Dear Editor,
The denial of permission for nine Muslim passengers, though not Guyanese, to board an Air Tran flight on New Year’s Day has relevance to all Muslims and Indo-Guyanese in general. It is a reminder of the challenges people who look like Muslims (Arabs, Indo-Guyanese, South Asians, etc) face. Ethnic profiling, especially of Muslims who have been the subject of much attention and monitoring since 9/11, is unacceptable, although the airline has denied that it kicked off the Muslims from the flight because of their background.
People of South Asian or Arabic physical appearance are often the subject of ethnic profiling on matters related to security, especially in America and Europe. I have travelled a lot internationally and in fact just passed through Frankfurt. So I observed after 9/11 many individuals with Muslim-sounding names being targeted for secondary screening on airlines, especially through London and Amsterdam. And in NY, many Indo-Guyanese have pointed out to me they were the subject of ethnic profiling relating to travel as well as their regular activities in their neighbourhood. Richmond Hill-based Guyanese, for example, are often subjected to harassment by the authorities. I was told that the police monitored the activities of the masjids for no justifiable reason. Guyanese Muslims from the Richmond Hill area are moderates and as decent as any other American. I should note that I, myself, not a Muslim, was subjected to detailed questioning after a recent trip to Toronto by a US border agent, who asked me in an unfriendly tone when the last time that I visited relatives in the Middle East was. Obviously this agent did not know and could not tell the difference between a South Asian (or Indo-Guyanese) and an Arab, and between a Hindu and a Muslim-sounding name. If you look like an Arab, regardless of where you come from, you are lumped together in the same category as a Muslim and viewed suspiciously as a potential agent of terror. That is most un-American.
Not all Muslims or people who look like Arabs or South Asians are terrorists seeking to destroy America. Most South Asians (and every Guyanese-American) and people of other groups are as patriotic about their adopted homeland as any other American. Many have fought in wars and lost their lives for America, including a Guyanese Muslim soldier from Brooklyn.
In light of 9/11, it is understandable that airlines place greater emphasis on safety and security. It is also understandable, as I frequently experienced, that on certain carriers people of my (or Indo-Guyanese) physical appearance are watched with a wary eye. Passengers would be wise to dress in such a way as not to attract much attention about their religious faith that may make other people uneasy. At the same time, the airlines should use a commonsensical approach to screening passengers and not target people based on their background, or react to every complaint on safety about a person who looks like a Muslim.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram