|
|
Tuesday April 29
2008
Random I am ...
The truth about "random" airport body searches
"Is there such a thing as a consistent
random act?"
The following are excerpts from two emails sent to me by a female
Muslim friend who recently returned from a trip to the US. To me,
this
information is heart breaking.
"I was "randomly" selected for extra security checks at every point of
the way, in every US airport - and on this trip I did several.
So...I
began to examine the theory of the "random" check - is there such a
thing as a consistent random act? While I was contemplating this
a
young mother reading to her child the book "Sam I am" inspired me to
write this; thought you may get a kick out of it!"
Random I am
I have brown skin and I don’t eat ham
Whenever I fly…random I am
Ma'am, you’ve been selected so step aside
We must search you
I have nothing to hide
I have brown skin and I don’t eat ham
Whenever I travel…random I am
Would you spread your legs, roll up your shirt
Would you stretch out your arms, this wont hurt
I would spread my legs, roll up my shirt
I would stretch my arms,
AND THIS DOES HURT
I have brown skin and I don’t eat ham
So once again…random I am
Would you, could you say why you’re here
Would you, could you calm our fear
I would and have at every gate
Please let me go, I don’t want to be late
I’m constantly selected to step aside
Photographed, fingerprinted, I’ve nothing to hide
I have spread my legs, rolled up my shirt
I’ve stretched my arms, in spite of the hurt
I have brown skin and I don’t eat ham
I am a Muslim…so random I am
"Yes I am traumatised - it does shake you up and sadly begins to change
you. The airports had an orange alert announcement they kept
playing
on and on and in that they ask passengers to look out for and report
suspicious behavior. Can you imagine what that meant for
us? We were
given the "I have my eye on you" look by a few people and we
became so
self-conscious. We noticed for example we didn't use Arabic at
all the
whole time we were on the road and that was unusual for us when we're
talking to one another."
This is absolute proof of the lies being told to the
public
about "security" measures. At each of three airports, as the call
came
to board the plane, this woman's boarding pass set off a beeping sound
that attracted the attention of all the other passengers. The
airline
staff, each time, apologized and said that her ticket had been
"randomly selected" for a security check.
She is a moderate Muslim who does not wear hijab; she is a stylish,
very attractive young Canadian mother with no criminal record; she has
done nothing illegal or violent in any way in her political advocacy
for a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis. I joked that
maybe she
was too pretty and the security people just wanted to get their hands
on her. She said that while it was happening she did quip,
"Please
make this enjoyable" but she didn't feel amused. Neither do I,
nor
should any of us.
The
Bullet: Countering Palestine Solidarity Work in Canada
(Thanks to Ron):
IndyUK:
Israel is suppressing a secret it must face
TADAMON! -
Sixty years of nakba; Sixty years of apartheid
yayacanada
|
|
