Tamara Holder on TV

I originally posted this article on January 11, 2010. I have reposted it because racial profiling is back in the news. TSA recently instituted new security measures including patdowns and body scanners. Once again, many conservatives are upset and are demanding racial profiling at airports.

“Racial profiling” is used too loosely. Instead, “intelligence” is the issue. If a terrorist gets to a security check-point at the airport, he has already gotten too far. We cannot rely on patdowns and scanners to catch terrorists. Terrorists are smarter than a TSA employee.

Patdowns and bodyscanners may be tools to keep terrorists off of planes but they will just look for a different way to achieve their mission. The 9/11 terrorists may have been caught if the body scanner detected their box cutters. Abdulmutallab may have been caught if the body scanner detected the bomb-making material in his underwear.

These measures may or may not work to deter terrorists. We shall see…

Here is my January 11, 2010 article:

Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab’s alleged attempt at bombing a Detroit-bound airplane on Christmas day begs the question: should America engage in racial profiling of Muslims who desire to enter the United States? Should those with the names “Muhammed” and “Ahmed” and the like undergo additional airport sceening before they can board a U.S.-bound aircraft?

The conservatives say, “Yes.” Last week, I watched Ann Coulter on The O’Reilly Factor as she argued that any Muslim desiring to enter our country should be subjected to additional screening. She mentioned the silliness of the “90-year old grandma search” — anyone who has traveled post 9/11 knows what she’s talking about…

The “90-year old grandma search” versus the additional screening of all Muslim passengers are two extremes — neither is reasonable. The problem is not the screening. The problem is a matter of failed American intelligence, pre-airport security!

We are foolish to limit additional screening to just those with Muslim names. The jihad movement is on a massive recruiting mission of Americans. If we profiling just those with Muslim names, the terrorists have another way to slip through security: recruit people with non-traditional Muslim names. The best place to find those recruits may be right here at home, in our prisons.

AMERICAN PRISONER MEETS NATION OF ISLAM Jose Padilla (AP)

This issue was discussed years ago, when Mr. Padilla was arrested. But I think it’s worth another conversation, given our intelligence’s failure to prevent a bomb-strapped Abdulmutallab from walking onto a U.S.-bound plane and the Ft. Hood shooter from opening fire on an entire base of American troops.

Is our intelligence community doing enough to monitor the terrorists’ recruiting, whether abroad or right here on American soil?

Let America not forget the case of Jose Padilla: a United States citizen, obviously with a Mexican name, born in New York, who then moved to Chicago during his childhood. Padilla joined the Maniac Latin Disciples gang and was arrested multiple times. He even had aliases but all of his aliases were Mexican names; not one was a Muslim name.

It was not until Padilla’s last prison sentence that he converted to the Muslim faith.

As a criminal defense attorney, I have represented many clients who, while serving prison time, converted to the Nation of Islam. Not a single client of mine has a traditional Islamic name — all of my clients who are Muslim are black men with “regular” American names. Let me be clear: I do not believe that any of my clients, despite their criminal behavior, would engage in a terrorist act against America, regardless of their religious affiliation. I also praise the Nation of Islam for seeking to help our troubled men and women who are locked-up.

But all is takes is one extremist – just one. And each year, approximately 30,000 inmates convert to Islam in America’s federal and state prisons and jails. America’s prisons and jails provide the perfect place to seek recruits for the jihadist movement.

Some statistics you should know:

• 80% of inmates who seek religion during their incarcertaion choose Islam
• The Senate Judiciary Committee published statistics that approxmiately 350,000 Muslims are currently incarceration in our federal and state prisons and jails.
• More than 10% of the 2 million prison population is Muslim.
• A majority of the Muslim inmates converted to Islam during their incarceration. Article here.

EXPANSION OF RACIAL PROFILING AT AIRPORTS? WHAT AN UNREASONABLE IDEA!

Let’s go back to Jose Padilla:

• American Citizen/United States Passport
  
• Mexican Name
• Former street gang member
• Criminal history
• Non-Muslim family
• Converted to Nation of Islam during last period of incarceration.
  

The only difference between Abdulmutallab and Padilla is their name — both are terrorists. If we engage in racial profiling at our airports, more men with non-Muslim names will be recruited to commit terrorist acts against our country. It only takes one person to blow up a plane, regardless of his name on his passport.

And please do not suggest that the additional screening should be expanded to any American or non-American desiring to enter into the United States who has a criminal record! Now that would be preposterous!

www.tamaraholder.com and www.xpunged.com – Tamara Holder – Attorney, Chicago, Illinois

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