A woman claims airport officials told her she would have to take off her headscarf if she wanted to get on a flight out of Rome.

Aghnia Adzkia says on social media she was catching a flight back to  London  and was going  through security when officials said she would have to remove  her hijab 'in case she was hiding something under her scarf'.

The Indonesian citizen a Goldsmith University student, who lives in London posted a video of her exchange at Ciampino Airport.


The female security staff member says on the video: 'You could hide something in your hair. If you don't take it off, we do not know if there's something inside, okay? You are not safe for us."

Ms Adzkia wrote, “Why should I take off my hijab?” I asked. They replied it was for the security reasons. However, I wasn’t prepared to trust them unless they could cite me a law or provide me with a legal document that saying they were authorised to have to check what is underneath of my hijab. 

"To make it clear, they asked me to follow one lady to a private room to checking my hijab. But for me, this is not just about whether I want to show my head/hair or not (albeit in front of a lady). This is beyond that: it is a matter of human dignity and rights. For what reason were they asked me to take off my hijab?"

She adds, "A male security officer dragged me out of the security checking area in an indecent way (he took my bag without asking my permission and shouted at me to be quiet).

" I tried to negotiate again with them about the legality of the check but the lady just shouted to me, “I’ve shown you, if you do not know Italian language…You can’t touch me, You are not safe. 

"You could hide something in your hair. If you don’t take it off, we do not know if there’s something inside, okay? You are not safe for us.”

It  has been reported that officials ask all women to remove their  headscarves and women can into a  private area to be searched by a  female staff member.

Speaking to Mail Ms Adzkia said: 'I completely understand about what is going in the world lately. I stand against terrorism and that's not Islam.

'Yet, what I've experienced in Rome was shocking, the way they treated me indecently has shown discrimination. I understand if it is for security reason, but why did they not give me a second to read the law?'

She says later the same evening, she booked a ticket to fly to London from Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, also in Rome.

She was asked her to remove her headscarf, she agreed and was able to board the flight.