TSA: How It Perpetuates Islamophobia

On January 1, 1914, St. Petersburg, Tampa Type XIV was the first commercial airplane to take flight. Even though it only flew for 23 miles, it was the first time a flying machine was able to take off with just its airspeed. The importance of this could not be stressed enough; it revolutionized modern air transportation. Ever since the creation of the first scheduled flight service, society has been connected on an international level for tourism, trade, and business: an immigrant can travel across the world in just a day and precious herbs like Saffron can make it to the United States in less than 12 hours. But no matter which airport you go to, you will always meet the TSA. You’re forced to take off your shoes, jackets, and even belts. Sometimes, you even get taken back for another check. Everything becomes a hassle. One can't help but wonder… Is there any reason for their presence?

For over a hundred years, airport security was practically nonexistent, as it was meant to be. There was to be no interference in any operations. You could enter the gate uninterrupted within the last 15 minutes; there was no boarding gate or security checkpoint. 

The TSA, or The Transportation Security Administration, was enforced on November 19, 2001, in response to the September 11 terrorist attack, more colloquially known as 9/11. They were a series of coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, injuring 6,000, and killing 3,000. The American public was shaken and paranoid, and their support for the new Afghanistan war only grew. Fear of domestic terrorism began to grow, and the government took steps to try and alleviate the burden. On November 19, 2001, President George W. Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, formally announcing the TSA underneath the banner of Homeland Security. 

With the administration established in response to Muslim attacks, it's no surprise as to which group would be the most discriminated against. Women with hijabs, a religious head covering for Muslim women, are often pulled aside and patted down. Arabic men with beards are held up in line. With circumstances like this, those of Middle Eastern descent often delegate airplanes as their last resort. TSA Precheck is advertised as allowing “a smoother and convenient travel process”. In essence, it lets the agents skip risk assessment. The reason lines are so long at TSA is that they're running a check on the risk of everyone there. When you have received a TSA Precheck card, you are essentially saying, “I am not a threat, trust me!”. But when someone already has preconceived notions, it doesn't help.

I can personally attest to this. Until 2023, I had not been on an airplane for 14 years. The reason? Every time my father would step into the airport, he would be pulled aside. A story I often hear is that one time after pulling him aside, the agent quickly let him go after seeing him holding a toddler. Eventually, we stopped going altogether. However, the way my 78-year-old grandmother is treated is even worse. She comes to visit my family for 3 months at a time. But because she struggles with English, my Uncle has to spend almost 2 days on back-and-forth flights; we don't trust the officials responsible for her safety. And because she wears a hijab, she's even more vulnerable to discrimination.

Discrimination is not unique to non-Muslims; it also comes from within the Muslim culture. Like how Buddhism went East from India, Islam went West from the Middle East into South Asia. Pakistani Muslims are considered the Islamic Diaspora. Five months ago, I went on a flight to Michigan to attend my Cousin's wedding. I had a Precheck card and was able to skip the majority of the line. In the end, the agent was an Indian man, so although I was nervous to board the plane, I felt a bit relaxed. He stopped me and went through my luggage to pull out my Vaseline. I smiled a bit because I realized that it was over the size limit. But as he went to throw it away, he turned around and said, “So, do you have any bombs on you?”

I didn't even know how to respond. I was just a 15-year-old girl. I just smiled and mumbled a ‘no’. He laughed, and let me continue. I felt nothing but nervous for the rest of the flight… Which only proves my point. TSA’s discrimination only serves to unnerve passengers. It's simply not a safe environment. When I brought this up to other people, they were shocked when someone said that and emphasized that it was very clearly islamophobia. What made him think it was so normal to say that? 

On their official government page, the TSA’s slogan is “Not on my Watch”. However, it doesn't seem to be the most trustworthy saying; especially not from the people saying it. Its gaze serves to antagonize and hinder, to waste and limit. In all actuality, there just doesn't seem to be a definitive reason for why. Never before has society been so advanced, and never before has it been so safe. There hasn't been an attack like 9/11 in years. There's just no need for so much paranoia. It's time for America’s citizens to heal and move on, and it's time to leave airplane safety in the hands of the airports.

Sources

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