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Muslims face extra checks in new travel crackdown
Times (UK) ^ | 8/15/06 | Ben Webster

Posted on 08/15/2006 6:07:30 AM PDT by TrebleRebel

THE Government is discussing with airport operators plans to introduce a screening system that allows security staff to focus on those passengers who pose the greatest risk.

The passenger-profiling technique involves selecting people who are behaving suspiciously, have an unusual travel pattern or, most controversially, have a certain ethnic or religious background.

The system would be much more sophisticated than simply picking out young men of Asian appearance. But it would cause outrage in the Muslim community because its members would be far more likely to be selected for extra checks.

Officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) have discussed the practicalities of introducing such a system with airport operators, including BAA. They believe that it would be more effective at identifying potential terrorists than the existing random searches.

They also say that it would greatly reduce queues at secur-ity gates, which caused lengthy delays at London airports yesterday for the fifth day running. Heathrow and Gatwick were worst affected, cancelling 69 and 27 flights respectively. BAA gave warning yesterday that the disruption would continue for the rest of the week.

Passengers are now allowed to take one small piece of hand luggage on board but security staff are still having to search 50 per cent of travellers. Airports have also been ordered to search twice as many hand luggage items as a week ago.

BAA was criticised yesterday for failing to commit itself to recruiting more security staff and for claiming that its existing 6,000 staff at seven airports would be able to handle the extra searches. Tony Douglas, the chief executive of Heathrow, said that X-ray screening of hand luggage would be much faster under the new rules on size and contents, leaving staff free to carry out more searches.

The new measures, which include a ban on taking any liquids through checkpoints, are expected to remain in place for months. A DfT source said it was difficult to see how the restrictions could be relaxed if terrorists now had the capabil-ity to make liquid bombs.

The DfT has been considering passenger profiling for a year but, until last week, the disadvantages were thought to outweigh the advantages. A senior aviation industry source said: “The DfT is ultra-sensitive about this and won’t say anything publicly because of political concerns about being accused of racial stereotyping.”

Three days before last week’s arrests, the highest-ranking Muslim police officer in Britain gave warning that profiling techniques based on physical appearance were already causing anger and mistrust among young Muslims. Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We must think long and hard about the causal factors of anger and resentment.

“There is a very real danger that the counter-terrorism label is also being used by other law-enforcement agencies to the effect that there is a real risk of criminalising minority communities.”

Sir Rod Eddington, former chief executive of British Airways, criticised the random nature of security searches. He said that it was irrational to subject a 75-year-old grandmother to the same checks as a 25-year-old man who had just paid for his ticket with cash.

Philip Baum, an aviation security consultant, said that profiling should focus on ruling out people who obviously posed no risk rather than picking out Asian or Arabs.

A DfT spokesman refused to make any comment or answer any questions on profiling.


TOPICS: Front Page News; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: gwot; londonairlineplot; profiling; ukmuslims
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To: ladyjane
People are waking up,......but is the U.S. Government?

IMHO Our Governnment lacks the will to wake up and call a spade , a spade.

41 posted on 08/15/2006 7:00:22 AM PDT by gitmogrunt (oppose one farce at the border)
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To: ExTexasRedhead

Your poor father. I can empathize. I am a 5'0" white woman. Both of my knees have been replaced. When I flew a couple of years ago, I set off the alarm and was wanded and patted down, even though I had cards from my doctor proving my surgery. My husband and I are flying on Sept. 1st. Wonder if I will be strip-searched this time? SHEESH!


42 posted on 08/15/2006 7:03:08 AM PDT by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
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To: TrebleRebel

Simple solution, airlines offer flights for those willing to comply with tighter restrictions and those that wish not to participate can fly together.


43 posted on 08/15/2006 7:09:10 AM PDT by ThisLittleLightofMine
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To: Polyxene

Speaking of profiling. Did you know how the FBI caught all those "students" that disappeared instead of showing up at U. of Montana? They Walked like Egyptians!


44 posted on 08/15/2006 7:10:23 AM PDT by massgopguy (massgopguy)
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To: TrebleRebel

They should be riding on camels not on our infidel airplanes.


45 posted on 08/15/2006 7:12:06 AM PDT by coon2000
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To: massgopguy

LOL!! Good one!! Seriously, though, those guys scattered all over the US once they landed. The Feds can say all they want, but they were up to no good, as far as I am concerned.


46 posted on 08/15/2006 7:14:09 AM PDT by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
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To: TrebleRebel
I agree. I got angry last week when I was randomly pulled out for body searching.

I don't have anything against random profiling. Two of the 24 terrorists arrested in Britain were Anglo converts, and if we were only targeting Middle Eastern males, they would have walked right by.

That said,

22 of the 24 arrested terrorists in Britain were Pakistani. Almost every single act of terrorism, especially suicide attacks, is committed by a military aged male of Middle Eastern descent.

If we're serious about stopping terrorism, we need to have a strict focused search with a random component as well.

47 posted on 08/15/2006 7:17:37 AM PDT by Steel Wolf (- Islam will never survive being laughed at. -)
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To: Alouette
>>
We must think long and hard about the causal factors of anger and resentment.
<<

Well, we can start by taking note of what the jihadists themselves tell us are the reasons they attack us.

bin Laden gave three reasons for the 9/11 attack:

1) US support if Israel.

2) Western hegemony in media that interfered with the ability of Islam to attract youth;

3) The west and the US kept Islamic nations from achieving their right place as world powers.

Later, of course, he also invited Bush, and by extension the entire US, to convert to Islam. This invitation is in line with the command to deal with the infidels: they must convert, submit or be the subject of war against them.

At the very least, it seems that it is literally true that Islamsist hate the west for just being free. Free people produce entertainment products that offends Islam. (some of it offends me too!) But Islamists deal with it by outlawing it where they can. But what Imam can compete with trendy music? What percent of youth want to listen to another sermon rather than a decent CD?

Free people are also free to develop and invent. Islamists have a love-hate relation with the west. The very Viagra they need to enjoy all their wives was invented in the Great Satan. Their hatred is in part rooted in envy.

Part of the social contract in the west is that people are free to express ideas that the listener may not accept, or may not like, with the provision that everyone is just as free to do the same. Government's role is to protect this freedom.

Islamic culture politicizes every aspect of life, in the sense that religion defines everything. It is it really "politicizes" as much as it "religicizes".

Say something that offends Islam? You are a heretic and every faith follower of this religion has the obligation to protect the body of the faith by killing you, or at least punishing you.

Islam has set itself to correct and punish western culture and people. As such, the higher authority for civil society is now whatever the clerics decides where previously it was the Constitution or other founding documents. It is a revolution in slow motion, a form of treason to overthrow the civil government, and if force is necessary, all the better, given the level of reward enhancement that occurs in this, the "religion of peace".
48 posted on 08/15/2006 7:18:35 AM PDT by theBuckwheat
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To: Publius6961

"Muslims may be welcome, but islam is not acceptable. Yes, it's that simple."

Hmmm, one of us is confused. If you were to replace Christian in that statement it would be:

Christians are welcome but Christianity is not acceptable.

You expect people to check their religion at the door? Not likely. Besides, an adult muslim is already tainted with hate from the death cult. I doubt they can assimilate.


49 posted on 08/15/2006 7:25:32 AM PDT by brownsfan (It's not a war on terror... it's a war with islam.)
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To: Westbrook
"Mohammetanism is hopelessly flawed, tainted, and pigeon-holed by its own source texts and the pirate and brigand that invented it, Mohammet. A non-Muslim can NEVER trust a Muslim. We can NEVER know for certain when they are telling us the truth. "

Perfect Westbrook. Concise, accurate, and should be included in the header of every post relating to mudslimes.

50 posted on 08/15/2006 7:28:45 AM PDT by Wurlitzer (The difference between democrats and terrorists is the terrorists don't claim to support the troops)
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To: monday

"My question is. Why should we care what they think of us? They want us dead."

Liberals care. They are just oozing feelings.

I don't. I know muslims want me dead, and I return the sentiment. One of the reasons I voted for W is I knew, for a fact, that he would kill more muslims than Kerry. I know that's a pretty disgusting statement, but war is disgusting, and we are at war.


51 posted on 08/15/2006 7:28:51 AM PDT by brownsfan (It's not a war on terror... it's a war with islam.)
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To: TrebleRebel

YEAH!!! Wish they did it here!!


52 posted on 08/15/2006 7:40:13 AM PDT by Suzy Quzy ("When Cabals Go Kaboom"....upcoming book on Mary McCarthy's Coup-Plotters.)
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To: Suzy Quzy
Why in the world do we even ALLOW muslims on airplanes?

Until the muslim clerics, intellectuals, world leaders, etc. get on TV every single day to tell these nut-cases that they will NOT go to heaven (and get their 72 virgins)--but will instead ROT IN HELL--this crap won't stop. Their silence is more than complicity--it is ENCOURAGEMENT!

Again, why in the world do we even let them ON airplanes?

53 posted on 08/15/2006 8:15:45 AM PDT by stockstrader
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To: Always Right; 6ppc
"In England they lump arabs and asians into a single group called asians.

Yeah, not real accurate grouping."

This is not correct. 'Asians' as a designation tends to be used generically for Indians, Pakistani's and Bangladeshis (pretty much the bits we used to own). Arabs would be referred to as Arabs, I don't believe I've ever seen the designation 'Asian' applied to an arab.

"It is funny that muslim arabs don't even consider asian and black muslims are real muslims and there aren't too many black and asian muslims who commit terrorist acts."

All of the people involved in the London bombings last year were of Pakistani-descent, rather than Arab, as were most of the people arrested last week.

54 posted on 08/15/2006 9:28:43 AM PDT by Canard
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To: Canard
All of the people involved in the London bombings last year were of Pakistani-descent, rather than Arab, as were most of the people arrested last week.

In my mind people Saudia Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afganistan, Syria are Arabs. But that is just me.

55 posted on 08/15/2006 9:41:57 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: TrebleRebel

What about the Dell "Jihad" laptops that explode? or the prohibition on eating Krystal hamburgers before embarking?


56 posted on 08/15/2006 9:50:50 AM PDT by 2nd Amendment
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Comment #57 Removed by Moderator

To: Canard

I stand corrected. I had some dealings with a muslim of Indian extraction a while back and encountered the term "Asian" to describe him. I didn't think to distinguish between asian and arab muslims, so I stand corrected.


58 posted on 08/15/2006 10:35:38 AM PDT by 6ppc
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To: TrebleRebel
The problem with profiling is the smart terrorist groups, which are the most dangerous ones, will pick operatives who do not fit the "profile".

Plenty of Islamofascists aren't Arabs.

-Eric

59 posted on 08/15/2006 10:36:22 AM PDT by E Rocc (Myspace "Freepers" group moderator)
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To: Leatherneck_MT

Unfortunately it won't stop them. It may slow em down a bit, but it won't stop them.


60 posted on 08/15/2006 10:45:59 AM PDT by derllak
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