British psychotherapist detained after reading Syrian art book on flight from Turkey

Upon her arrival at Doncaster airport, Faizah Shaheen, a British Muslim psychotherapist hailing from Leeds, was taken into custody after staff from Thompson airlines raised concerns about her reading material during her flight from Turkey. The book, Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline, is a 2014 anthology by Saqi Books that showcases the work of over fifty Syrian artists and writers who confront the violence in their homeland. Following her honeymoon, police interrogated Shaheen for a quarter of an hour. Zaher Omareen, the publication's co-editor, described the incident to the Guardian as appalling. The flight crew deemed her reading choice suspicious, leading to her detention.