Lindsay Lohan was asked by a customs official to remove her headscarf when traveling to New York through London after returning from Turkey, the American star revealed in her latest interview with a British talk show.
"When I was flying to New York recently, I was wearing a headscarf and I got stopped at the airport and was racially profiled for the first time in my life," the Mean Girls actress said in the interview with Good Morning Britain.
Lohan said that the airport worker told her: "'Take off your headscarf,'"
She explained that she complied with the request, but said she was "kind of in shock."
"What scared me was that moment, how would another woman who doesn’t feel comfortable taking off her headscarf feel?" she said.
The star also explained that she'd never had a similar experience before.
"It was strange. It did freak me out ... I was a little intimidated," she said.
Lohan had been in Turkey visiting the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Syrian refugees. She explained that she personally chose to wear the headscarf out of "respect" for the culture. Lohan has also been open about her strong personal interest in Islam.
Although Lohan says she has not converted to Islam, she has been learning Arabic, studying the Quran, visiting Syrian refugees and spending a lot of time in the Middle East. She has also said she finds "solace" in Islam.
The star's comments come as U.S. President Donald Trump is attempting to ban immigrants from several Muslim majority countries.
An executive order Trump signed in January, which barred immigrants and refugees from Syria, Libya, Iraq, Sudan, Iran, Yemen and Somalia, was struck down by U.S. courts. Trump's administration plans on signing a new, albeit revised, executive order rather than challenging the court's decision.
Lohan's experience at the airport mirrors that of many others. Muslims and other minority groups – even those with American citizenship – are routinely racially profiled at airports in the U.S. Throughout the country, hate crimes against Muslims and anti-Muslim sentiments are on the rise as well.
Just last week, a Muslim teacher, who only holds a British nationality, was blocked from traveling to the U.S. for unknown reasons while on a trip with students.
Despite her strong connection to Islam and her recent experience at the airport, Lohan has said she's willing to give Trump a chance. Although she disagrees with his policies, she said she respects him as her country's president.