Being a second generation American of Lebanese heritage I do not have a big problem with it. Al ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Burris" <yyz_02140@xxxxxxxxx> To: <AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 11:56 AM Subject: Re: [Sky-1] JFK illegally targeting Muslims, groups say > SKYONE: > > Why target them 'after' the flight? And why target > 'naturalized' citizens? What possible gain could it > achieve? > > Mike Burris > Cambridge, Mass > > --- psa188@xxxxxxxx wrote: > >> This story was sent to you by: Bill Hough >> >> -------------------- >> JFK illegally targeting Muslims, groups say >> -------------------- >> >> BY BRYAN VIRASAMI >> Newsday Staff Writer >> >> August 24, 2006 >> >> Muslim, Arab and South Asian passengers are being >> profiled by Homeland Security officers at Kennedy >> Airport, civil liberties groups said Wednesday, >> citing a New Jersey family that was detained and >> interrogated after a flight from Dubai last week. >> >> The family, a mother and her 20-year-old twin >> daughters from Montclair, N.J., said they were >> plucked from the baggage area, held six hours >> without food or water by Customs and Border >> Protection agents and questioned about their views >> of Iraq. >> >> Nahgam Alyaqoubi and her daughters, Arwa and Sumia >> Ibrahim, naturalized American citizens, said 200 >> other passengers of Arab, Muslim or South Asian >> backgrounds were detained on Aug. 15 in a roped-off >> area, days after the London bomb suspects were >> arrested. >> >> The family joined officials from the American Civil >> Liberties Union and other rights groups at a news >> conference in the Manhattan office of the Council on >> American-Islamic Relations to condemn what they say >> has been an increase in racial profiling since the >> London plot was uncovered. They also criticized Rep. >> Peter King for what they said was profiling. >> >> Arwa Ibrahim, who along with her sister is enrolled >> at Rutgers University, said they were born in Iraq >> and moved to the United States at age 5. She said >> the experience was disturbing because they were >> forced to sit on the floor without food or water and >> were treated rudely when they asked questions of the >> officers. >> >> "It was a really humiliating experience -- >> humiliating because we were treated like animals," >> she said. "We were treated really horribly by the >> officers that were there, we were yelled at, we were >> told to get back, threatened with arrest and >> threatened to have to stay longer if we complained." >> >> The ACLU and other rights groups said they planned >> to investigate this and several other complaints of >> profiling. >> >> Lucille Cirillo, a supervisory Customs Border >> Protection officer in New York City, said the >> heightened alert after the London arrests means more >> passengers are scrutinized. She said the Orange >> Alert dictates that some flights get more attention. >> >> Neither customs nor homeland security officers >> engage in racial profiling, she said. "But what I >> will say on the matter is our officers will >> scrutinize more closely individuals arriving from >> high-risk countries," Cirillo said. >> >> On the complaints about lack of water, she said >> airlines are required to provide food and water to >> passengers even if they're off the plane and in the >> luggage area of the airport. >> >> Katherine Metres Abbadi, executive director of the >> American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said >> recent comments from King were inflammatory. >> >> "Why is Congressman King calling for a policy which >> has been tried and proven not to work and which has >> been disavowed by security experts?" she said. >> >> King said he was speaking on the basis that the >> "next terrorist" will come from places like the >> Middle East or South Asia. >> >> "First of all, it's not ethnic or racial profiling," >> King said Wednesday. "What I'm saying, though, is >> that screeners should have the right to ask >> additional questions of a person who belongs to a >> particular ethnic or religious group if members of >> that group have threatened the United States." >> >> -------------------- >> >> This article originally appeared at: >> > http://www.amny.com/news/local/transportation/am-prof0824,0,5125934.story?coll=am-transportation-headlines >> >> >> Visit AM New York online at http://www.amny.com >> > > > Michael A. Burris > Freelance Writer, > Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA) > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com