5. Racial Profiling
Racial Profiling
It was Christmas day, three months after the trauma of September 11, and a planeload of exhausted, slightly nervous passengers were going home for the holidays on American Airlines flight 363 from Baltimore to Dallas. At the check-in desk, an Arab-American man was asked a series of questions and, in the end, he was refused permission to board the plane. The Arab-American, Walied Shater, was in fact, a secret serviceman on his way to guard President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. His detaining meant big trouble.
Describing this incident on American TV, an expert said that this was a clear example of "racial profiling" – one of the most controversial issues in recent memory. The President said he would be furious if it turned out that Shater was a victim of this practice, in which citizens are singled out for special attention because of their skin color, name, nationality, or religion. American Airlines argued that Shater had not been refused permission to board the flight because of his Arab-American identity. Instead, they published critical accounts of his behavior describing him as angry and aggressive. Shater said he had cooperated with airline officials and filled in a form which gives permission for government security officers to carry guns on planes. However, American Airlines explained that he had filled it in incorrectly twice. His identity was eventually confirmed by the Secret Service, but he had become so aggressive by then that airline officials thought it was best to leave him behind.
Shater has hired lawyers to demand an apology and to force a change in the airline's security measures. The lawyers have gone on television to deny the claims that the presidential bodyguard had behaved unprofessionally. They say it was the pilot who was confrontational. They say that there had been no problem with the gun-carrying forms until the pilot became aware of the passenger's Arab-American identity and a flight attendant found a book on Arab history among his possessions.
It is a fact that Arab-Americans and people with Muslim names have been subjected to much more attention than other passengers on flights since September 11. There have been many cases of people being left off planes because the flight crew and the passengers were worried about their Middle Eastern appearance. One pilot told American TV that one of the key items on the "new security" checklist is checking the passenger list for Islamic names. American Airlines' claim that Shater's Arab-American identity had nothing to do with the pilot's decision looks very dubious. It is hard to imagine the same situation happening to a blond secret serviceman possessing a book about the American civil war, but the airline insists it would have acted in an identical manner.
The fact that all 19 of the hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks were Muslim Arabs has inevitably had an effect on the perceptions of airline pilots and crews. It would be extraordinary if it had not. The majority of trainees who went through Al-Qaida's Afghan camps were Muslims from the Middle East or South Asia. It is possible to argue, then, that there might be a significant security benefit in paying particular attention to passengers who fit that profile. On the other hand, the role of a Briton, Richard Reid, a Muslim with a non-Muslim name, in the shoe-bomb attempt on an American Airlines flight before Christmas was a clear reminder that the assailants in the next attack may not conform to the stereotype. Al-Qaida has shown itself to be very skilled at varying its line of attack.
This is a valuable debate. If there is clearly a significant benefit to using ethnic profiling in security screening, there could be further discussion of how to balance security and the civil rights of those people who are screened. The expert put it well when he said that Mr. Shater's position as secret serviceman surely was more important than the fact that he was of Arab descent. He reminded people of the potential danger to President Bush's security that had occurred due to this unfortunate incident. He went on to warn people of the possible dire consequences of racial profiling. It remains to be seen whether the airlines adhere to this logic as well.
Questions
Choose the best explanations…
- "Racial Profiling" means:
- "American airlines' claim that Shater's Arab-American identity had nothing to do with the pilot's decision looks very dubious" means:
- If you hold onto a "stereotype", you:
- "Assailants" are:
- An "aggressive person" as used in the article is:
Are the following statements about the article correct?
1. During the interview, the expert most likely smiled and said, "It might be dangerous if airlines continue to practice racial profiling."
2. American Airlines probably said, "Mr. Shater was refused permission to board because of his Arab-American identity."
3. Mr. Shater's lawyers probably said on American Television, " Our client didn't behave unprofessionally…".
4. According to the article, "The President said he would be furious if it turned out that Shater was a victim…" Most probably the President's words were,"I'll be furious if it turns out that Shater was a victim of racial profiling
5. Upon being denied permission to board the airplane, Mr. Shater might have yelled, loudly complained, uttered obscenities, or physically shoved people. (According to the viewpoint of the airline)