The New Racism in A Chicago Sun Times - Article Example

The New Racism A Chicago Sun Times article printed last month reminded its readers of the incident at aMinneapolis airport in November, 2006 (Frommer, 2007). A small gathering of Muslim men were praying prior to their plane’s departure (and who doesn’t?). This activity made other passengers nervous so the airline made the decision not to allow these men to board. The article goes on to report that the issue of racial profiling will be one of the issues addressed by the Democratic Party. This was important because this party recently won a majority from a Republican-controlled Congress that did nothing to prohibit the practice of racial profiling (Frommer, 2007). Some critics cite the terrorism threat as just cause to ignore the civil rights of non-white persons, but there are underlying factors that prove otherwise. The horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 left an ineradicable mental image in the minds of people worldwide and changed many aspects of life in America not the least of which is the moral, ethical and legal debate regarding the concept of profiling based on a person’s race or country of origin. The government and various agencies such as the transportation industry, as a response to possible future terrorist attacks, has led an anti-terrorism campaign focused on identifying people of Arab descent extending even to people of the Muslin faith and those who appear to be of Middle Eastern origin. One of the most obvious tactics in the ‘War on Terror’ is the widespread use of racial profiling, described as when law enforcement officials use race, ethnicity, religion and even color of skin to determine which persons are more probable to commit a crime such as terrorism. The term ‘War on Terror’ has been continually invoked to justify breaches of the Constitution as well as the basic civil liberties of citizens and foreigners alike. The invocation of this phrase has repeatedly prohibited rational discussions regarding civil injustices such as profiling individuals based on their race. Therefore racial profiling has continued unabated including the profiling of young black men since September 11, 2001. The not-so-subtle insinuation is that “one cannot condemn racial profiling because to do so will hinder the war on terrorism and undermine national security” (McDonald, 2001). The popularly stated position is that racial profiling is necessary because without using this tool of law enforcement would compromise the effort against terrorism thus sacrificing national security. This argument is fundamentally flawed because it erroneously presupposes that racial profiling an essential element of this emotion-evoking endeavor. However, the reverse is accurate. Profiling, as a tactic employed by law enforcement, redirects important assets, estranges and enrages prospective allies and, most importantly, is contradictory with the uniquely American concept of equality and freedom. Undoubtedly, if profiling in the name of terrorism has not been proved effective, the profiling of black citizens in the name of ‘getting tough on crime’ is not effective as well and causes more harm, ultimately, than whatever good may come of it. “Racial profiling in any manifestation is a flawed law enforcement tactic that is in direct conflict with constitutional values” (McDonald, 2001). It is important at this point to note that feelings of mistrust and suspicion aimed at Arabs or Muslims as well as blacks or Hispanics with regard to racial profiling by law enforcement officials is infrequently motivated because of blatant racism. Instead, the motivation stems from the anxiety and uncertainty surrounding the 9/11 attacks and the fear of future terrorist actions, a widespread phobia which has been fueled by a federal government so as to further its own agenda. Since the World War II era and especially following the Cold War years, American citizens have grown accustomed to living their life free of threats from abroad. However, that national feeling of security was obliterated along with the twin towers in New York. Since that day, the continuing threat of attacks by terrorists has brought about unfair and blatantly inappropriate actions including racial profiling techniques by many civil and private agencies as well as ordinary citizens toward those persons who are perceived to be a threat. Nonetheless, selecting Arabs, Muslims or Middle Eastern ‘looking’ persons to specifically target as an increased risk for criminal behavior over and above other types of people is a flawed methodology. The racial profiling of this group is established on similar types of myths regarding particular classifications of people and their increased tendency to commit crimes that have been erroneously used to justify profiling minorities for many years. Much the same as what is regarded as more traditional examples, the profiling of suspected terrorists in addition to selectively enforcing immigration regulations that is tied in with this ideology is patently contradictory with fundamental constitutional doctrines. “The assumption that terrorism is only an Arab or Muslim problem fosters the false impression that the problem can simply be eradicated if the government has free rein to deal with ‘those people’ and leaves the rest of us alone” (“Hindsight and Foresight”, 2001). In addition, in an ethical and moral context, offering a group of people as the scapegoats via profiling is an inherent and obvious injustice. There is no conclusive evidence that proves either way if the profiling of suspected terrorists, which includes the factor of ethnicity or race, is effective in safeguarding U.S. citizens. What is known is that the majority of U.S. residents, legal or not, of every racial group is not involved in terrorist activities and were alarmed by the September 11 attacks. Consequently, harassing, detaining or intruding on the liberty and privacy of individuals who are of a certain ethnic group will undoubtedly cause a certain amount of personal detriment to countless numbers of people who haven’t caused any reason to justify such an intrusion. The reality of the situation will not totally convince those persons who argue that profiling is effective and helps keep the public safe. Unlike illegal drug trafficking which involves large numbers of U.S. citizens of all ethnicities, there is every reason to assume that very few people in the U.S. are not engaged in terrorist activities or are planning attacks. Hence, “any criteria police use to identify or ‘profile’ terrorists, whether or not those criteria rely on suspect classifications such as race, ethnicity, or national origin, will yield many more false positives than they will disclose true conspiring murderers” (Colb, 2001). Simply put, the overwhelming majority of ‘suspected terrorists,’ as determined by the parameters set by the standards of racial profiling, are innocent, law-abiding citizens by whatever the criteria used. Profiling Arabs is an easy sell to a country made up principally of non-Arabs. Following the Oklahoma City federal building bombing in 1995, there was no public outcry to profile white men. Virtually all persons of Arab descent who are detained at airports, kicked-off airplanes, have their bags searched or are looked at with suspicion almost everywhere they go are not terrorists. Discrimination, no matter how it can be rationalized, causes the victimization of certain minority groups. It leads to malicious stereotyping and generalizations regarding race, religion, gender, etc. which civil liberty loving Americans have decided is morally reprehensible. It does not matter if these generalizations are well-founded or if by not acting upon them results in a public safety concern. “The U.S. Code states clearly, ‘An air carrier or foreign air carrier may not subject a person in air transportation to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or ancestry,’ said Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, himself a victim of Japanese internment during World War II” (Leadership Conference, 2002: 204). If a person is physically beaten because they appear Arabic, that is termed racism but when that same person is detained by security officers at the airport, it is called a necessary security measure but it doesn’t make it right. The question is when is it considered morally right to use discriminatory methods such as racial profiling? It would seem that the answer lies in who is asked this question. Arabs would likely answer differently than whites and one would think that because of the discrimination and racial profiling that blacks have endured throughout the history of the country, they would be against this practice as well. This is not the case though. Black persons are no less likely than is any ethnic group to judge others by their appearance, providing the group that is currently being judged is not their own. According to Urban League President Hugh Price, “…whenever people speak in favor of racial profiling, they always favor its use against some other groups, not theirs” (Polakow-Suransky, 2005) Whatever the people of the U.S. decide on the question of racial profiling even during these fearful times of uncertainty and terror, generations that are yet to come may judge what we do now as reprehensible mimicking what those of us now think of past generations of Americans that thought it proper to imprison innocent Japanese-Americans in internment camps during the Second World War (Colb, 2001). Paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin, ‘those that sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.’ Perhaps Americans of all ethnicities should endeavor to exercise the moral responsibility that paves the way for the rights and freedoms we enjoy. Civil rights should be extended equally to all and not merely to certain groups at certain times. Works Cited Colb, Sherry F. “The New Face of Racial Profiling: How Terrorism Affects the Debate.” Find Law. (October 10, 2001). February 27, 2007 Frommer, Frederic J. “Senator: Racial profiling ban is priority, but a foe warns against handing U.S. to terrorists.” Chicago Sun Times. (January 29, 2007). February 27, 2007 “Hindsight and Foresight.” (Editorial). Fort Worth Star Telegram. (September 20, 2001). Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund. Wrong Then, Wrong Now: Racial Profiling Before & After September 11, 2001. (2002). February 27, 2007 MacDonald, Heather. “The War on the Police … and How it Harms the War on Terrorism.” Supra. Vol. 7, I. 16, (December 31, 2001). February 27, 2007 Polakow-Suransky. “Racial Profiling Goes Beyond Black and White.” What Matters in America. Gary Goshgarian (Ed.). New York: Longman, 2005, pp. 200-205. Read More