A British Muslim woman has sparked controversy online after posting a video detailing her unexpectedly pleasant encounter with security at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, challenging widespread "horror stories" about the process. Sanam Hussan, a TikToker from Birmingham, UK, shared her story while fulfilling a lifelong dream to visit Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, but her account drew sharp criticism from pro-Palestinian activists and anti-Israel voices who accused her of undermining their cause.
In the viral TikTok video, Hussan described arriving at Ben Gurion Airport in her clip, and navigating immigration.
"I've heard a lot of stories, horror stories, but this is not what I experienced in Israel," she said, recounting how she and her husband applied for entry permits online beforehand for a small fee and faced standard questions like "How long are you here for?" and "When's your flight back?"
While waiting in a side room for about two to three hours, during which her husband was questioned further, security staff offered them coffee and a cheese sandwich. "It was really nice. Even though I had snacks and drinks, they came over and brought us coffee and a cheese sandwich. They were also nice and asked if we needed anything else," Hussan explained.
She emphasized that there was no strip-searching or mistreatment, adding, "We were polite to them, and they were polite to us." Dismissing the negative narratives that had made her apprehensive, she encouraged others: "If you are thinking about travelling to see the beauties of the world, then say Bismillah and pack that bag because my experience so far has been positive."
