Mariah Carey Fan Claims She Was Blocked From Concert Over Palestinian Scarf

A Palestinian Mariah Carey fan claims she was banned from the singer's concert in Toronto on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh.

In a social media post, PhD student Ghada Sasa said security stopped her from entering the Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas One and All!'show at Scotiabank Arena due to her keffiyeh—a traditional Palestinian scarf.

"Just 2 days after a racist shot 3 Palestinian students for wearing keffiyehs, I was blocked by @ScotiabankArena from entering the Mariah Carey concert wearing one," she wrote on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.

"I guess I should be glad they didn't also take my Palestinian map necklace passed down to me by my mom."

Newsweek has reached out to Sasa for comment via Twitter and Scotiabank Arena via Instagram and their website.

So far, Sasa's post has received over 35,000 views. The alleged incident appears to be an example of increased violence and discrimination against Palestinians across the U.S. amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

On October 7, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 captive. Israel subsequently launched airstrikes on Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut off supplies of food, medicine, energy and fuel into Gaza, before beginning a ground offensive.

As of November 28, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while 1.7 million have lost their homes, according to The Associated Press.

Since the war broke out, attacks on Palestinians in the U.S. appear to have risen. A 41-year-old man from Dearborn, Michigan, was arrested on October 12 after posting a call to "hunt Palestinians" on Facebook, while the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a hate crime investigation on October 15 after a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed in Illinois.

On Sunday, 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton was arrested after the shooting of three Palestinian-American college students in Burlington, Vermont. He has been charged with attempted murder and two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs at the time, according to local police.

Although dating back to the Mesopotamian era (3100 BC), contemporary keffiyeh have come to represent Palestinian resistance. Black and white and adorned with a fishnet, wave or bold pattern, the keffiyeh is worn by both men and women.

On Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the DOJ was monitoring "extremist" activity, both in America and overseas. Discrimination against Jewish people in the U.S. has also increased as a result of the war, with antisemitism reaching "historic levels," according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.

'Completely Unacceptable'

In a follow-up post, Sasa said security was also concerned about her choice of sign, which featured a cartoon Santa Claus holding a Palestinian flag.

"First, they told us it was too political. Then, manager Jason told us its size was unacceptable," Sasa said of the sign incident, describing the incident as "racist" and "fascist."

"When I asked to be directed to the policy we were allegedly violating, management refused to respond and called the police on us," Sasa continued.

"I was fully frisked. The police had their body cameras on and we were treated with an extremely aggressive and rude manner. They didn't let us in till we took off our keffiyehs."

Sasa's post horrified many X users, with Alim calling the reported incident "absolutely outrageous."

"Horrific to hear," agreed @trev_vegan.

"This is just racism!" said @digitaldina, while naim dubbed the encounter: "Completely unacceptable."

However, others defended Scotiabank Arena, telling Sasa to, "Grow up."

"Maybe they just don't want protesters disrupting the concert with political views," said Rick Silver.

"It is their right to screen what they let in," wrote Nathan Porter. "They certainly would not want a safe place for everyone to be disrupted with chants."

"There's 10,000 other things I can do at home, but I can't do in a concert," commented Brattani.

"You were trying to make a big scene, no luck," said Jhonny Cash. "And good job by the security."

According to Scotiabank Arena's banner policy, the venue has specific rules that attendees must follow. At sporting events, all posters and signs must be less than 22x28 inches and must not "hinder, distract, or interfere with the view of other fans." They also can't feature imagery that is "obscene or in poor taste" and "commercial, political or negative" messaging is also not allowed.

For live events and concerts, the poster and sign policy is at the "tour's discretion," with the rules subject to change "at any point."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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