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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, September 22, 2002

EDITORIAL
Don't be fooled by Middle Eastern looks

The FBI has apparently caught wind of a hijack plan by Muslim extremists of non-Arabic appearance. According to intelligence sources, al-Qaida members talked about using Chechen Muslims in the United States.

We're glad U.S. intelligence got the heads-up about the plan. But the idea of using Muslims who don't look like your stereotypical Arab terrorists does call into question the effectiveness of profiling.

With all the information-gathering about Islam in the wake of Sept. 11, it should no longer come as a revelation that the international Muslim community is a diverse one.

It also should be noted that not all Muslims in the Middle East are Arabs. For example, Iran grew out of the Persian empire and its main language is Farsi, not Arabic.

We're not saying profiling is without its uses. But also consider that while an innocent Middle Eastern-looking traveler is being searched by airport security, a European-looking Muslim terrorist might be sailing by.