Most of us are a bit sick of arguing about the Gates/Crowley racial profiling incident, but now Bob Dylan and Shahrukh Khan have made headlines in two similar incidents, and it is truly worth comparing the three events. Bob Dylan was wandering around a New Jersey neighborhood when he experienced "Walking while White." A woman called the police when she saw a suspiciously acting man on her front lawn in the pouring rain. When the police showed up, Dylan was walking down the street, a public street. The police stopped him and asked him for an ID. He could not produce one. The police officer asked him his name, and he told her Bob Dylan. She didn't believe him. Why would a famous singer be all alone, soaking wet, looking for houses for sale in a rainstorm? Why would he be wearing two raincoats? The police officer, Kristie Buble, figured the guy was likely a mental patient from a nearby hospital. Now, the gentleman with me believed the woman was Obama's cousin. He was a kindhearted man and told her he would take her upstairs. I was standing behind her, waving my hands at the man and mouthing "Noooooo!" I called upstairs and security came down and "helped" the woman. The man asked me how I knew the woman wasn't Obama's cousin. First off, I just couldn't see why Obama's cousin wouldn't have a better way to get into CNN than beg from the lobby. Secondly, I didn't see why she wanted to talk to someone there after all the major people had gone home for the day. Also, the woman came from Providence Hospital, not exactly a top hospital, and no one goes there if they have better options; the hospital usually serves the poor. Finally, there is a homeless shelter just a few blocks away, and anyone who knows the area near Union Station in DC is aware that a lot of panhandlers and mentally unstable people hang in the vicinity. I don't think Officer Buble can be faulted for questioning Bob Dylan as he not only was a scruffy, bedraggled white guy in the Latin quarter of town, but a citizen called in because he had trespassed on someone's property. A person acting suspiciously, possibly committing a crime, is then asked for an ID and cannot produce one. Furthermore, the person behaving strangely claims to be a big shot. Does Dylan's story sound just like Gates? You bet! The only difference is Gates got nasty and Dylan was polite. Gates ended up in handcuffs and Dylan got a ride back to his hotel in order to prove who he was. That Officer Buble even did that is pretty impressive. So, to me, neither citizen/police interaction was an example of racial profiling.
Now, anyone who knows me knows that if I worked Newark security at the airport I would have detained Shahrukh Khan for a much longer time and I would have locked the door. But that is beside the point. The question is, with concern for national security and the safety of airline passengers, was it unreasonable to detain Mr. Khan, and what should have been the red flags that would cause him to be pulled aside, grilled, and told he couldn't make a phone call? Many, including Indians, say this secondary security procedure is common, and Shahrukh Khan should not be exempt just because he is a movie star. Okay, I agree with this to a degree. There have been movie stars involved in terrorist activities. I believe Shahrukh Khan acted quite decently as well. He is not the type of man to cause a ruckus; he is a personable, very polite man. He is Muslim but does not toss out prayer rugs in the airport; he is married to a Hindu woman. He is terribly honest and open and has a sense of humor about himself (Read my past post about Shahrukh Khan on Women in Crime Ink). So, I don't believe he did anything to cause problems. What then was the red flag? I know there are certain things that flag travelers for further scrutiny. I find that if I wear a suit and carry a briefcase I am far more likely to be pulled over and have my carry-ons rummaged through than if I wear a flowered sundress and carry a straw bag. They must have their reasons. And I suppose the reasoning used with Shahrukh and all the other Khans is that a Khan is more likely to blow up an airplane than a Sonnenburger or a Chung. But I think that is probably little comfort to the many Khans who are detained on religion alone and not because of behavior. One can argue that Muslims should routinely be detained while traveling; for officials to say that wasn't the reason Shahrukh Khan was held is ridiculous. Of course it was. There were no behaviors that were concerning, his passport was in order, and he didn't have any weapons on him. He was detained because he was Muslim. This is a fact. If the United States is going to do this, then they ought to admit it. Racial profiling is occurring at airports and we should confess that this is true. We should simply say that since 9/11, we have been very unnerved about terrorism, and since the terrorism against us has largely been by Muslims, we require Muslims traveling to our country to receive extra scrutiny. We apologize for the inconvenience and we feel sad that so many honorable Muslims must go through this procedure because of a small number of extremists. I think if we were honest and polite in our dealings, Shahrukh Khan may not have been so offended by the actions of the officials. Sometimes we may be forced to profile by sex, race, or religion, but we should have the backbone to admit that is what we are doing. I also am expecting Obama to invite Shahrukh to the White House for ... well, for a Diet Pepsi, since Khan is a Muslim.
8 comments:
Interesting that Khan was promoting a movie about racial profiling. Great publicity stunt.
It may sound that way, but this is not likely with Khan.
If I was Officer Buble, I woulda asked Mr Dylan to sing me a song. Something like 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' or 'Buckets of Rain' or 'Highwater' or maybe 'Hurricane.' And there's always 'Rainy Day Woman' or 'Man On The Street.'
OK.. I am going to be the tacky one with no real comment but...
I would get a job at my airport just to have Mr. Kahn fly in to be strip searched.. WOW!!
I know this probably won't get published since it really has nothing to do with the story (I thought the story was great too) but I needed to say it anyway.
Jennifer
As someone said on my Facebook page when I made my comment about increasing the interrogation time behind locked doors, "I bet there will be a long line of women waiting outside that interrogation room for their turn!
For more enjoyment of this shirtless delight, check out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV-4SOAsy40&feature=related
Enjoy!
I thought about having Dylan sing, too. But if the officer were young and unfamiliar with Dylan, she might not even recognize the song. All she'd hear would be a voice matching Dylan's face, attire, and behavior.
I am old(er) and stll couldn't recognize a Dylan song! Wasn't my style of music even if Bob Dylan was popular during my younger years.
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