Armed security guards removed a Christian man from a plane because a fellow passenger saw a “prayer” message on the Christian man’s phone.
“Someone felt I was a terrorist because they saw the word ‘prayer’ on my phone and now I stand in uncertainty about my freedom of movement in and out of the United Kingdom,” Laolu Opebiyi said.
According to The Sun, Opebiyi was arranging a conference call prayer session as the flight was about to take off. A fellow passenger on the flight from London to Amsterdam was reading over Opebiyi’s shoulder and reported Opebiyi to the crew.
The title of the group was “Isi Men,” according to The Sun, which the passenger may have read as “ISIS men.”
“They asked me which church I attend and how long I have been going there,” Opebiyi said after he showed the interrogators his Bible. “They also ask if I have ever thought about changing my religion to which I replied ‘no.'”
Despite being cleared, Opebiyi was unable to board the flight again.
“That guy doesn’t know me, and within two minutes, he’s judging me,” Opebiyi told the Guardian. “Even if I was a Muslim, it was pretty unfair the way I was treated. I don’t think anyone, irrespective of their religion, should be treated in such a way.
“If we keep on giving into this kind of bigotry and irrational fear, I dare say that the terrorists will have achieved their aim.”
