Seema Jilani White House Racism; Muslim Wife Singled Out at White House Correspondents Dinner for Boston Bombings Connection
Dr. Seema Jilani, a physician, claimed she was a victim of racism at last month's White House Correspondents' Dinner, all because she is a Muslim.
Jilani penned an article to the Huffington Post in which she recalled how she was mistreated by security guards at the event.
Jilani was there as a guest of her husband, who is a journalist at a newspaper publication. She said she was only allowed to attend the pre-dinner cocktail hour, but not the actual dinner with the President.
After the cocktail hour, as Jilani was preparing to leave to walk back to her car, she realized that her husband who had already gone into the main ballroom had possession of her keys.
The physician said she walked to the elevators that went to the ballroom and asked the security guards if she could go downstairs to meet her husband.
"You can't go down without a ticket," a security guard responded. Jiliani said she explained her situation and that she only wanted to get her keys from her husband. She tried to reach her husband for an hour, but he did not answer.
She said as she continued to reach him on the phone, she noticed something very unusual. Jiliani said she watched the security guards let other Caucasian women in to the ballroom without showing their tickets.
When she confronted the security guards about the women without tickets, one responded: "Well, now we are checking tickets."
When she continued to press the issue to the security guards, they threatened to call Secret Service on her.
She became extremely upset when one of the guards said: "We have to be extra careful with you all after the Boston bombings."
The guard even accused Jiliani as being a party-crasher.
"You were here last year, weren't you? You caused trouble here last year too. I know you." the guard said.
