British Prime Minister David Cameron was urged to intervene on Wednesday after a British Muslim family was prevented from flying to the United States for a visit to Disneyland, AFP reported.
The family of 11 was stopped from boarding their flight to Los Angeles at London's Gatwick airport on Tuesday last week by immigration officials.
Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, who was travelling with his brother and nine of their children, said the officials gave no reason for blocking their travel plans, but told the Guardian newspaper he believed it was because American officials "think every Muslim poses a threat".
"Because I have a beard and sometimes wear Islamic dress, I get stopped and asked questions," Mahmood added in comments to the BBC. "I feel that is part of the deal of flying."
In a statement following the incident, the American Customs and Border Protection authority did not refer to Mahmood's case, but said that in general there were more than 60 grounds for inadmissibility to the United States, including health reasons and prior criminal convictions.
"The religion, faith, or spiritual beliefs of an international traveler are not determining factors about his/her admissibility into the U.S.," the statement stressed.
Meanwhile, Mahmood's local lawmaker in London, Stella Creasy of the main opposition Labour party, asked Cameron to look into what happened, according to AFP.
Cameron's Downing Street office confirmed that the prime minister would respond to Creasy's request.
The issue is particularly sensitive due to the recent uproar over remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who recently suggested that the United States temporarily ban entry of Muslims due to security concerns.
The comments were widely condemned, with White House press secretary Josh Earnest saying the proposal was "disqualifying", and Secretary of State John Kerry claiming this week the comments “endanger national security”.
Cameron weighed in on Trump's comments as well, calling them "divisive, stupid and wrong".