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| MP urges Cameron to intervene after US bans UK Muslim family | MP urges Cameron to intervene after US bans UK Muslim family |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Labour MP Stella Creasy has called on the prime minister to challenge the US after a UK Muslim family was barred from boarding a flight to Los Angeles. | Labour MP Stella Creasy has called on the prime minister to challenge the US after a UK Muslim family was barred from boarding a flight to Los Angeles. |
| The family of 11, from Ms Creasy's Walthamstow constituency, had planned a holiday to Disneyland but were stopped at Gatwick Airport on 15 December. | The family of 11, from Ms Creasy's Walthamstow constituency, had planned a holiday to Disneyland but were stopped at Gatwick Airport on 15 December. |
| Mohammad Zahid Mahmood said his family was given no reason why US officials had refused to allow them to board. | |
| Downing Street said David Cameron would respond to the issues raised. | Downing Street said David Cameron would respond to the issues raised. |
| Ms Creasy has written to the prime minister urging him to press the US authorities on what she said was "a growing problem" of British Muslims being barred from the US without explanation. | Ms Creasy has written to the prime minister urging him to press the US authorities on what she said was "a growing problem" of British Muslims being barred from the US without explanation. |
| She said she had "hit a brick wall" in her own attempts to get answers from the US embassy. | She said she had "hit a brick wall" in her own attempts to get answers from the US embassy. |
| Mr Mahmood, who was travelling with his brother and nine of their children, had planned to visit cousins in southern California and go to the theme parks. He said UK Border officials had informed them at the departure lounge that they were not allowed to board the US-bound flight. | |
| Mr Mahmood told the BBC: "We checked in, there were no problems. Just before the final check to get into the lounge we were singled out. | |
| "A man from UK Border Force came and said, 'I'm sorry you can't board this flight. We received a call from Washington DC that we can't allow this family to board the flight'." | |
| Mr Mahmood said he had educated his children "to live in this country peacefully" and had been invited to speak at local schools about Islamophobia. | |
| He told BBC Radio 5live it seemed like it had been a clear case of discrimination. | |
| "Because I have a beard and sometimes wear Islamic dress I get stopped and asked questions. I feel that is part of the deal of flying. I understand that. | |
| "The fact that we were the only ones who were of Asian or Muslim appearance, it seemed embarrassing that only we were the only ones taken out of the queue. For the children to take this in is very difficult." | |
| He said the airline had told them they would not be refunded the £9,000 cost of their flights. They were also forced to return everything they had purchased at Gatwick's duty-free shops before being escorted from the airport, he said. | He said the airline had told them they would not be refunded the £9,000 cost of their flights. They were also forced to return everything they had purchased at Gatwick's duty-free shops before being escorted from the airport, he said. |
| Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said the government would look into the incident but ultimately the decision was up to the US authorities. | |
| "It is for countries to look carefully at this time of heightened security at the steps that they do have in place to assure their homeland security, but obviously we will look into the points that have been flagged and respond accordingly," he said. |