Modern day Muslims accept the fact that they fit the profile of the most widely known type of terrorists, those who commit crimes in the name of Islam. The consequences of this are most evident at airports.
My experience at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday provides a great example.
I firmly believe airport security officials do a difficult job very well. I understand that they randomly select many people, both Muslim and non-Muslim for additional screening and/or explosives testing.
I accept that they have little choice but to profile Muslims, specifically young males of Middle Eastern appearance like myself, in the current climate. I am not complaining in any way. I am simply aiming to give readers an insight into the impact of the current security, social and political environment on someone like me.
My flight from Brisbane landed at LAX Airport at 6am. I was travelling alone for work. I walked up to the counter and went through the usual checks. The service agent was friendly. Right at the end, I got told to hang around as he said "one of my colleagues would like to speak to you". An armed guard arrived and escorted me to a more secure room (with metal walls and furniture) and asked me to fill out a form with my recent life history.
I then got interviewed as to why I am here and from the tone of his voice it seemed the biggest sticking point was the authenticity of my Australian passport (I used to have a Bangladeshi passport a few years ago). Eventually, he stamped my form and let me go.
What I didn't know was that he wrote a special code on my form. This meant that I got stopped again at the 'nothing to declare' exit lane. A nice lady directed me "to go down that hallway" and the questions started again. Why am I here? How long have I had this passport? Did I ever lose my passport? Where will I stay? Why does my ticket say I am going to Vegas when the form I filled out says I am going to Houston (the form had one slot, and Houston was my primary destination)?
At every question, I wondered whether my answers were triggering red flags though I knew there were none. I knew I would be fine, however I thought of how less well-spoken people would handle these circumstances. Would they feel more vulnerable and anxious? Even I was nervous.
I was not nervous about anything I had done. I had done nothing wrong. I was nervous about being at the mercy of my interviewer's whim and personal biases.
In the US context, my mind flashed through the stories of innocent prisoners who were captured and detained in Guantanamo Bay without charge on terrorism related suspicions. They were released years later with a simple "oops". Former vice president Dick Cheney recently confirmed that he has no issues with making a few "mistakes" for the sake of public safety.
I could very easily be another one of those mistakes and the world would not bat an eyelid.
As I stood there in the cold, steel room, I realised that my contributions to society, my job, my friends and colleagues were irrelevant in that moment. I was simply a young Muslim travelling alone and if they felt threatened, they had every legal right to detain me on the basis of mere suspicion. I knew in that instant that no one could help. My heart sank.
The fact is terrorism charges have not been applied to non-Muslims. The legislation is not designed to target Muslims nor be applied with malicious intent. Not one non-Muslim person, however, is being detained without charge in relation to terrorism. In Australia, our extreme counter-terrorism laws have not been applied to non-Muslims. For those unaware, Australian legislation allows detainment on suspicion of terrorism for up to two weeks without charge, without a lawyer and without the right to silence.
When a Muslim person gets randomly selected at an airport, it is nothing like a non-Muslim person's experience. It is not a mere nuisance or sacrifice of time. It is a moment of vulnerability and trepidation. A moment of fear and a battle of hope – hope that answers are recalled correctly, and hope that the interviewer will not treat mistakes as suspicious.
Today, we increasingly fear others who look like those we associate with crime and/or injustice. This is human nature, and is expected. It is, however, also natural to expect that the authorities will use their power to protect themselves, often at the expense of others. I knew that my experience at LAX would most likely go as it did. I even jokingly played out these scenes with my colleagues and clients a few days ago. This is our reality, because no matter what is said or done, the world is now such that this will not and cannot change. Not in our lifetime.
All of this may become a moot point this week when Donald Trump wins and bans me from entering the USA altogether. In a way, that may be better.
At least I don't have to pretend it is all OK anymore.
Fahim Khondaker is a chartered accountant and management consultant working at a multinational professional services firm in Brisbane. He is also a member of the Queensland Premier's Social Cohesion Implementation Committee. You can follow him on Twitter: @Fahim_Khondaker
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