Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 2, 2006 Commentary Second thoughts on profiling Rob Asghar JERUSALEM — A little racial profiling would be good for us, I contended in the Los Angeles Times some months after 9-11. Handled with sensitivity by authorities and with grace by persons of skin color like my own, it seemed the most logical way to keep the trains and planes running on time, safely. While on a short vacation in Israel, I am reassessing my position. “Look for me on CNN,” I joked to nervous friends and family members before my departure, realizing I might invite trouble if I were so curious as to venture into hotspots such as Ramallah. That curiosity deserted me quickly, as I found it nearly impossible even to enter Israel’s gates. I had been confident I would not be confused with some Palestinian extremist. I never attract any suspicions in wary British or European tourist sites or airports. I am a perfectly assimilated poster child for coconuts (brown on the outside, but all white on the inside). I carried a U.S. passport, and I dressed perfectly American, right down to the baseball cap and sneakers. A young woman at the passport control booth gave the first dose of interrogation. She asked about my family background, and I described my Pakistani heritage. After a few more background questions, she asked what my intentions were. I explained I wanted to see first-hand her country’s unrivaled heritage. She shot back a frosty glare, shaking her head in disbelief, “But why are you here?” Restating my fascination with the country’s history gained me little. She took away my passport and escorted me to a small waiting area, where I was kept company by other suspects: a few Middle Eastern types, two Portuguese businessmen and a young, bohemian white woman who had the word “peacenik” practically stamped on her forehead. After a wait, another woman came out to interrogate me, repeating roughly the same questions. She then walked away, looking at me with slight sympathy, while telling me: “Please be patient. With a name like yours, you must be patient.” Two hours passed, and all the other detainees had been set loose. I wondered why the authorities couldn’t hurry along my own process by asking more specific questions about my background or by requesting references. Given how John McCain has pointed out that the Israelis are experts at gathering information without torture, I began to suspect that lengthy waits are interrogation tools akin to cooking a frog gradually. A male security officer came out and asked the same set of questions yet again. He told me I’d hopefully be released soon, once the police finished checking on my background, then left me to myself for another hour. Being brow-beaten is one thing, but being ignored is even worse. I flipped aimlessly through some pages of “The Essence of Happiness” by the Dalai Lama. Finally, I began to get some manner of attention, as four airport staffers and a police official took me to another room for a thorough search of me and my luggage. Even my Kleenex drew close scrutiny. I next was escorted to a private upstairs room by the police official, who combined grimness with kindness, offering me some instant coffee. “Is this your first trip to Israel?” he asked, becoming the fourth person to ask me that. “Yes — and my last,” I responded. “Oh, a couple of days in Jerusalem and you’ll be a new man,” he assured me. His tone was growing warmer. He asked detailed questions about every place I’d lived, and even engaged me in philosophical detours about life. He asked finally for references and phone numbers, which I provided. He sent me to another room and made calls. After five awful hours, the process wound down. He called me back in, provided me with helpful information on traveling about the country and apologized sincerely. “I hope you understand why we have to do this. This is our job.” I understood. While believing I handled the profiling with strength and good cheer, I slept 14 hours straight that night — I was far more drained than I’d realized. A few days later, I am not “a new man” yet here, and I have come close to leaving early, further drained by security screenings and questionings I receive at public places. I also wondered if the firm Israeli tactics alienate and harden Arab residents and neighbors, especially nonviolent Palestinians who squander hours going through checkpoints each day. Is profiling a good tactic? It may still have its place. But having now experienced it firsthand, I can say it is a far more tragic and reprehensible reality than when I’d glibly advocated it. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Free Music Downloads Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products teleconferencing Diamonds Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Discounted Website Hostings Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Myspace Layouts Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Student Loans Bonus Casino ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Generic Viagra Backpacks Click Here .:Advertisements:. Site Search: Advertisement RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams