U.S. prevents British Muslim family from traveling to Disneyland
British citizen Mohammad Tariq Mahmood was traveling to Disneyland with his brother and their nine children when the U.S. canceled their authorization to enter the country. The family was given no explanation, but speaking with The Guardian, Mahmood said, "It's because of the attacks on America — they think every Muslim poses a threat."
Mahmood's family had been saving for months for the trip to the U.S.; the children were between the ages of 8 and 19. ITV News reports that no one in Mahmood's family has any relation to any terrorist organizations.
In an interview with the BBC, Mahmood said he was taken aside by a British border control official just before his family was due to board the flight — and that the children knew almost instantly what was happening."We were the only family that were Asian, Muslim appearance. It was embarrassing that we were the only family that were taken out," he said. "When they saw me shaking my head, the younger ones started crying. They knew straight away." [The Washington Post]
Officially United States law says travelers cannot be denied admission into the country because of their "religion, faith, or spiritual beliefs." There are, however, approximately 60 other reasons that could bar entry including "health-related" issues, "prior criminal convictions," and "documentation requirements."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Donald Trump has called for a ban on Muslims entering the country, a plan that many critics have called blatantly unconstitutional and Islamophobic.
-
What will the US economy look like in 2026?Today’s Big Question Wall Street is bullish, but uncertain
-
Alaa Abd el-Fattah: should Egyptian dissident be stripped of UK citizenship?Today's Big Question Resurfaced social media posts appear to show the democracy activist calling for the killing of Zionists and police
-
Biggest political break-ups and make-ups of 2025The Explainer From Trump and Musk to the UK and the EU, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a round-up of the year’s relationship drama
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
