Profiling in America

San Francisco, California – I went through the San Francisco International Airport after Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s unsuccessful attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam, and the scene was almost chaotic with the lines longer than usual. Obviously, the Christmas Day bombing attempt has renewed fears about terrorists targeting America especially with the 23-year-old Nigerian’s claim that there are more like him planning to launch strikes soon.

US President Barack Obama – who has had to confront criticism for his delayed response to the incident – tried to reassure the American public that the government is trying everything it can to keep the people safe, vowing to hunt down extremists plotting to attack the US planning whether in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen or elsewhere in the world.

It can be recalled that on Dec. 22, 2001, Richard Reid – who has since become known as the shoe bomber – also tried to blow up a Miami-bound plane by hiding the explosives in his shoe. This prompted airports to issue a new travel guideline requiring passengers to take off their shoes prior to boarding. Everyone – especially foreigners traveling to and from the United States – had to comply with this new security procedure even if it meant additional delays. In August 2006, UK authorities discovered a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives on at least 10 flights travelling from the UK to the US and Canada. As usual, this led to additional security measures like the confiscation of lipsticks, toothpaste, perfume and even baby formula on hand-carry luggage for fear that these could contain bomb-making chemicals.

But this time, taking your shoes off or disposing of liquids is no longer enough because the latest attempt was more ingenious, with the Nigerian carrying the explosives in a condom sewed unto his underwear then mixed it up with chemicals inside the airline lavatory with a syringe. He went back to his seat, covered himself up with a blanket pretending to have a bum stomach and tried to set off the explosive. Perhaps the man was nervous or just incompetent because he only managed to set himself on fire – prompting an alert passenger to jump him.

Unfortunately, the incident will make life even more difficult for airline passengers in the next few months as authorities have imposed stricter – some even say off-the-wall – security measures. Aside from pat-down searches (babies included), travellers are now required to check in four hours before the flight and will have to go through at least two more airport checks prior to boarding. These have resulted in delays and all kinds of inconvenience especially for those travelling to the United States.

Some airlines are also restricting carry-on luggage to just a single piece. And once on board, passengers are not allowed to put blankets or anything bulky on their laps on the last hour of flight. And if you’re suffering from diarrhea, forget about travelling because you will not be allowed to use the lavatory an hour before landing. And if any of you have a problem with your gallbladder, tough luck because you’ll have to hold off going to the bathroom one hour before landing. But perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of this latest terror attempt is the heightened demand for installing full body scanners.

Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union have criticized the use of body scanners as invasive since these machines can see under the clothes of people. The US Transport Security Administration has already installed these $100,000-machines at airports in Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Miami and will install 150 more in the next few months. These are more sophisticated since they can detect non-metallic objects like liquids and plastic explosives that ordinary X-rays and magnetometers cannot, but these will make lines longer because they are slower than metal detectors.

Security experts say another alternative is passenger profiling – but this has been roundly criticized as nothing but racial discrimination in disguise, especially with the suggestion for Muslims to have a separate line at airports where they would be subjected to more thorough checks. Supporters of profiling insist the vast majority of terrorists today are young Muslims from the Middle East, and even whites and those of other nationalities are Islamic converts – like Reid and Abdulmutallab.

However, even some experts argue that profiling should not be based on race or color but on behavior, appearance and details of a person’s trip. For instance, authorities should have suspected something because the Nigerian bought his ticket in cash in Ghana, boarded in Nigeria but did not have any luggage for a supposed two-week trip to America. Contrast this with a man and his family who bought their tickets months ahead. Naturally, they would not require as much scrutiny as a young man traveling alone with no baggage.

Barack Obama himself admitted there was a failure of intelligence, resulting in a terrible breach of security considering that a month ago, the Nigerian’s father alerted US authorities about the increasingly extremist views of his son. US security officials now have to answer why Abdulmutallab was not in the “no-fly” list when he was already on the list of terror suspects. The Nigerian incident seems to indicate that terrorists are always a step ahead since authorities only impose new measures after an attack is made or when a plot is uncovered – with the innocent ones bearing the consequences.

What is apparent in all this is the fact that the 9-11 attack has dramatically changed the way of life for Americans – and for the rest of the world. But as US Congressman Pete Hoekstra said, some of the new restrictions may seem silly, but travelers have no other option for now but to “suck it up and accept it.”

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