There have been many terrorists attacks on U.S. soil before 9/11, such as a shooting outside a restaurant in Texas and a killed Egyptian immigrant named Mustafa Shalabi (by an Islamic group) in 1991. Jamin B. Raskin predicts in his 1991 article A precedent for Arab Americans? that Arab Americans and immigrants might become the focus of national hatred and severe profiling in the near future. He states: “The Arabs are the Japanese of 1991… the whiff of a witch hunt in the F.B.I.'s curious "interviews" with Arab-Americans” (2). While racial profiling is already an infringement on the fourth amendment, the second amendment was also encroached, as the circumstance with Charles D. Schenck during the First World War displayed. Schenck had been …show more content…
Detainees from Guantanamo Bay are subject to many forms of torture by military officials and officers, so that information is forced out of people perceived to be threats; Press illustrates this, “A story in Newsday published just after Mohammed’s arrest quoted a former CIA official who, describing a detainee transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Egypt, said ‘They promptly tore his fingernails out and he started telling things’ ” (Press). In fact, anyone thought to be a national threat at any given period of history were subject to torture, as situations can “routinely stray from the isolated, extreme scenario” (Press). The concern over whether that suspect is really a true suspect isn’t pondered over, and there are no fair trials given to these detainees—some are American citizens, surprisingly. Charles D. Stimson in the periodical claims that this is actually untrue, as he states: “The NDAA has not impacted the conditions under which a U.S. citizen may (or may not) be detained. In fact, section 1021 of the NDAA is explicit: The law regarding how U.S. citizens are handled, including the right to habeas corpus [the right to seek judicial review of one's imprisonment], is the same today as it was the day before it was passed” (Stimson 1). Then there is the issue over a suspension
After the horrendous terrorist attack on the New York Trade Center a new Bill was passed by congress shortly after September 11, 2004. This bill is known as The Domestic Security Enhancement Act also called Patriot Act 2. This bill was designed as a follow-up to the USA Patriot Act to work in increasing government surveillance, detention and other law enforcement powers while reducing basic checks and balances on such powers. By the beginning of the year 2003 a draft of the legislation was available. Amongst the most severe problems the bill diminishes personal privacy by removing checks on government power, diminishes public accountability by increasing government secrecy, and diminishes corporate accountability under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Also the bill undermines fundamental constitutional rights of Americans under overboard definitions of “terrorism” and “terrorist organization” or under a terrorism pretext. Furthermore, unfairly targets immigrants under the pretext of fighting terrorism. (http://www.aclu.org/Safeand Free/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=11835&c=206)
Racial profiling is the tactic of stopping someone because of the color of his or her skin and a fleeting suspicion that the person is engaging in criminal behavior (Meeks, p. 4-5). This practice can be conducted with routine traffic stops, or can be completely random based on the car that is driven, the number of people in the car and the race of the driver and passengers. The practice of racial profiling may seem more prevalent in today’s society, but in reality has been a part of American culture since the days of slavery. According to Tracey Maclin, a professor at the Boston University School of Law, racial profiling is an old concept. The historical roots “can be traced to a time in early American society when court officials permitted constables and ordinary citizens the right to ‘take up’ all black persons seen ‘gadding abroad’ without their master’s permission” (Meeks, p. 5). Although slavery is long since gone, the frequency in which racial profiling takes place remains the same. However, because of our advanced electronic media, this issue has been brought to the American public’s attention.
The way Muslims have been treated after the 9/11 incident is very different than before. Before 9/11 there was certainly some discrimination towards Muslim Americans, but after the attacks happened, between the years 2000 and 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported a 1,700 percent increase of hate crimes against Muslim Americans (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). “While trying to adapt to the outcome of 9/11, Muslim Americans dealt with an increase in negative stereotypes spoken by the common culture, and Muslim immigrants faced more negative attitudes than any other immigrant group” (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). Since the 9/11 attacks, people who dress with a substantial resemblance to Muslims worry about the upcoming hatred and unfriendliness from people of other ethnicities (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). While listening to the media, one can hear reports of negative stereotypes towards people who resemble the Muslim religion, which may be assumed that these people are violent. Negative attitudes that Muslim Americans experience may have detrimental effects on their success in America and their success of achieving the American Dream.
For the past few years there has been an ongoing debate surrounding the issue of racial profiling. The act of racial profiling may rest on the assumption that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes than any individual of other races or ethnicities. Both David Cole in the article "The Color of Justice" and William in the article "Road Rage" take stance on this issue and argue against it in order to make humanity aware of how erroneous it is to judge people without evidence. Although Cole and William were very successful in matters of showing situations and qualitative information about racial profiling in their articles, both of them fail at some points.
Following 9/11 individuals who have ties to the Middle East have been scrutinized. “Muslims have endured alarming rates of prejudice, discrimination, and hate crimes.”(Amer&Bagarsa,2013). According to Amer hate crimes against Muslim Americans have significantly increased since 9/11 to the point of being “the most prevalent hate crime taking place on American soil.” (Amer&Bagarsa,2013). “The racialization of an ‘Arab-Middle Eastern-Muslim’ Other has been constituted by a dual process of cultural racism and the racialization of national origin… This solidified the racial
September 11, 2001 was one of the most devastating and horrific events in the United States history. Americans feeling of a secure nation had been broken. Over 3,000 people and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed during the attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon; in New York City and Washington, D.C. Today the term terrorism is known as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (Birzer, Roberson). This term was clearly not defined for the United States for we had partial knowledge and experience with terrorist attacks; until the day September 11, 2001. At that time, President George W. Bush, stated over a televised address from the Oval Office, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” President Bush stood by this statement for the United States was about to retaliate and change the face of the criminal justice system for terrorism.
Terrorism is very real, it has just recently happened again at Ohio State University. “He urged America "to stop interfering with other countries, especially the Muslim Ummah," a term for Muslim people at large. "By Allah, we will not let you sleep unless you give peace to the Muslims," he wrote. "You will not celebrate or enjoy any holiday" (CNN. Cable News Network). People like this will remain a problem no matter what ulterior motive the Domestic Surveillance has, and the only way to stop it is to simply monitor the people so when we find a threat we can abolish it as fast as
"I don't want to talk about whether or not racial profiling is legal. Racial profiling is not an effective law enforcement tool." -- Eric Holder, 82nd Attorney General of the United States
After the September the 11th attacks on the world trade center, countries around the globe thought it was necessary to take extra precautions when dealing with terrorists. The United States hence forth brought terrorist that were being help to Guantanamo bay. Guantanamo bay hold terrorist that are responsible for the September 11th attacks. These terrorist are kept at Guantanamo in order to prevent any further attacks from happening with in the United States. The prisoners that are help there are subdued to a form of interrogation known as water boarding. The process consists of a cloth being placed over the detainees face and the interrogator proceeds to pour water over the detainees face. This gives the feeling that you are drowning, but really you re panicking because you think you are drowning. Many people
One of the foremost not-so-shocking consequences that have unusually become a trend in today’s society as a result of the events of September 11th is the issue of racial profiling. Racial profiling is the unjust method used by certain police officials to gather suspects for a variety of crimes; it is used to target certain individuals based on race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion (“Racial Profiling”). Citizens and authorities alike have developed an attitude towards people from the Middle East. When a person sees a Middle Eastern male enter a plane before it takes flight, people usually began to feel extreme paranoia. Since we are assuming that the attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001 were both done by the same nationality, citizens have established the mindset that all Middle Eastern individuals are inevitably terrorists. It is true that both masterminds for each of the attacks were of Middle Eastern descent. However, the paranoia is not rational; it is only rooted in an irrational fear birthed out of ignorance. The only conclusion th...
No Japanese American attack on U.S soil. All in all, their pre-measures for “national security” was a waste. About $9.5 million was spent to build internment camps and nurture the prisoners. This is somewhat a similar situation to today. After the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, many people, specifically, Americans, became very xenophobic and racist against Muslims and Arabs. The most obvious reason is that al-Qaeda, a middle eastern terrorist group, ended up being the people who hijacked the planes and crashed them. Soon after the event, most Americans begin to have this evil vein in them. Arabs and Muslims were being discriminated wherever they go. Airports began to have extra security and, although they won’t admit it, they specifically target people who aren’t white. It may seem to be extra security, but it’s straight up discrimination. This process can be extremely humiliating and terrifying. They usually don’t find anything but yet they check everything they have. America should remind themselves of the internment of Japanese Americans. Of how none of them actually committed a crime and imagine that for Arabs and Muslims. So they should stop treating any Middle Easterners as if they were criminals. Stereotypes shouldn’t define a person and prevent them from receiving the same rights a “True
“The political, social, and legal pressure on Muslim communities in the name of “national security” has created a new form of American legal exceptionalism” (Elver 139). Since Arab immigrants where viewed as potential terrorist threats they were legally placed under surveillance as they could be a “national security threat” (Elver 139). The government started ‘taking suspected terrorists in violation of the law off the streets and [kept] them locked up” (Elver 140). These individuals who where taken into custody were targeted because the government was going after “Muslim-looking” people.” (Elver 144). By incarcerating Arab immigrants, the United States government as well as some citizens, thought they would be safe from terrorism. A few weeks following the attack on the Twin Towers, there was a survey that found Americans believed “Arab and Muslim Americans should be profiled and targeted for surveillance and interrogation in the name of national security” (Cook 3).
This essay will bring to light the problem of racial profiling in the police force and propose the eradication of any discrimination.
America’s Use of Torture in Interrogations of Suspected Terrorists Violates Human Rights by Lisa Hajjar
...lim violence mentioned in class lectures include a taxi cab driver in NYC who identified himself as a Muslim and was shot dead by the passenger, four pieces of construction equipment was destroyed at a future mosque site in Tennessee also in Tennessee, a pipe bomb went off in a mosque in Jacksonville killing somewhere around 60 people. This is only a few example of the many hate crimes committed against Muslims in the United States. Muslims not only face hate crimes in the U.S., but all over the world today which is particularly disturbing in the U.S. which has a Constitution that states all citizens are free to practice their own religion, but clearly as of late, this is not true for Muslim Americans.