Class profiling in the disguise of racial profiling
Media and who's who of the whole country went into a state of tizzy after the news of Shahrukh Khan's supposed detention at Newark Airport broke in. What was the real cause of anguish? Was it racial profiling or some other feeling.
THANKS TO the ‘making a mountain of a mole hill’ nature of our esteemed media (both print and electronic), hero-worshiping fans, over reacting politicians and last but not the least a self obsessed stars, one of the trifling news which should not have even deserved a place on page three, has been able to raise it’s ugly head on the front page of news papers and prime time news of television channels in the past two weeks. So much so that this successfully managed to overshadow other important news of national and international importance like Afghan election, Bharatiya Janata Party imbroglio and swine flu in the past two weeks. Now that things have calmed down and we are in a position to think rationally, I would like every one to reflect on the this much discussed, hyped report of Shahrukh Khan’s supposed detention for an hour or so at the Newark Airport.
It seems Shahrukh Khan who was travelling to the United States to take part in a show on August 15. En route, at Newark Airport, which was his port of entry, he was held back for an hour or so by the US customs officials after the computer at the customs red-flagged his name. He was stopped and taken to a separate room called the 'Passport Control Secondary' for questioning. He then contacted his friend and politician back home in Delhi who in turn put the government machinery in Delhi on high gear to remove the obstacles on the path of this shining star. US ambassador in Delhi was contacted, detention time shortened and detained Sharukh’s pride restored to the extent possible by our authorities.
After news broke in carrying angst ridden statements of Shahrukh Khan about his ordeal at the US Airport, fans across the country were enraged. Fellow Bollywood stars condemned the incident and not to be left far behind, even respectable representatives of government started reacting to this news of national importance. One of our cabinet minister, had a brainwave and decided that a ‘tit for tat’ treatment to USA citizens at Indian airports is highly in order.
The whole country went into a state of tizzy after the incident which was blown monstrously out of proportion. What was the real cause of anguish? Was it racial profiling or some other feeling in the guise of racial profile. I am sure this was not Shahrukh Khan’s first visit to the US. He has visited the country many times before for shooting a good number of his movies and promoting them amongst the Indian – Americans to rake the moolah as much as he can. Why did he not face the questioning before if the 'Khan' name bearers are targeted always. Secondly and most importantly, there must have many Khans sans Shahrukh who were taken to a separate room for questioning by the US immigration officials before. Then why all and sundry did not cry hoarse when a Karim Khan or a Kabir Khan was asked questions. Why did the minister not announce a ‘tit-for-tat’ treatment then? Or the racial profile changes it’s definition between Shamim Khan and Shahrukh Khan.
US Immigration policy is not three weeks old. The same routine procedure of questioning before the visitors enter the country has been going on since long. Then why had our politicians not taken umbrage earlier. In fact, when the process of fingerprinting outsiders entering USA (for checking their criminal background with FBI and also to make sure the same person who had applied for the US visa has entered the country, digital fingerprints are captured at the time of visa interview as well as at the port of entry at the time of immigration) started in 2003, the only country which debated on whether to subject US citizens to fingerprinting entering their country was Brazil. If these people are so sensitive about being asked a few questions and their luggage being checked, why do not they take offence at being fingerprinted. The magnitude of loss suffered by USA during 9/11 attack is huge.
After news broke in carrying angst ridden statements of Shahrukh Khan about his ordeal at the US Airport, fans across the country were enraged. Fellow Bollywood stars condemned the incident and not to be left far behind, even respectable representatives of government started reacting to this news of national importance. One of our cabinet minister, had a brainwave and decided that a ‘tit for tat’ treatment to USA citizens at Indian airports is highly in order.
The whole country went into a state of tizzy after the incident which was blown monstrously out of proportion. What was the real cause of anguish? Was it racial profiling or some other feeling in the guise of racial profile. I am sure this was not Shahrukh Khan’s first visit to the US. He has visited the country many times before for shooting a good number of his movies and promoting them amongst the Indian – Americans to rake the moolah as much as he can. Why did he not face the questioning before if the 'Khan' name bearers are targeted always. Secondly and most importantly, there must have many Khans sans Shahrukh who were taken to a separate room for questioning by the US immigration officials before. Then why all and sundry did not cry hoarse when a Karim Khan or a Kabir Khan was asked questions. Why did the minister not announce a ‘tit-for-tat’ treatment then? Or the racial profile changes it’s definition between Shamim Khan and Shahrukh Khan.
US Immigration policy is not three weeks old. The same routine procedure of questioning before the visitors enter the country has been going on since long. Then why had our politicians not taken umbrage earlier. In fact, when the process of fingerprinting outsiders entering USA (for checking their criminal background with FBI and also to make sure the same person who had applied for the US visa has entered the country, digital fingerprints are captured at the time of visa interview as well as at the port of entry at the time of immigration) started in 2003, the only country which debated on whether to subject US citizens to fingerprinting entering their country was Brazil. If these people are so sensitive about being asked a few questions and their luggage being checked, why do not they take offence at being fingerprinted. The magnitude of loss suffered by USA during 9/11 attack is huge.
They value the lives of their country men and their sovereign security is of prime importance to them. They have every right to protect the lives of their citizens and if they are doing it through tough admission procedures into the country, they are absolutely within their rights. If we are not bothered about our security threats, then it is not their problem. The announcement of ‘tit-for-tat’ treatment to US citizens entering our country is a very welcome suggestion and should be adopted for all entrants. But this should have been done much before as a matter of protection, not as a form of retaliation when one of our celebrities are detained for a few minutes as a part of immigration procedure. Before attacking others, we must look inward, at our system. Had we adopted such stringent procedures without diluting the rules for our celebrities, we would not have been living under constant threat to our security and there would not have been so many frequent blatant attacks in our country. Here in India, it is a matter of prestige to be excluded from security checks at any place of importance.
Our security perception does not take into consideration the fact that celebrities and VIPs are not Gods and are equally capable of perpetrating any kind of crime as much as their non celebrity counter parts. In India if you are a friend or relative or even a friend’s friend of a custom department official, you can be escorted to and from inside the immigration area avoiding all checks. Here, if you happen to know the right kind of people, whether you possess correct documents or not, whether you follow right procedures or not, you will be through. Otherwise the harassment at the airports is much more than at international airports outside India. There if you have valid documents and things are in order, one does not really have to worry. Personally I have found immigration outside India much more smooth and hassle free than here, in my own country. We, the ordinary people, do not complain when we are asked questions as to who are going to stay with or why we are visiting a country as we do not expect any special treatment outside having been treated more shabbily inside our country. But the problem arises when our VIPs expect the same preferential treatment, which they get inside the country by virtue of their celebrity status. They just can not accept the fact that they were treated like any other person.
Their star-values are not taken into a remote consideration. And then the star like any other person full of vanity starts screaming 'it was uncalled for' giving it a colour of racial profile. It is not the presumed racial profiling in public view that has hurt Sharukh, it actually the non-recognition of the 'class to which belongs back home' that irked him. VIPs and celebrities in India just belong to one super class, the class of the GIP- 'Great Indian Privileged'- which is above rule, above law and certainly beyond the domain of the common person. No wonder, Sharukh was pained - nay angry- on being subjected to the rules and regulations applicable to mere earthlings. He, after all, is habituated in smiling at them as a bright star from the high heavens, at least in that part of the earth called 'India'!
Incidentally, the actor was in the US to promote a new film, 'My Name is Khan', which is about racial profiling of Muslims after the 9/11 attacks. So, this incidence has been a blessing in disguise for Shahrukh Khan, his producer and director as it has succeeded generating the much wanted publicity which the fading Bollywood icon so desperately need. Against such an outrageous hypothesis, Shahrukh Khan has reparteed that he is too big a star to need such kind of publicity. But, we only know too well (from physics?) that the bigger the star, the bigger is the chance of collapsing under its own gravity. So, Sharukh, too, Khan (don’t they pronounce 'can' as 'Khan' in US?) do with a bit of publicity at this stage of his career– even at the expense of the dumb computer of the US Immigration office!
Our security perception does not take into consideration the fact that celebrities and VIPs are not Gods and are equally capable of perpetrating any kind of crime as much as their non celebrity counter parts. In India if you are a friend or relative or even a friend’s friend of a custom department official, you can be escorted to and from inside the immigration area avoiding all checks. Here, if you happen to know the right kind of people, whether you possess correct documents or not, whether you follow right procedures or not, you will be through. Otherwise the harassment at the airports is much more than at international airports outside India. There if you have valid documents and things are in order, one does not really have to worry. Personally I have found immigration outside India much more smooth and hassle free than here, in my own country. We, the ordinary people, do not complain when we are asked questions as to who are going to stay with or why we are visiting a country as we do not expect any special treatment outside having been treated more shabbily inside our country. But the problem arises when our VIPs expect the same preferential treatment, which they get inside the country by virtue of their celebrity status. They just can not accept the fact that they were treated like any other person.
Their star-values are not taken into a remote consideration. And then the star like any other person full of vanity starts screaming 'it was uncalled for' giving it a colour of racial profile. It is not the presumed racial profiling in public view that has hurt Sharukh, it actually the non-recognition of the 'class to which belongs back home' that irked him. VIPs and celebrities in India just belong to one super class, the class of the GIP- 'Great Indian Privileged'- which is above rule, above law and certainly beyond the domain of the common person. No wonder, Sharukh was pained - nay angry- on being subjected to the rules and regulations applicable to mere earthlings. He, after all, is habituated in smiling at them as a bright star from the high heavens, at least in that part of the earth called 'India'!
Incidentally, the actor was in the US to promote a new film, 'My Name is Khan', which is about racial profiling of Muslims after the 9/11 attacks. So, this incidence has been a blessing in disguise for Shahrukh Khan, his producer and director as it has succeeded generating the much wanted publicity which the fading Bollywood icon so desperately need. Against such an outrageous hypothesis, Shahrukh Khan has reparteed that he is too big a star to need such kind of publicity. But, we only know too well (from physics?) that the bigger the star, the bigger is the chance of collapsing under its own gravity. So, Sharukh, too, Khan (don’t they pronounce 'can' as 'Khan' in US?) do with a bit of publicity at this stage of his career– even at the expense of the dumb computer of the US Immigration office!
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