Israel Detains, Strip-searches UK Muslim Women

CAIRO, September 16 (IslamOnline.net) – Israel has come under a fresh wave of fierce criticism for detaining and strip-searching three female British Muslim women before their release, without any reasons given for the harassment, a leading British newspaper reported.

The Guardian said Wednesday, September 15, the three women were planning to go to occupied Palestinian territories to help children as part of a charity, Project Hope, which receives money from the Canadian government.

They say they have not been told why they were arrested, but are being targeted because they are Muslims.

“They are only treating us like this because we are Muslims,” the paper quoted Ms Samra Ghafoor, one of the three.

“We came to visit Muslim holy sites and to offer help to a charity that teaches Palestinian children.”

The women, all Muslims in their 20s, were held in a raid on their hotel in occupied Jerusalem's old city involving 20 security personnel.

The British daily said they have all now been released, as it is understood they faced no charges and after a court judge said they posed no security threat to Israel.

“That shows we're not a security risk. The judge himself said the evidence wasn't sufficient to hold us,” said Ms Hajira Qureshi who has recently worked at the British Home Office.

The trio were ordered to leave the country.

Criticized

Massoud Shadjareh, chair of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, called on the Foreign Office to protest officially to Israel about the women's treatment.

“It is outrageous and racist not to allow British Muslims to support Palestinians while British Jews can show their support for Israelis by going to kibbutzs.”

Israel has repeatedly come under fire for targeting foreign activists helping the Palestinians –- facing almost daily aggressions by the occupation forces.

Last month Israel ordered the expulsion of Briton Ewa Jasiewicz, 26, a journalist for magazine Red Pepper.

The authorities accused Jasiewicz of involvement with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), who organize human shield operations to protect civilians in the West Bank and Gaza.

In April 2003, British peace activist Tom Hurndall was in a coma and clinically dead after he was shot by an Israeli soldier at a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gazastrip.

Hurndall was trying to pull two Palestinian children out of danger when shots were deliberately fired from a nearby Israeli army watchtower.

The Israeli military announced December 31 that one of its soldiers had been arrested in connection with the shooting of the Manchester university photography student.

On June 19, three British lawmakers accused Israeli troops of firing at them twice during a UN-supervised fact-finding mission in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah devastated by incessant Israeli raids.

The cross-party group, including MPs Huw Irranca-Davies from the ruling Labour party, Crispin Blunt from the opposition Conservatives and the Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Northover, was on a visit to Rafah.

The most striking is the case of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old ISM member who was crushed to death
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