Airport Security: Let's Profile Muslims (says the Muslim author)

The Daily Beast ^ | 11/29/2010 | Asra Q. Nomani

[OldDeckHand]

In the wake of yet another Muslim terror plot, we can't ignore the threat profile any longer—or the solution. Asra Q. Nomani argues the case for religious and racial profiling.

For all those holiday travelers negotiating the Transportation Security Administration’s new cop-a-feel strategy, there is a difficult solution we need to consider: racial and religious profiling.

As an American Muslim, I’ve come to recognize, sadly, that there is one common denominator defining those who’ve got their eyes trained on U.S. targets: MANY of them are Muslim—like the Somali-born teenager arrested Friday night for a reported plot to detonate a car bomb at a packed Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in downtown Portland, Oregon.

We have to talk about the taboo topic of profiling because terrorism experts are increasingly recognizing that religious ideology makes terrorist organizations and terrorists more likely to commit heinous crimes against civilians, such as blowing an airliner out of the sky. Certainly, it’s not an easy or comfortable conversation but it’s one, I believe, we must have.

[OldDeckHand]

At this point, I'd be happy if we just stop profiling the 80-year old wheel-chair bound grandmother, who's traveling with her infant grandson.

Some of the comments at the site, are ridiculously stupid.

[Young Werther]

I'm all for profiles! We just need to pull a few strings!

[BiggieLittle]

OK. Let’s profile them.
How can you look at someone and tell what religion they are?
Most Muslims are not Arabs.
Most Indians are not Muslims but a lot are.
American blacks are predominantly Christian but many African blacks are Muslims. Many African blacks are Christian.
There are white Muslims. The terrorist groups call them “White Moors”.

[El Cid]

How can you look at someone and tell what religion they are?

Just make an express line through Airport Security that requires you to spit or step on the koran.
Then there is the slow (x-ray, pat-down, rectal examination,...) line, for those that don't...

[PGR88]

Profiling is NOT looking at someone’s skin color!

We could solve 90+% of the problem by not allowing anyone originally from Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Saudi Arabia or Morocco into the United States. Customs/TSA can easily know where people are from, even if they carry 3rd country passports.

ALSO - put the heat on or close any Mosque that has been attended by a known terror suspect. Force mosques must to begin to police themselves.

[billphx]

background checks on the travelers?

[BiggieLittle]

“This is how we profile them: Most Arabs are Muslims.”

Yes, but most Muslims are not Arab.

[arthurus]

Many of them are Moslem? How many have not been Moslem?