1.07.2010

nova scotia newlywed - canadian citizen of 12 years - fingerprinted, then refused entry into u.s.

[redsock guest post]

Another story from The Land Of The Free™:

CBC (my bold):
A newlywed Nova Scotia woman hoping to visit her husband in the United States says she wasn't allowed to board a flight at Halifax Stanfield International Airport this week because she is a Muslim.

Ayat Manna, 25, of Dartmouth, said she thinks she was picked out of the crowd Monday night because she wears a Muslim headscarf. She said U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents questioned her for four hours, fingerprinted her and then escorted her out of the airport. ...

Originally from Jordan, Manna has lived in Nova Scotia for 15 years and has been a Canadian citizen for 12 years. ...

"They asked me about my background, how much I pay in rent and why I don't own my own house. I don't know why they ask me these questions, if I'm pregnant or not," she said. ...

Manna said she wasn't told why she wasn't being allowed in to the United States, but she has her own ideas about that.

"Well, since they picked me, I'm the only one with a scarf on. They picked me out of the whole group, and I think that's what it is — because I'm a Muslim," Manna said. "That's what it is."

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