Do you think racial profiling of arabs in airports?

Question

is a good counterterrorist measure that should be implemented? why or why not?

I don't, it seems unethical and just plain out harrasment, let us not forget that the unibomber and the oklahoma city bomber were not of arab descent.

Answer 1

I don't believe that racial profiling is a good or productive counter-terrorist measure at all. It will put too much focus on a specific group of people, and completely overlook everyone else. It also promotes bigotry and hatred toward those who might look Arab, but have no ill-will towards the U.S. at all.

While the terrorists have shared the common characteristics of being Muslim, they have not ALL been Arab. One or two that have been arrested in the U.S. have been white, Muslim, Americans that shared a twisted sympathy with Al-Queda's cause.

I think that security simply needs to be tightened universally without regards to race, gender or culture.

Answer 2

The unibomber didn't blow up airplanes.

The problem is that while it is sensible (people keep getting snake bit but I can't just look at snakes), it can do two things: miss people that are recruited who don't fit the profile, and catch people who fit the profile and aren't guilty.

Fascinating things: a russian airliner was downed and while they were watching for Arabic males, two Arabic women brought the bombs onboard; a flight to India was turned back to the Netherlands and the Dutch released the arrested Moslem men, they were passing cell phones around to each other while cell phones were supposedly confiscate for all the others on board; and an orthodox Hasidic Jew was booted from a plane in Canada--because he was praying.

Answer 3

Well, it may not be fair to most Arabs, but I think it makes sense!!
After all, ALL of the terrorists in 9/11 were of Arab descent. There is reason to suspect that any terrorists in the near future will be Arabs too.
If the hijackers in 9/11 had been young white women with black hair and blue eyes, I would understand why airplanes would search me more carefully!! I wouldn't have a problem being profiled if they had a legitimate reason to suspect women that look like me. I might not like it, but I would definately cooperate with it.

Answer 4

If the shoe bomb fits, wear it..Only wear it while attending Hajj.

Seriously though, you cant bring up the uni bomber regarding profiling. Why? Because there's no precedent for it. One group over and over has hijacked, blown up or flown commercial airliners into buildings. One group over all others; and it aint the "sisters of the confederacy".

As I said in previous posts before...
Why do muslims sit there in unified silence and never speak out against the atrocities of their extremists?? Perhaps it is because they all share the same views. Perhaps they are all extremists, just in different degrees. They ask the world to understand their grievances, while their people kill innocents. This is a muslim problem. The muslims are the only ones who can stop it. If they don't, it means they support it and we've seen all kinds of evidence that they do, whether they admit it openly or not. They glorify suicide murders! They have parades and memorials in honor of teens who blew themselves up to kill Israelis or Maronites or Americans or whoever the infidel do jour is. Not all muslims are bad, but enough are to really really matter. After 9/11 an extensive poll was taken throughout the muslim world (where allowed.) 15% openly supported OBL and said the US had it coming and they hope there's more. 69% said that, while regrettable, it's the US's own fault for supporting Israel, EVEN THOUGH at the time, Israel wasn't even mentioned by OBL, and most of these people have never met an Israeli in their lives. So 74% of the muslim world wants Israel gone and wouldn't be too sad if we were gone too. If the poll is representative, then out of 1.3 Billion muslims in the world, there are over 700 Million who want Israel gone and who wish us ill. Furthermore, A 2004 estimate by the intelligence unit of French police found that about 150 of the country's indexed 1,600 mosques and prayer halls were under the control of extremist elements.

A study of 1,160 recent French converts to Islam found that 23% identified themselves as Salafists — a sect sometimes associated with violent extremism.

In the Netherlands, the Dutch intelligence service says it believes as many as 20 different hard-line Islamic groups may be operating in the country.
In London, authorities say that as many as 3,000 veterans of al-Qaeda training camps over the years were born or based in Britain. Not all muslims are bad, but as far as I'm concerned, enough of them are, therefore I don't feel bad about generalizing or profiling in this case.

Answer 5

absolutely

most terrorists are of arab/muslim descent... it's a plain and simple fact.

sure, some beatnik liberal is going to point to columbine, oklahoma city, etc. but those are rare exceptions (and exceptions prove the rule).

take a look at terrorist attacks perpetrated in the past 25 years and almost all were committed by arabs/muslims.

little old ladies from nebraska aren't committing these attacks... a husband and wife traveling with their 2.5 children aren't terrorists. but single muslim males between the ages of 17-35... yeah, let's keep an eye on them.

if anyone disagrees they are either ignoring the facts, blindly liberal or stupid.

Answer 6

Of course it is a good idea - perhaps if we had done this earlier, 9-11 would not have happened at all. I personally think that ALL foreigners should be kept out of this country.......I bet the families of those who died in 9-11 wished that somebody might have stopped them before they crashed the planes.

I personally think that cutting the heads of off Americans in the Middle East is a way harsher treatment than us asking those with a towel on their head if we can search their bag.

Think about it.

Answer 7

When profiling was used in Israel to target young males, the Palestinians changed to using women.

When Hitler raised the Aryan "race" above all others, that was profiling.

When we profiled Asian-Americans in World War 2 (and placed them in camps), we lost Asian-American support and additional American troops available for the war.

African-Americans are upset when they are profiled by police and should be very upset by the very notion of the same profiling being done to others.

We are all upset when rich/famous/powerful people get away with things we couldn't. Or when we are ignored when shopping for cars/jewelry/electronics because we don't "look" like we have money. This is profiling.

When we travel outside of the USA we don't like being lumped into the stereotype "selfish, spoiled Americans." That is profiling.

Christians were profiled until the Romans traded Mithraism for their corrupted version of Christianity. They were prevented from doing everything from holding land to voting. They were fed to lions

THE ONLY WAY to get profiling to work as some suggest (by muslim) then we will need to submit everyone to religious notification. Everyone will need to identify themselves with a specific religion (or no religion). Where would that go....?

If we profile Arabs, we will lose Arab-American support, Arab ally support, and we will miss non-profiled targets. We need the support of Arab people. We need Arab-speaking individuals.

What we will get if we begin profiling is a new race war that will be tied to religion. This will further add to the fire which is currently burning of Judeo-Christian white people vs. Muslim dark-skinned people.

Profiling is like swearing at something/someone when you are mad. It makes you feel like you are doing something. It may even make you feel good. But in the end, it has done nothing to get the result you want, and may have made things worse.

Answer 8

You call the unibomber and Tim Mcvey terrorists. In a sense, they are, but a different kind of terrorist as the one we are dealing with now. As dangerous as domestic terrorists are, they are rare, making it impossible to profile them. On the other hand, the middle eastern terrorist we are dealing with now are just that, middle eastern. So why would we be focusing our attention on anyone else. It's just reality, like it or not.

Answer 9

NOT all arabs are terrorists, but in today's environment, all terrorists are muslims. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck, it MAY be a duck. If the arabs don't like it, let them clean up the terrorists, so we won't bother the others. If I have to chose between and arab being offended, or my being blown out of the sky, tough luck Ahab. And I have SEVERAL Arab friends who believe the same way. They are ashamed of what is being done in their name. But, they ARE doing something about it.

Answer 10

No, even though it would head off an attack. Arab attacks all started again contained in the Seventies, on on 9-11-01. Muslims make up 25% of the worlds inhabitants yet have make each and each and every of the terrorist attacks adverse to the U. S.. Your are listening to propaganda from our adversaries.