So Dr Abdul Kalam was frisked by Continental Airlines staff. That he was a beloved and most loved president of India is unquestionable. But what is unfathomable is the way in which this episode is being interpreted. Agreed, a person who held that high an honour in a country of billions should have been treated better. But, so what if he was frisked ?
When the 9/11 attacks happened and the London bombings took place, asians at large were subjected to racial profiling. Well, if Continental Airlines had racial profiling in mind, then that is more serious than just frisking. If I were to add an even wider angle to it, the honorary president's name rings as a muslim's name. With the paranoia surrounding the Westerners about Asians and muslims in particular, (especially those sporting long beards) it is not quite the unthinkable that the airline staff found his name itself suspicious.
When the 9/11 attacks happened and the London bombings took place, asians at large were subjected to racial profiling. Well, if Continental Airlines had racial profiling in mind, then that is more serious than just frisking. If I were to add an even wider angle to it, the honorary president's name rings as a muslim's name. With the paranoia surrounding the Westerners about Asians and muslims in particular, (especially those sporting long beards) it is not quite the unthinkable that the airline staff found his name itself suspicious.