Follow-up on Muslim Screenings at Airport

Remember my recent post about starting Muslims-only lines at airports?  I guess I'm in the minority about thinking that there is something patently unconstitutional about this proposal.  A new poll done by Quinnipiac University found that 60% of Americans feel Muslims and Muslim-looking people should be singled out for security screening at airports and train stations, according to a Reuter's article.  I find this disturbing and very, very sad.

I received an e-mail from an old friend about my first post, and he expressed sadness and outrage over the separate line proposal.  He noted that in 40 years of Cold War, where the existence of the country was really in the balance, the government actually expanded human rights.  With terrorism, although scary, the very existence of the country is not in question, but people are more than willing to throw out the civil rights baby with the bathwater.

And he makes other excellent points for people who want to assume that all Muslims are potential terrorists that must be stopped at all costs, including:

• There are Muslims who are blue-eyed and blond-haired;
• Muslims can use other non-Muslim people to commit terrorist acts.  Remember the case of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed pregnant girlfriend who didn’t know that her Arab boyfriend had packed a bomb in her baggage?
• That it was a good old American boy -- Timothy McVeigh -- who held the record for most U.S. deaths in a terrorist act until 9/11, so you never know what race, color or creed your next crazy terrorist might be.

I couldn't have put it better myself.  I have two observations -- people who are the least likely to be profiled are usually the most vocal about the need to do it.  And the ones who are for it will change their tune very quickly when the government starts expanding its profiling net and these people find out they are now the ones caught in it.  I just hope that by then it won't be too late to stem the tide.

Comments

[Ian Harbison]

TWA is making a comeback in the UK! It's called "Travelling While Asian". It means you get hassled at security because you look "Muslim". Given the higher education qualifications of security screeners at British airports, this means that they can instantly distinguish suspects...no confusion with Hindus for exapmple.