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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
RACIAL PROFILING TO FIGHT TERRORISM?
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:57:03 PM)
acial profiling has come to represent the most fearsome form of institutionalized racism. For minority Americans what could be scarier than the prospect of being subject to systematic discrimination by powerful law enforcement agencies capable of invading every sphere of one's life? For Asian Americans the dangers of racial profiling are amply illustrated by the World War II internment of Japanese Americans and the more recent Wen Ho Lee case.
The September 11 terrorist attack suggests a scenario in which racial profiling might not only be acceptable but necessary. Fact is, every terrorist linked to the plot was an Arab male. One wonders if the horrible tragedy that took thousands of innocent lives and plunged our economy into crisis could have been averted had our intelligence, law enforcement and security agencies been given a freer hand to subject airline passengers to intensive searches and background checks on the basis of nationality or ethnicity.
Rational Americans may question whether it is even possible to conduct a workable campaign against terrorist attacks on American soil without intensive resort to racial profiling in airports, at border crossings and hotels. After all, terrorists are fighting a holy war premised strictly on religion and nationality. Despite the obvious dangers of racial profiling, it seems reckless to suggest that the United States can fight terrorists in a race-neutral fashion. Why subject every American to the same levels of delay and discomfort when only a small percentage fit the profile of potential terrorists? On the other hand, are we ready to undermine the constitutional and moral high ground on which our society is built?
The newly declared war against terrorism may well be the ultimate test of our sincerity in rejecting racial profiling. Is it time to rethink our position?
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Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
T.K.Chang tells us that "many" Sikhs were "hunted down and murdered" in pogroms in the U.S.A. after 9/11. Where? How many? This sounds like an urban myth rather than hard fact.
Were the Sikhs thus hunted down and slain more, or less, numerous than those murdered in Delhi after Indira Gandhi was assassinated?
I am an EU citizen and not an American, not that being or not being an American has any bearing on this discussion.
At present, I live in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where many people detest America with a visceral hatred and were undisguisedly jubilant about 9/11 and the role young Saudis had played in harming the U.S.A.
Exhibiting superior knowledge is a cheap and unworthy trick in an exchange of views, but living where I do I confidently assume that T.K. Chang lives in the U.S.A. and that, innocently rather than ignorantly, he simply has no at all idea how many people would be delighted to inflict harm on him, his family, his community, his fellow-citizens and his nation.
William Corr
sonoekurimoto@yahoo.com
Monday, December 16, 2002 at 23:33:38 (PST)
[212.138.47.11]
i believe racial profiling can be helpful, or harmful. when using it in a police case, or law enforcment it may help target a specific race. yet when thinking about how you would want to be treated i think you would change your mind. i don't know about you, but if i were pulled over in the airport and had my bags searched, or forced to take my shoes off and have them inspected i would be fully humilliated!
think about moral issues here. aren't we the land of the free? the place for oportunities? how free can you feel when your fellow citizens are scared of you because of your ethnicity,or race. these people are discriminated against every day of their lives! things need to change, and people should get some common sense.
bella
Monday, November 25, 2002 at 15:21:16 (PST)
[68.40.176.188]
My boyfriend has two friends who are also from Rangoon. He has chinese ancestry, but these two male friends he has come from Indian ancestry. They have been ridiculed and picked on since the 9/11. One of them has gone as far as to say that he is of hispanic origin, and has learned to speak spanish. I think its terrible.
Talainia
Friday, November 22, 2002 at 11:00:10 (PST)
[152.163.188.197]
William Corr
"any sensible Sikh - or anyone else - ought to have the intelligence to submit to searches and questioning with a good grace."
That is such a RACIST statement, and it is totally UN-American. Why should anyone--or more specifically a Sikh--submit himself to search and seizure? Gimme a break.
Also, many Sikhs were HUNTED DOWN and MURDERED by RACIST whites immediately after 9/11. From you attitude I bet you also think any "sensible" sikh ought to submit himself to violence and killing with a good grace.
Also, we all know there are RACIST PEOPLE working for FBI, law enforcement and all sorts of government agencies. Those people have the authority and power to use racial profiling as a pretense to carry out their personal racist agenda and lash out at other races.
Racial profiling is fine, as long as we set up a SEPERATE system or agency just to monitor its use and make sure it is done properly. Of course, then you would think that would be a waste of taxpayers' money. (I see it as a REQUIRED and NECESSARY budgetary spending if government wants to use racial profiling.)
t_k_chang@yahoo.com
Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 12:24:06 (PST)
[207.167.96.95]
Political,
I still say profiling = deductive reasoning. Maybe you are right that everyone does not fit into so black and white segmented races, but it's also a matter of being able to allocate limited resources. No point giving equal time to a white granny as the others.
nyhomy
Monday, November 04, 2002 at 17:28:53 (PST)
[24.90.59.127]
If we start racial profiling, we need to profile the Jamat Islamiya in South East Asia. Unfortunately, for the average white American, JI adherents look like the Japanese. I have not met any white American for that matter who can distinguish between an Indonesian, a Chinese or a Japanese/Korean. From what Common sense and other characters indicate, racial profiling is fine for national security. But can a white American distinguish between an Indonesian who belongs to JI and who are likely to be a threat to Americans of all races and a Japanese? For that matter, can a white American distinguish between all whites? Can he or she tell the difference between someone of Chechen origin who are likely to be more of a threat to all of us from a Pole or an Albanian? My concern is that the ignorant or racist white Americans would not profile a Chechen because he happens to be white and let him into the country (so that he can take hostages) and actually waste his or her time harassing a Chinese. That, my friends is the problem with racial profiling.
Political
Thursday, October 24, 2002 at 15:14:39 (PDT)
[138.220.134.31]
Common sense is something many people leave out of this debate. The U.S. cannot protect us without racial and ethnic profiling or reading peoples minds. You decide which one is more logical for our government to persue. Out of the options available racial profiling is obviously the way to go. The question is how the government is going to do this and who it will profile. Obviously foreign entries are a must and people using visas in the United States. It isn't necessary to profile everyone though. But it would definitely help. Our government needs to allow federal agencies this imformation at least so we can be safe. Simply then, safety and national security is much more of something our government should value over foreign entries so-called rights in our nation. It seems cold or mean but is the only logical thing to do. The United States must do SOMETHING to insure our rights and do anything that it possibly can do to promote our national security and safety.
Common Sense
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 at 14:48:15 (PDT)
[64.12.96.38]
If the 9/11 atrocities had been carried out by the Baader-Meinhof remnants from Germany or the Italian Red Brigades, racial profiling of young Europeans would make excellent sense. Quite right, too.
If the attacks had been carried out by the Japanese Red Army, people like my Japanese wife would, quite rightly, be singled out for intensive attention. (She's even the right age to be a surviving J.R.A. terrorist).
It's not an issue of racism; in the aftermath of 9/11, it's an issue of public safety and that's all there is to it.
During the period of I.R.A. terrorism, traveling to or from Ireland was utter hell (I must have been questioned and searched a dozen times) but every sensible person knew precisely why; only idiots and attention-seekers complained about being searched and questioned.
Norman Mineta is being hyper-sensitive (although one understands why he's made his asinine choices) and just plain silly - and very irresponsible - to say that Middle Easters shouldn't be the focus of sustained interest; it makes no sense to search grannies from Iowa in the interests of "fairness".
Yes, it's a great pity that the average dumb and ill-educated Joe doesn't know the difference between a Sikh in a turban and a peninsular Arab in ghutra and aghal, but any sensible Sikh - or anyone else - ought to have the intelligence to submit to searches and questioning with a good grace.
William Corr
sonoekurimoto@yahoo.com
Sunday, October 20, 2002 at 12:18:24 (PDT)
[195.73.19.209]
Geoff DB
You assume that everyone will play by our civil rules. That's where you are wrong...they have their own rules - women and childern be damned. Some people just needs to be written off...as quickly and quitely as possible...the sooner the rest of us can get some peace.
Nyhomy
Friday, September 27, 2002 at 21:08:53 (PDT)
When you look at all the wars, including the civil war, and documents like the Gettysburg Address on display in our country, we can't deny that it cost too damn much (financial and human toll) to create and perpetuate freedom and equal rights in this country to allow terrorists to retract the liberties those documents read and guarantee.
With this war coming up against Iraq there will be tension between law enforcement/intelligence agencies and certain minority groups. Lingering threats of more terrorist attacks only magnify that tension.
It's important to keep in mind that as long as racial profiling is condoned, we trample on hollowed ground - the lives of soldiers who have died to make this country and it's people free.
Geoff DB
GeoffDB02@aol.com
Thursday, September 26, 2002 at 22:17:47 (PDT)
Actually most of the people who were stopped, because security people THOUGHT they were Middle Eastern, were actually Latinos.
Then you have those ignorant people that mix up South Asians with Middle Easterners.
For some reason they equivalate turbans with Arabs? First off, the Arab desert headgear is FAR from being a turban. Its a piece of cloth placed on the head and is kept from flying off with some headband like thing (dunno what their called in Arabic). Its use was for keeping the sand and dust from getting into the wearer's face and eyes. Not sure what the turban's practical everyday use was for, but it seems more for status or some other reason than something for practical everyday use agaist sand getting in your face.
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What Im concerned about is how people in the US tend to over look that there are as many SE Asian Muslims than there are Arab Muslims. Although most are just Muslims voicing their opinions abuot how bad the US is or something, a disturbing number of them are becoming radicalized militants.
There's the Abu Sayyaf from the south of my homeland the most infamous of the SE Asian groups in the US's eyes, then there's Jemaih Islamiya, and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
What happens if Al-Qaida decides to send East/Southeast Asian militants and the US security people overlook them, knowing that East/Southeast Asians are viewed more of as Buddhists?
Don't get me wrong, I have friends who are from every background and have nothing against any religion. But there are bad apples from each of these racial/ethnic/religious groups, and its them Im worried about since one can't tell the difference between a good normal person and a terrorist biding his time until he blows himself up.
Philippine_War_Machine
Thursday, September 26, 2002 at 07:02:09 (PDT)
Geoff DB,
It is sad how middle eastern and south asian men feel about future terrorist attacks. It's probably taking a toll on them. I'm against most forms of racial profiling. It just seems that when the country's national security is at stake there are measures that must be enacted to keep terrorist cell groups off guard.
Keep in mind that they used our freedoms to hurt us. We need to be more crafty than the enemy but remain within legal bounds.
South Asian US Citizen,
I don't condone wholesale dismantling of our basic constitutional rights.
you wrote "Obviously you have to be white to be accepted as equal in America and you are the epitome of this attitude"
I really wish you hadn't said that. It's not a fair characterization of my values and sensibilities. I am not a racist guy. You apparently have not read other contributions I have made on this board.
Political Observer
Friday, August 23, 2002 at 15:19:03 (PDT)
AC Dropout and Political Observer:
Guys, I just want to say that I've been noticing alot of Middle Eastern and South Asian guys looking really down lately. Maybe it's just me, but perhaps other contributors of this site can agree.
Just seems like whether I'm at my health club or just walking to work men who appear to be of Middle Eastern descent are depressed about more terrorist threats. It's really too bad.
You've got to imagine that racial profiling is taking it's toll on a lot of people in our country.
I'm all for the government doing their jobs to be proactive and try to thwart future terrorist attacks, but it just seems that alot of innocent guys are getting a bum wrap and are feeling it right now.
I don't know. Just wanted to bring that to you guys and ladies attention.
Geoff DB
GeoffDB02@aol.com
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 22:50:48 (PDT)
Political Observer:
No. There were no South Asian men. They were all Middle Eastern. Get your facts straight. No one was from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal or Bangladesh. Your baiting South Asians smacks of racism plain and simple. After it was over people who think like you went around shooting folks of South Asian origin, particularly Hindus, Tamils, Sikhs and other folks who are not connected in any way with terrorism. Why? Because many Middle Eastern men and women could easily pass for white and so could not be easily identified. Hence, the best thing was to go after South Asian men and some South Asian women. 70% of the folks who were assualted were Hindus or Christians from South Asia and some were of South Asian origin from South East Asia. Many were US citizens. Obviously you have to be white to be accepted as equal in America and you are the epitome of this attitude.
South Asian US Citizen
Tuesday, August 20, 2002 at 16:42:16 (PDT)
AC Dropout,
what is your biggest concern about the government's focus on middle eastern and south asian men after the 9/11 attack?
Also, what type of monitoring/enforcement action do you feel is acceptable?
Political Observer
Friday, August 16, 2002 at 11:03:43 (PDT)
Geoff DB, Historian and others,
The men who flew planes into WTC on 9/11 were either middle eastern or south asian.
This is a fact.
The men were not american born. They were here as foreign nationals.
They fit a certain age range and had radical beliefs about destroying the united states.
They used our freedoms to target innocent citizens and destroy the financial center of america.
These are the types of individuals we should be profiling. It's legal, it's smart and it's appropriate under the circumstances.
Of course I don't mean wholesale internment or detainment. Only those who are likely to participate in terrorist activity and have ties to hostile nations should be investigated and watched.
Political Observer
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at 14:08:48 (PDT)
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