Civil liberties advocates are expressing concern over the United States Government’s recent decision to single out travelers from more than a dozen mostly Middle Eastern countries for increased scrutiny. Critics of the policy argue it could lead to practices that are not only discriminatory but also ineffective against the threat of terrorism.

In January 2010, the Obama administration announced that citizens of 14 predominantly Islamic nations who fly to the United States will have to undergo enhanced screening at airports, including full-body pat-downs or body scanners. Under the new rules, all citizens of “state sponsors of terrorism” (Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria) must receive a pat-down and an extra check of their carry-on bags before boarding planes bound for the United States. Although not officially considered state sponsors of terrorism, citizens of Nigeria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen are also subject to these additional screening procedures. The new rules apply to anyone with a passport from any of the 14 countries and anyone stopping in those countries.

Dennis Parker, director of Racial Justice Programs at the American Civil Liberties Union, thinks the new airport security rules are bad policy. He says there is no way to predict the national origin of a terrorist and that many terrorists have come from countries not on the list. Parker believes policies such as racial profiling and invasive body scanning for all travelers not only violate American rights and values, but also divert valuable resources and attention from countering the real threats posed by Al Qaeda.

The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) denies that the new regulations amount to racial profiling. TSA spokesman Greg Soule declined to be interviewed for this report, but said in a written statement: “TSA does not profile. As is always the case, TSA security measures are based on threat, not ethnic or religious background.” The agency statement goes on to note that the new directive also mandates threat-based and random screening for the majority of passengers on U.S. bound international flights.

For further information, please refer to the following Voice of America article.