Shahrukh Khan’s detention at a US airport may have raised many eyebrows in India, but the incident is not one off. It is a routine for Muslims travelling to the West. Ibrahim Wani reports.
For many people airports mean gateways to the world. But for an Asian Muslim headed to Europe or USA airports also mean detention, frisking and humiliation.
Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan’s recent detention at Newark airport is just a high profile example where even a celebrity wasn’t spared the hassles. Khan’s two hour detention sparked a national debate with some politicians, like Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni calling a tit-for-tat procedure for US citizens.
However the incident is not one off as thousands of unsuspecting Asian Muslims at American, European or Australian airports face harsher scrutiny at the airports regularly. The detention of a celebrity only brings the issue into temporary public limelight.
“It is just a veiled form of racial profiling where people mostly Muslims are being humiliated for their faith and ethnicity,” said Hilal Ahmad, a Kashmiri businessman who visits USA frequently. “The plight of Kashmiri passengers at these airports is no better.
“Any small detail can lead to detention at the airport. And if you are wearing a traditional Khan Suit then you are in for big trouble”. Ahmad recalls when one of his friends in a loose talk on the plane talked of Pakistan and Taliban. “He was detained for hours and he missed the flight and had to face an extensive interrogation session.”
In 2006 six Muslim imams were detained for offering Namaz at an American airport. They were humiliated and questioned for hours about their faith, about their reason of offering Namaz, about their clothing and all the minute details. Even their airline refused to give them a seat and they had to change the airline.
Similarly, a year later a plane carrying passengers from a Muslim country was escorted by F-16 fighter jets to a terminal for military aircraft because the passengers who were predominantly Muslim were carrying too many electronic gadgets like laptops, mobile phones and ipods. They where held at the airport for a full day and a verification of minutest details of the passengers was done.
Naveed Iqbal, a Kashmir University student was detained at the Frankfurt airport and made to undergo special checking even though she only had to catch a connecting flight. “It is complete humiliation” she said. “You are even made to take out your shoes and socks and made to go barefoot through the X-ray machine”. Her friends where even made to unbutton their jeans. “If they get just a bit suspicious even the styrofoam of your jackets and bags will be taken out”. Naveed missed her connecting flight because of the questioning.
While VIPs in Asia are used to special treatments back home, in the West, however, they are no better than ordinary folks. A prominent Kashmiri separatist leader was detained at an American airport for two hours despite being a guest of the US state department. He had reportedly not returned the smile of an airhostess raising the suspicion of security staff.
Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah was almost ‘strip searched’ for having a name which figured on the scanned list. The list often called ‘the grey book’ includes many Islamic names which come under the scanner including Ahmed, Muhammad, Ali, Abdullah, Farooq and so on.
Faisal Amin, a Kashmiri student who visited London in 2006 had a bitter experience too. “My cousin was separated from us because he had a beard. We where detained for 20 minutes and my cousin had to undergo detention for 3 hours”. During this time his cousin was made to undergo three X-ray checks, all his bags were emptied, his employer, his ex-employers, his relatives were ringed up. Even his high school was called up for details.
“It is almost like undergoing rigorous interrogation for no fault of yours. The checking at Indian airports is nothing compared to this”
Sometimes people from other faiths also have to bear the brunt for any Muslim resemblances. Jaswinder Singh, a University student visited England in 2005 to meet some relatives. “At Heathrow we were separated from the whites and all of us were made to undergo humiliating long frisking. On top of this all we were even asked to take out our turbans.” When Jaswinder and others resisted, security staff used all types of bomb detection instruments on their turbans.
A software engineer, Muhammad who gave his first name only for fear of repercussions said he is singled out for his first name. “Every time I visit Europe or America I am singled out and detained at the airport. And after an intense round of questions I have to search for an American passport holder who can vouch for me”.
Despite the occasional outcry in India most people see no end to this problem in immediate future. “The paranoia of Americans has reached such a level that every Muslim is seen as a terrorist,” says Junaid Khan, Kashmir student in a US university “and the outcry over the ‘big’ Khan detention is going to lead no where”.
Next time he would visit America, Junaid laments that he would have to undergo the same screening and detention. Same is the case for numerous Khans, Sheikhs, Abdullahs, Ahmads and Farooqs who go to West for a better education and career prospectus.
“Airport is just the start,” Juniad quips.
