altmuslim
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Invoking an old law that fell into disuse after World War II, the Justice Department announced plans this week to begin fingerprinting Muslim and Middle Eastern visa holders (approximately 100,000 within the next year). The plan coincides with a new policy that increases surveillance powers at mosques across the United States. The one-two punch took American Muslim and Arab groups by surprise, with both groups calling for immediate meetings with Attorney General John Ashcroft. Reaction from Middle Eastern countries was swift, with many Arabs saying they will cancel business and travel plans to the US, rather than face the selective treatment. However, Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) expressed concern about the policies and plan to introduce legislation to temper the actions taken. “Racial profiling of American citizens is abhorrent, whether they be African American, Asian America or Muslim American. I think you can do this much better by country of origin but with the strong caveat of non-citizen only, non-green card (holder) only. That’s a much more comfortable way to be with this,” Schumer said.
Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.
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