Local Muslims outraged by Homeland official's comments

Local Muslims outraged by Homeland official's comments
By SUZAN CLARKE AND DWIGHT R. WORLEY
dworley@thejournalnews.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS

Local Muslims yesterday reacted with sadness and outrage to a
Department of Homeland Security official's recent urging that they
and Arab-Americans register with the federal government before
flying, to reduce the chance their names are flagged as security
risks.

Daniel Sutherland, the department's head of civil rights, made the
comments at an Oct. 20 seminar on Homeland Security sponsored by the
University of Maryland's Knight Center for Specialized Journalism.

Sutherland was responding to a question posed by a reporter who
wanted to know what options were available to Muslims and Arab-
Americans who frequently were targets of additional scrutiny at
airports, Valerie Smith, a spokeswoman for the department, said
yesterday.

"Mr. Sutherland was stating that any individual who has concerns
about secondary screenings has this option available to them, but we
do not recommend that all Americans or particular groups of
Americans register in this program, only those individuals who have
concerns about secondary screening could consider this an option,"
Smith said.

Sutherland's suggestion was that Muslim and Arab-American travelers
complete a form on the Web page of the Transportation Security
Administration, a division of Homeland Security responsible for
protecting mass transit systems, including airports.

But Gilbert Gordon, president of the Jerrahi Mosque in Chestnut
Ridge, said any such program aimed at one specific group could be
viewed as "an invasion of their privacy and an invasion of their
civil liberty."

Rather than achieve greater security and improved relations, having
Muslims register would do nothing more than foster "distrust and
animosity between the American government and Muslims," said Gordon,
who lives in Chestnut Ridge.

Dobbs Ferry resident Salem Mikdadi, a board member of the Center for
Jewish-Christian-Muslim Understanding in Irvington, took offense to
the suggestion.

"I don't want to be singled out as someone different. I am an
American like everybody else and my faith is strictly personal,"
said Mikdadi, a Muslim who came to the United States from the
Palestinian territories 34 years ago. "Singling out individuals or
groups of people and suggesting it's a matter for their convenience
to register, a lot of people might take offense.

"I never dreamt in my life that a day would come where it would be
suggested that I disclose my personal data to the government to
facilitate my travel in a free country," he said. "As much as I
value my safety, there are certain individual freedoms that need to
be respected."

Still, Mikdadi acknowledged that instances of airport workers
confusing Muslims' names with those on the anti-terror lists was an
increasing problem, but he attributed it to poor staff training.

Arsalan Iftikhar, national legal director for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington, called Sutherland's
comments "counterproductive to DHS's desire to bridge the gap
between the Muslim community and the federal government.

"We think that this will only serve to further alienate the
community and profile lawful Americans," Iftikhar said. He added
that all Americans should be concerned by any action that would
allow the government to archive an individual's personal information.

The two-page Passenger Identity Verification Form asks for personal
information, including height, eye and hair color and copies of at
least three official forms of identification.

The form has been in use since the TSA was created, Smith said.
Homeland Security shares the information with airlines, who then
compare it against security lists that might otherwise red-flag a
passenger.

Sutherland acknowledged that filling out the form would not
completely eliminate the chance that a Muslim traveler would be
singled out for closer scrutiny before or after flying.

"This is repugnant, objectionable and humiliating. These are Gestapo
tactics," said Dr. Shafi Bezar, chairman of the Westchester Muslim
Center in Mount Vernon. "I would like to be safe when I travel, but
not to this extent. This is insulting to target a particular group
or particular religion."




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