national and ethnic origin. Wazwaz was flying on an American passport.