The son of the late boxing champion Muhammad Ali was stopped by officials at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Friday.
Muhammad Ali Jr. was traveling from Washington D.C. to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is the second time in two weeks that the late boxer’s son was harried by airport officials and he is adamant that he is being profiled because he is a Muslim with an Arabic sounding name.
Ali Jr. was stopped by a ticket agent who said his identification was expired and refused to give him his boarding pass. The agent informed Ali that his name was flagged and he would not be allowed to board the plane until the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was contacted, Ali has since protested that his ID is not expired and said there were no explanation given on why he was stopped for an “expired ID.” He said he eventually retrieved his passport and was allowed to board a JetBlue Airways flight after about 25 minutes.
According to a statement from DHS Ali Jr. arrived at the security check point, his jewelry alarmed the scanner and he received a targeted pat-down to clear the alarm.
On February 7, immigration officials at Fort Lauderdale Airport detained and extensively questioned Ali and his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, about their ancestry and religion. The mother and son, both born in the United States, have said in interviews that they believe they have been stopped because they are Muslim with Arabic names. Earlier this week, they announced a campaign for religious freedom in the spirit of the boxing icon, supported by ex-boxing greats Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, Roberto Duran and others. They say they are opposed to President Donald Trump’s travel ban, which they feel unfairly targets Muslims.
