By Mucahit Aydemir
JERUSALEM (AA) – A video posted by a US Muslim influencer has gone viral after it seemed to support his claims that he was strip-searched for three hours by security guards at Israel’s main international airport.
The influencer, SQ, posted the video, which also captured a heated exchange with cabin staff who criticized him for delaying the flight despite having been detained earlier. The video shows the female airline employee saying: “300 passengers are waiting for you.”
SQ responds by saying: “Then tell Israel that. Why did they detain me? Whoever you are, don’t you dare speak to me that way, have some respect. Three hundred people are waiting. It’s not my fault.”
His post went viral with over 3.2 million views and attracted more than 12,000 comments.
During the video, SQ talks to his audience, saying: “This lady aggressively comes at me knowing that security had detained me, making it seems like it’s my fault. The plane had been grounded for 30 minutes as Israel performed a body cavity search on me & other Muslims!”
“Our Palestinian brothers & sisters deal with 1000x worse. This is a walk in the park compared to what they deal with daily.”
On boarding the flight, he apologized to other passengers, saying he was detained and strip-searched, noting: “I’m sorry. It’s not my fault. They held me in security and made me get naked. Just because I’m a Muslim, that’s the truth.”
SQ is known on social media for supporting humanitarian activities in areas such as occupied Palestine and Yemen for orphans, refugees, and those in need.
Many Palestinian, Muslim, and foreign passengers flying in and out of Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport undergo strict security measures, especially if they plan to visit the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem. These measures can mean interrogation, strip searches, electronic items confiscation, and baggage opening.
*Writing by Seda Sevencan