Interestingly, people with no Muslim background, like the Sikhs, are also an easy target. Often they are asked to remove their turban and are pulled aside for “secondary screening.” It is personally humiliating and sets a negative example for the people to see a Sikh repeatedly pulled aside. Every foreign traveller arriving in the US has to go through ‘primary inspection.’ This basically involves, basic frisking and documentation check. If the CBP officer has doubts, the traveller is subjected for ‘secondary inspection.’ This could last for hours of intrusive questioning and extensive research, which is extremely humiliating. Laptops and luggage is inspected, in case you are carrying a religious book, information will be recorded and questions shall be asked about your religion. Sometimes laptops, cell phones, and cameras will be confiscated and copied. Questions, such as, ‘where do you pray’ and ‘what do you think of the war in Iraq,’ will be asked, which has absolutely no relevance and are completely unrelated to the individual. In this case even being an American citizen wouldn’t be of any help.
It is not just the Muslims or the Sikhs, but South Asians are routinely profiled. African American taxi drivers are pulled over by the police for paper check. This creates a sense of fear among the public to travel during the dark. Arabs and Latinos are also suspected usually for travelling without proper documents, and hence are subjected for secondary inspection. The concern now is that the burden of “secondary inspection” is not being shared equally by all the travellers. People are unfairly treated and feel targeted. People don’t know what their rights are and don’t realize when they are being violated. There has to be more awareness on this aspect, which the government has to fulfill.
This steady pattern of discrimination can give rise to several security issues that the US government has been hiding. The question now is, the way the US government treats its foreign travellers, will this improve relations between the US and rest of the world, or further create tension and agitation.
