"After a few minutes a couple of other people were also taken to one side," Mr Malik said. "We were all Muslims - the other two were black Muslims, both with Muslim names."

He was also singled out and detained at New York's JFK airport by the DHS last November. Again, he had been a keynote speaker at an event organised by the same department, appearing alongside the FBI and Muslim organisations.

Mr Malik said that while he had put the 2006 episode behind him, he was "deeply disappointed" that the situation had been allowed to recur. "I really do believe that British ministers and parliamentarians should be afforded the same respect and dignity at USA airports that we would bestow upon our colleagues in the Senate and Congress here."

The experience would not deter him from returning to the US to continue the fight against terrorism. "The United States is a great friend and ally and a country I have great regard for," said Mr Malik, an ardent supporter of tough anti-terror legislation. It has been a bad week for Mr Malik. Last Thursday he topped a House of Commons table of politicians' expenses, with annual expenditure at £185,421 - almost £50,000 more than the prime minister.