Thomas Jefferson once said, “Passion governs, and she never governs wisely.”  Ever since the devastating terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, this country has been in a time of passion.  We have passion to seek revenge, to rid the world of terrorism, for protection, for safety, and for the well-being of our families.  With these new overwhelming feelings of passion, the country has been in a frenzy to maintain our national security.  But, just as Thomas Jefferson stated, the government is not governing wisely; it is making rash decisions that could be damaging to our society.

   As a result of this passion for security, the United States has made and is proposing to make many changes.  Some of these changes include the U.S. Patriot Act, tighter security in airports, the addition of the Department of Homeland Security, and others.  With new security measures being taken and this sudden urge to be safe, it is almost effortless for racial profiling to prevail.  Because the attacks of September 11, 2001 were committed by men of Arab decent, the United States has pointed the finger at all Arab people, singling them out, and has kept a close eye on their every move. 

   According to Anita Ramasastry (a FindLaw columnist and assistant professor of law at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle),

Since September 11, numerous cases have been filed against major airlines after pilots and other airline personnel have forced passengers with darker complexions and “Foreign-sounding” names to disembark, or refused them entry to a plane...The conduct of pilots and airline personnel has also been criticized in the wake of September 11.  The ACLU is currently involved in five federal court lawsuits (in L.A., San Francisco, Maryland, and New Jersey) charging four airlines (American, United, Continental, and Northwest) with race discrimination.

This discrimination is wrong and detrimental to our society.   Racial profiling is problematic, discriminatory, immoral, and needs to be stopped.

   There are so many things not right with racial profiling.  First of all, there are innocent people out there trying to live the American dream and supporting this country.  Yet, the country they are trying to be a part of sees them as a threat and discriminates against them. 

   I talked with Yasir Issa, a senior at Greenwood Community High School in Greenwood, Indiana.  In March of 2001, Yasir moved with his family to the United States from Baghdad, Iraq, where his grandparents still remain.  As an eighteen year old Iraqi, Yasir knows first hand what it is like to live in the United States while being Arab.  Moving to the United States as a freshman, Yasir applied to receive a green card.  Without a green card, Yasir cannot apply for FAFSA, cannot receive any government aid for college or living expenses, is not able leave the United States to visit the rest of his family, will not receive a driver’s license, is not permitted to work.  When he applied for his green card in March of 2001, he and his family had no idea what was soon to occur.  Yasir commented, “Before 9/11 it took about three years to get a green card.  But, because of what happened, I am still waiting.”  He then pointed out, “Other nationalities are receiving their green cards after about three years. Since my family is from Iraq it is taking longer.”  Yasir would like to attend college, however, affording the cost of tuition is doubtful; without a green card, Yasir cannot work and is not eligible for financial aid. Yasir also added that it takes eight years to gain citizenship to the United States; however, his family has been told it will take longer because of the extra paper work due to their nationality. 

   Even though his classmates have treated him equal, he still feels the discrimination of his family.  Yasir’s father is an engineer in Indianapolis, Indiana.  After September 11, 2001, his fellow colleagues were treated the same, however, because of his nationality he had to undergo another background check.  Yasir feels that his family has changed since September 11, 2001.  He observes, “We choose not to fly when going on vacation and we have chosen to stay close to our home in Greenwood, Indiana.  We just try to stay away from ‘heated’ areas to prevent anything from going wrong.” 

   Although Yasir and his family have not been subject to much discrimination, this is not true for many others of Arab decent.  There are numerous cases in which this group has been discriminated against and unfairly treated.  The most prevalent occurrences of this discrimination have occurred in airports, due to the events of September 11^th.    

   Aquil Abdullah, a member of the United States national rowing team and the single sculls winner in the 2002 United States National Rowing Championships, was placed on a no-fly list and missed his flight because of his common Muslim name.[1]  Also, Dr. Bob Rajcoomar, a Florida doctor who is a former U.S. Army major, was removed from a flight and thrown in jail because of his Indian descent. A disturbance on his flight due to another man of Arab decent caused air marshals to remove Dr. Rajcoomar as well.  It was later explained that the doctor was paying too close attention to the commotion. Of course, who would not pay attention to a possibly fatal conflict only a few feet away?[2]

   Secondly, with a country like the United States, which contains so much diversity, it should be socially accepting and non-discriminatory toward different races.  Clifford S. Fishman, a professor of law at the Catholic University of America, states, “To target an entire ethnic group, the overwhelming majority of whom are good, decent, innocent people, because of the crimes committed by a tiny handful of them, is immoral, in most instances illegal and violates fundamental American values.” This country is based on the fact that all men are created equal.  The injustice of racial profiling clearly goes against the principles and ethics of the United States of America.  With racial profiling occurring left and right, the country is loosing sight of the big picture. Jean Abinader warns, “ Basing security procedures solely on racial or ethnic characteristics leads to discriminatory behaviors by the officials involved and reinforces stereotypes that damage the government’s ability to reach our and coordinate its efforts with the affected communities.”[3]

   Thirdly, even though racial profiling seems like a solution to the security problem in the United States, it is not helping the situation.  According to the Civil Rights Coalition for the 21^st Century[4], “…terrorism profiling is a flawed law enforcement tactic that diverts precious ant-terrorism resources, alienates potential allies in the anti-terrorism struggle, and is inconsistent with cherished notions of freedom and equality.”  New adjustments made to security in airports would leave no need for racial discrimination.  A system of “baggage matching” could be put into operation, new and improved security technology could be used, and more advanced training for airport employees could be provided.  With the right changes, racial profiling would never be an option.[5]  Racial profiling is not an adequate option with or without changes made to airport security.  Clifford S. Fishman shows,

…the next group of hijackers might not fit the profile.  They might be from Somalia or Indonesia (where allegedly there are Al Qaeda cells in every country).  Or they could be members of Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese sect that a few years ago released a deadly chemical in the Tokyo subway.  Or they might be ‘all-American guys’ like Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City.”[6]

   Racial profiling causes many problems in our country.  Eliminating racial profiling would better secure our country, help the nation remain true to its ideals in the constitution, aid in reducing discrimination, and will improve our country as a whole. 

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