ISLAM IS the second largest and the fastest growing religion in the world today. Yet morbid fear of Muslims – dubbed Islamophobia – afflicts large populations, including India. Fighting Islamophobia is a tough job as because the injustice done to people due to this syndrome, more terrorists are born than the governments manage to eliminate. Muslims have more responsibility than others in controlling the irrational fear because they are the most affected by it.
It is in this light that the “ordeal” of Bollywood celebrity Sharukh Khan at Newark airport needs to be viewed. The actor-producer had come to a community event organised by his fans in Chicago. He was subjected to “other than normal” check at the airport because his “name flashed” when an officer of the US Customs and Border Protection was handling him. He was directed to a different room because his baggage had not arrived. Khan had to wait for his turn as many other passengers whose “names flashed” were already there. A “normal” check takes 10 -15 minutes but the longer process took more than an hour.
The superstar was not amused about “being asked several questions about the purpose of his visit” and chose to raise a ruckus. He fumed: “I was really hassled at the American Airport because of my name being Khan...The couple of hours of interrogation wanting to know if I know anyone in America while all around people were vouching for me from India and Pakistan! . . . Only these guys just would not let me through. Finally, they allowed me to make a call, which I did and the Indian Consulate helped me through.” It would be obvious to anyone with average intelligence that his name would have flashed even if it had been Om Kapoor! And that his inspection had been completed already by the time any diplomatic staff could have pleaded for his ‘release’!
In India, several hours’ quarantine for in-depth investigation is normal in such cases to be sure of security in view of the threat posed by terrorists. But the hero delivered an emotional dialogue to an audience of his fans that he does not feel like stepping on the American soil anymore! He had no intention of implementing the ‘threat’ though! It is the love and affection of millions of his fans in the US, which would bring him to this country again and again, he grandly announce! Sharukh commented: “It was very unprofessional of the airport security staff of not allowing me to use my cell phone to contact my local organisers. . . I told them I was a movie star and had recently visited the country for the shooting of my film. Nothing seemed to convince the immigration officer. There were other immigration officers who even vouched for me but this particular officer did not listen to anyone. I even told them I had an invitation from the South Asian community and was there to attend an event!’’ as if he expected any takers for such ranting outside India.
Congress MP Rajiv Shukla who claims to have spoken to the authorities in the US and the Indian consulate to end Sharukh’s alleged ordeal, went one step ahead to lecture the Americans about how to go about security. He commented: “It is really not fair. Just because he has a common surname does not mean that every Muslim can be taken as a suspect or considered to be a terrorist. The American authorities should adopt a methodology so that well-known names like Shahrukh Khan and APJ Abdul Kalam are not harassed like this. They should focus on getting the actual suspects,” he advised. The worthy forgot that Kalam did not raise a hue and cry when he was subjected to pre-boarding screening according to US regulations. He behaved as any responsible passenger of a commercial flight by private airline interested in security of everyone is expected to behave. He refrained from bluntly ridiculing the cacophony in Parliament about the incident only because that could have upset his thousands of hero-worshipping Indian fans. With all due respects to the creative talents of Sharukh, putting the film personality on the same plane will be no small humiliation to the former President.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel repeated the folly of demanding preferred treatment to all sorts of VIPs at the expense of security, which met with deserved contempt from the US regulatory authority. Patel declared: “We will take the issue with the United States government strongly. Such incidents involving Indians due to their religion or nationality should not happen... we will not accept it.” Minister of state for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, once an aspirant of the post of UN Secretary General to boot, echoed, “We all found it offensive.” According to Tharoor, SRK himself spoke about the matter with “great dignity!” He demonstrated his utter lack of awareness of the plight of Muslims in states like Gujarat, adding: “This also happens to hundreds of innocent Muslims daily who don't have 1 billion population to stand up for them!”
While Sharukh Khan and Abdul Kalam are adored by millions, albeit for different qualities, information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni is known only by very few – that too, just as a loyal aide of the Nehru household. Suggesting a 'tit-for-tat' towards Americans, she said: “I am of the opinion that the way we are frisked, for example I too was frisked, we should also do the same to them!” She was trying to put herself weirdly in the company of the former President and the superstar! Frowning at the screening of suspects “beyond permissible limits” the angry minister added, “I don't understand. In the name of religion, frisking can be done for anyone like this.”
Incidentally, a Karan Johar movie starring Shahrukh that depicts hardships faced by Muslims due to Islamophobia is ready for release. The hullaballoo at Newark, ironically, smacks of a publicity stunt by way of real-life trailer before release! By blowing out of all proportions the inevitable hardships everyone has to put up with, the celebrities may have done a great damage to the cause of Muslims in trying to boost the revenue from the film. It is particularly sad because they have enough talent to deserve a great commercial success of their movie. They do not need to drum up outrage against Islamophobia in this way.
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