According to the Encarta Dictionary, Racial Profiling is the assumption of criminality among ethnic groups without probable cause. Since the September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center, racial profiling has been the temporary tactic used to stop terrorism. After more than ten years since implementing this practice, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made little progress. Some American citizens are still skeptical of Middle Eastern and Muslim people even though TSA has caught no terrorists through racial profiling. Although racial profiling has the potential to catch terrorists, it should not be used because racial profiling can justify terrorist acts, it ...view middle of the document...
He is stating a fallacy; it is faulty generalization to assume all terrorist acts come from the Middle East. Fishman, later in his essay, mentions “Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese sect,” and the “’all-American guys’ like Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols,” (528) who have committed acts of terrorism. If TSA does not have the ability to analyze all people in an airport it needs to come up with better safety procedures, other than racial profiling, to keep the United States safe from terrorists.
Terrorists believe there is something intrinsically wrong with their enemies, so treating their ethnic group like criminals will only give terrorists more reasons to hate the United States. Terrorists will justify their acts when people in their ethnic group become second class citizens who are alienated from the rest of the population. Racial profiling will cause minorities to become second class citizens (Debate). The profiled group’s way of life will change because of the special treatment they will be receiving. Profiling, the act of analyzing and classifying somebody, and singling out the terrorist type will only cause real terrorists to find another issue with the United States. Racial profiling alienates people who would want to help, but are a part of that profile (AbiNader, 530). People who originally want to fight terrorism will not like the unfair treatment they are receiving. Some will even resent it and try to hinder the security procedures since they know they will automatically be considered a suspicious character based on the race they were born into. Alienating Muslims and Middle Eastern people will not make them feel welcome to the United Sates and they will resent the way they are treated and possible become more dangerous.
According to Jean AbiNader, founding board member of the Arab American’s Institute, “racial profiling presents more complications than solutions,” (530). It will not improve airport security since investigation works well; terrorists can learn to beat the system, and broad screening of everyone makes airports safer. Investigation after a committed crime is more useful to prevent future crimes than racial profiling (debate). Investigating a previously committed crime can give clues that lead to a terrorist or terrorist group. The discovered clue could be what is needed to take down a terrorist group or thwart future terrorist actions. Terrorists will do whatever they can and eventually learn to beat the system (AbiNader, 530). They will dress and behave different than what their profile suggests and it will be harder to find and possibly more dangerous. Terrorists can recruit from other terrorist groups that don’t fit their profile. This will increase the number of people in the terrorist network and profiling will be useless. Airports would be safest if TSA did a broad screening of everyone. Every person who walks through airport security should be subject to the highest security procedures. Non-Muslims will not feel...
