Muhammad Ali's son asked at airport "are you Muslim?"

International Desk: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali's son was detained by immigration staff at a Florida airport who repeatedly asked him "Are you Muslim?"

Muhammad Ali Jr, 44, and his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, were stopped as they arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on February 7 from Jamaica.

Lawyer Chris Mancini said officials questioned Ali for nearly two hours, repeatedly asking him, "Where did you get your name from?" and "Are you Muslim?"

The officials continued questioning Ali after acknowledging that he was Muslim, Mancini told the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky.

Hitting out at President Trump's controversial Muslim travel ban , Mancini told the Miami New Times: "This is an outrage.

"I don't know what is going on with Mr Trump's claim that his ban is not religion-based. We do not discriminate in this country based on religion."

Ali Jr was born in Philadelphia and holds a US passport. He has no criminal record.

US Customs and Border Protection said it "cannot discuss individual travellers; however, all international travellers arriving in the US are subject to CBP inspection".

Source: Agencies

risingbd/Dhaka/Feb 25, 2017/A K Azad