Following the attempted bombing of a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day, the TSA has announced new security measures, including a directive to screen more vigorously all passengers attempting to enter the U.S. from countries known as sponsors of terrorism, or "countries of interest". What is not going unnoticed by some is that almost all of the 14 nations in question are made up of Muslim majorities. The Council on American-Islamic Relations is now criticizing these changes as, essentially, religious discrimination.
“Under these new guidelines, almost every American Muslim who travels to see family or friends or goes on pilgrimage to Mecca will automatically be singled out for special security checks -– that’s profiling,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. “While singling out travelers based on religion and national origin may make some people feel safer, it only serves to alienate and stigmatize Muslims and does nothing to improve airline security.”
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Awad suggested alternatives to what CAIR called “faith-based security checks:"
