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Whenever driving or walking through the streets of Belize City it is not unusual to come across a team of police officers body searching individuals and going through a vehicle with a fine tooth comb. But this morning’s exercise was anything but normal because of the persons who were pulled over by the cops. It certainly caught the attention of people in the area including our news team that just happened to be passing at the time. A car carrying five young men all believed to be Muslims was stopped and the vehicle was thoroughly searched. After looking in the trunk, under its hood, between the engine, under the car seats and paneling nothing suspicious was found. The driver and his passengers were then released.

When our news team caught up with the car’s driver and passengers they told us that it is not he first time that they have been stopped by the police and while they understand that the cops have a job to do they do not know why they were searched because they have been living in Belize for several years and are not involved in any criminal activity. According to the car driver Afsar Myah they were returning from a service on Central American Boulevard celebrating the final day of one month of fasting and he was heading to one of his friends home on Vernon Street when they were stopped.

Afasar Myah, Car Driver
“I do not know why they search and do that, I don’t know.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you believe you guys looked suspicious as to why you were stopped by the police?

Afasar Myah,
“I don’t know because they stopped us and checked and I didn’t have arms or anything inside.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
There has to be a reason why you were stopped, you must have looked suspicious.

Afasar Myah,
“I had nothing, they checked already. They thought I had guns or somethingbut I had nothing illegally. They have the right to search and they stopped me and asked me if I had any arm or any pistol and I said I had nothing so they checked and they found nothing.”

Muhommed Muju, Friend of Muslims searched
“It is a whole month, one month we fast. We don’t eat from morning to evening. Before sun goes up to when goes down then we eat. One month we do that and after one month we have a day, like today like celebration day. The police here have a right to check what’s going on anywhere. We don’t mind but we’re not criminals. We have been living here for a long time and we are Belizeans so we don’t mind they check but they won’t nothing with us.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you believe because you guys are Muslims and because of what’s happening worldwide with the concern of terrorism….

Muhommed Muju,
“That’s why we suffer here. People think because my name is Muhommed or something so people think I am a terrorist. I am not a terrorist.”

According to a police spokesperson it was no case of racial profiling but if anything looks suspicious they do have that right to conduct a search and that is exactly what happened on Vernon Street.