“I am in support of stricter security measures, even if it’s a little invasive,” Aref told IFN. “I’m all for protecting people’s rights, [but] I also had a very traumatic experience and I wouldn’t want anybody else experiencing that same feeling.”

She added that certain considerations should be taken, such as separating body scanners by gender, so that only female security would check females entering through the scanners and only male security would check males entering through the scanners.

”We should be able to balance privacy with safety,” she said.

Aref and the other 289 passengers aboard Northwestern Airlines flight 253 were preparing themselves for landing when a loud pop and smoke startled many of them.

“My first thought was maybe someone was lighting a cigarette,” Aref said.  “But then I saw a red flash, similar to when you light a flare, and someone yelled ‘fire.’  That’s when it turned to chaos.”

Passengers began screaming and yelling as people tossed water bottles and passengers rushed to see what happened.  Eventually, a flight attendant doused the flames with a fire extinguisher, Aref said. She did not see a U.S. Air Marshall aboard the flight.

After a brief lull in action, Aref saw a restrained, demoralized and half-naked Abdulmutallab escorted to the front of the plane.

“I saw his face then. He looked very blank,” she said.

Because Abdulmutallab had smuggled a concoction of powder and liquid in his underwear, which he had just attempted to ignite, he wasn’t wearing pants.

But Aref was still unsure what had just occurred. And it didn’t sink in for a few hours.

“It was Christmas Day, I was really confused,” said Aref, who was flying home from Kuwait where she practices law. “I didn’t realize the extent or the gravity of the situation, until later, when we were detained by the FBI for six hours.”

All passengers were questioned and later released. Since, Aref has been reflecting on what happened.

She will be flying back to Kuwait in a few weeks, and does not want to be fearful for her life.  For that reason, Aref feels that heightened flight security will not only help her peace of mind, but will also keep her and all other flight passengers safe.

“I know Muslims, especially women that wear hijab, are worried about body-scanning, but this is not only for the safety of other people, it’s for our safety, too,” she said.  “We have to balance the protection of rights with national security.”

Federal authorities are preparing to install 150 new body scanners in airports around the United States, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

However, the TSA recently announced new controversial guidelines under which security screeners will conduct full pat-down body checks and carry-on luggage checks for passengers traveling from countries which the U.S. considers to be a security risk.

CNN recently reported that a senior government official provided a list of 14 countries subject to enhanced screening for travelers heading to the United States: Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Saudia Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

These enhanced screening procedures amount to religious profiling, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Monday.

“Under these new guidelines, almost every American Muslim who travels to see family or friends or goes on pilgrimage to Mecca will automatically be singled out for special security checks -- that’s profiling,” said Nihad Awad, the council’s national executive director, according to CNN. “While singling out travelers based on religion and national origin may make some people feel safer, it only serves to alienate and stigmatize Muslims and does nothing to improve airline security.”

CNN reported that a TSA spokesperson, Kristin Lee, responded, “TSA does not profile."

MPAC called the decision by TSA to target passengers from 14 “terrorism prone nations” for additional screening “another name for counterproductive racial and ethnic profiling.”

In a statement, MPAC said, “Like Muslim Americans across the country, MPAC is deeply concerned for the safety and security of our nation. However, the use of ethnic and religious profiling will not achieve greater security. In fact, by targeting only certain passengers for additional screening, 'blind spots' can be identified and exploited by violent extremists. Furthermore, the new policy deeply undermines the Obama administration’s stated commitment to civil rights, equality before the law, and a much-needed effort to rebuild U.S.-Muslim world relations.”

Editor’s Note: IFN’s interview with Hebba Aref was conducted prior to the release of the new TSA regulations. Aref could not be reached for comment regarding the new regulations. While Aref said she favors heightened security for all passengers, she did not say she is in support of the new regulations that Muslim civil rights organizations have labeled as “racial profiling.”