French mom blacklisted because name sounds like‘Al Qaeda’

Ayoung French mom says she has been banned from the U.S. because her name sounds like Al Qaeda.

Aida Alic, whose name appears on her passport as Alic Aida, was stopped at Geneva airport as she was about to board a flight to New York and told she had been blacklisted after the Swiss airlines had received notice from U.S. border authorities.

“At first I thought it was a joke, then I realized our trip was not going to happen,” she told the Dauphine Libere website.

At first I thought it was a joke, then I realized our trip was not going to

happen.

Alic, lives in southeastern France and had painted her fingernails in the colours of the Stars and Stripes in readiness for her trip,

She was travelling with her husband and two young children.

Alic says she can only think of one reason why she has not been allowed into the U.S. — her name.

“Alic Aida, Al Qaeda. When friends make the play on words to try and pull my leg, I am used to it, but not this. Especially as my name is pronounced Alitch. It is of Yugoslav origin. And now here I am labelled as a risk.”

Culled from nydailynews. com