Racial Profiling Will Aggravate Terror Mindset

Category: World Affairs Topics: Barack Obama, Conflicts And War, Foreign Policy, North Korea, Racism Channel: Opinion Views: 4535
4535

Barack Obama in his response to the failed Detroit bombing episode has directed the country's transport authorities to enhance screening procedures for US bound passengers traveling through "state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest". What it means is, if you are a passenger belonging to or flying via countries mentioned in the list i.e. Cuba, Sudan, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen, then an additional screening of yours is inevitable.

 The bold step taken by the coerced US President has certainly raised a few eyebrows. The fact that all passengers belonging to the cited countries irrespective of who they are, will be treated as terror suspects is bound to trigger discontentment, specially in the Arab world. There are no two ways about the issue that security is one of the key priorities of any country and steps have to be taken to undertake the safety of innocent people. In this case however, Obama seems to have overreacted as many would opine.

It always has to be first things first. The US authorities could and should find out the loopholes in their security issues in the first place. By Obama's own admission, it was a potentially disastrous 'screw up' by the intelligence. Reports quoted him as saying "the US government had sufficient information to have uncovered this plot and potentially disrupt the Christmas Day attack, but our intelligence community failed to connect those dots which would have placed the suspect on the no-fly list". It was revealed that the father of the Nigerian terror suspect had informed the US officials about his son. In spite of the warning, if US could not avert what happened, then it really should be blaming itself.

The United States has, off late been criticized of holding up innocent people for interrogations related to terrorism. The latest move might well add to that distasteful reputation. Besides, the countries mentioned in the list are predominantly Muslim. Yes, countries such as Indonesia and even India that have a great deal of Muslim populace, do not figure in the list but individuals from such countries may well be pulled aside for the screenings. In August 2009, none other than Shahrukh Khan was detained at one of the airports of US since his surname Khan flashed at the alert screens!

Besides, countries such as North Korea do not find a place in the list. It is no secret that the US is suspicious about North Korea and their relations are not quite healthy thanks to nuclear issues. North Korea too figures in notorious terrorist activities. In November 1987, North Korean agents had set a time bomb on board Korean Airlines Flight 858 flying from Baghdad via Bangkok and Abu Dhabi, en route to Seoul in their attempt to "bomb the Korean Airline aircraft to obstruct the Seoul Olympics"as per the Overseas Intelligence Division of the KWP.  In 1988 the US State Department had designated North Korea as "a state sponsor of terrorism." It could also be recalled that in December 2002, Spanish troops boarded and detained a shipment of Scud missiles from North Korea destined for Yemen, at the United States' request.

The so called 'Islamic terrorism' is primarily seen as a vengeance phenomenon caused as a result of the treatment meted out to the Muslim world be it Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and the like. In such a case, the racial profiling that the US has now come up with, will only aggravate that fury and may well result in the creation of some more terrorists.

The racial profiling by US now alters the famous notion 'All Muslims are not Al-Qaeda, but all Al-Qaeda are Muslims' into 'All Muslims ARE Al-Qaeda'. Disheartening, indeed.

Abrar Khan is a media student from  Karnataka, India. His blog: http://ishuz.wordpress.com/


  Category: World Affairs
  Topics: Barack Obama, Conflicts And War, Foreign Policy, North Korea, Racism  Channel: Opinion
Views: 4535

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Older Comments:
TRUEBELIEVER FROM USA said:
for all those who say Muslims need to stop being terrorist, what about all the whites need to stop being part of the KKK. How would white people like it if they were repeatedly checked at the airport for suspicion of being part of the KKK.
2010-01-29

MUSLIM FROM ENGLAND said:
Many mainstream grassroots Muslim organisations DO condemn terrorism e.g. http://www.theamericanmuslim.org. The accusation is facile & an act of rhetorical hectoring. The question is why do the the global corporate media (primarily Western) not report these statements as opposed to highlighting the fringe elements in proportion? The reason is that the sensationalist MSM are hand in glove with their incestuous Military-Industrial Complex(MIC) allies.The owners e.g. Newsbaron Murdoch clan & "Lord Black of Crossharbour" illustrate the criminality of the plutocrats scratching each others backs.Another question is why should the innocent be answerable for the crimes of individuals, Muslims do not believe in Jewish scapegoating & Christian Vicarious Liability, we believe in personal culpability. Collective blame is ignorant verging on racist generalization, especially where Muslims aren't in democracies delegating decisions to their elected representatives for war.So will John G put his hand up & apologise along with the West for all of Huntingdon's supreme Mafia Civilization comment? Whitewashing & Denial work alongside collective demonisation & Manifest Destiny & its modern equivalent PNAC Full-spectrum dominance for global hegemony.Obama blanked out the rape/torture as the embedded journalists do. John Pilger is a rare investigative reporter.As for terrorism, look up the OED meaning of the word & see who commits more of that according to the definition & not the selective MSM bias which is disproportionate creating a Virtual Reality from 24/7 repeating images akin to brainwashing emotive sensationalism. Come on moderate non-Muslims condemn your terror or be exposed as hypocrites.
2010-01-13

MAYA V FROM AK said:
John G.
If the moderate Muslims of the world would condemn each and every terrorist attack, then the rest of the world could eliminate racial profiling.

My Comment: It is unfortunate people cannot see whole events happennig across the world. It is was in the near past one mad man wanted to liberate the people from themselves and bring his own superior 'democracy'. Everyone understands it was 'greedocracy' that led to it. Politicians exploited and abused certain disasters to create even more disasters. People are getting killed by weapons dropped from the sky. Poeple are getting killed for the sake of preaparing the land for the second coming of the 'Lord' - to mention a few. To stop terrorism which every civilized humanbeing hates, first needs to identify and recognize what is it. Terror is terror even if it comes dressed in suite and ties, and not with a beard and turban. World will be a better place when everyone has atleast almost equal rights to live. Let us stop writing down lesser humanbeings and let us condemn all forms of terror.
2010-01-12

SLAMDOG TRILLIONAIRE FROM FRANCE said:
The better question is where are the moderate westerners? No intelligent person believes these attacks are done by Muslims. These are false flag attacks with patsies thrown in for good measure.
If there is to be any kind of racial profiling...it must be aimed at white males from North American and Western Europe who are the vast majority of the world's terrorists.
2010-01-12

KHAN FROM INDIA said:
The friend from New Jersey is right when he says that the Muslim community must identify and stop the weeds within. But what if terrorist acts are executed by the Governments themselves who then put the blame on jehadi organisations? Americans themselves are saying that 9/11 was an inside job. U never know. Most terrorist acts might be inside jobs to serve respective political purposes.
2010-01-11

JOHN G. FROM AMERICA said:
If the moderate Muslims of the world would condemn each and every terrorist attack, then the rest of the world could eliminate racial profiling.
2010-01-10

FROM NEW JERSEY FROM USA said:
It's time muslims all over the world including the US take up the responsibility of the people who fight in a way that is totally against Islam and stop blaming others for doing all they can to protect the innocent. Stop pointing outward and look inward at a solution to the ills of today's Islam societies. Stop waiting for someone to help or change your condition in your own house, community, or country. Don't expect people to care for you or want to change when you as a people accept mistreated, mistreatment of youselves or others throughout the world. If you don't stand up and fight the bad folks in your own community or country and you leave it for others to do don't expect those people to bend over backward to try and protect your interest because if you think about it you are not protecting theirs. I don't want bad people ... Muslim, Christain or Jew to come to the US and put the innocent people in my country at risk. If this means we check people, then we check people. I understand that certain countries many may not like it. What do you expect to be done? So stand up and say in your own living space stop mistreating people all over the work and fight against those who do such things. Have you forgotten that we muslims are told to subdue those who mistreat others. We are told to do this and to only stop when this type of person stops. So no excuses you should do something about the position that others may cause. YOU must fight and not sit along the side line and shout that it's not fair about this and that. If you stand with those who are trying to protect themselves against the bad people of the world, then you will have the right to say no don't treat my people like this because we are here with you trying to protect, trying to help you. And this would require many to stand up and do this, not a few here and there making the effort while most just sit along the side.
2010-01-10