Australian Muslim MP ‘interrogated’ at LAX about how she got Australian passport

[Turborama]

Source: SBS

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi said she and her husband were subjected to racial profiling at Los Angeles airport when they were asked "how they got" their Australian passports.

Currently visiting the United States on a drug law reform fact-finding trip, which she says is self-funded, Dr Faruqi, who is Australia's first female Muslim MP, tweeted the following this morning after arriving at LAX:



Dr Faruqi told SBS News it was "quite distressing and horrible to be put through an interrogation and questioned about your background".

"I've been an Australian citizen for over two decades," she said.

"You feel really vulnerable and disempowered. But the worst thing is that these intimidating techniques are used on people every day because of their background and where they are from.

Read more: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/01/15/australian-muslim-mp-interrogated-lax-about-how-she-got-australian-passport

[Spitfire of ATJ]

1. Surprised they weren't tasered.

[Democat]

2. Plenty of people of all nationalities and races are questioned at LAX every day

Everyone thinks they are special, but it's not always the case.

[Turborama]

3. *Interrogated

Last edited Fri Jan 15, 2016, 08:29 AM - Edit history (1)

[Jesus Malverde]

5. Even americans get questioned when they come back.

Asking about employment and reason for travel. It's not profiling it's just part of the job.

Welcome to Australia.

[a la izquierda]

13. Yeah, but I'm not asked when I got my

American passport. Are you? I'm questioned at length about my work in Mexico and Central America, however.
Thankfully, now I have Global Entry and avoid dealing with immigration interrogation for the most part.

[Android3.14]

4. Sounds like entitlement

What the heck do you expect a day after the fricken' shut down the Sydney Opera House. Get over yourself, Madame MP.

[Democat]

6. She's a politician, she shouldn't be treated like a voter

Maybe that's the issue.

[MariaThinks]

7. to be fair, it's pretty horrifying when people who have lived in your country

suddenly decide to blow themselves and their colleagues (who have given them a baby shower) up does make people suspicious. And when it keeps happening, e.g. refugee claimants in Turkey, Indonesia or the US, I guess the question is whether to just say 'I'm better than that - I don't suspect every muslim' - but it's getting difficult to know what to do with every attack by a radicalized muslim group on innocent people in the name of their religion while proclaiming that the religion promotes peace. How does one reconcile continued attacks on people by the muslim radicals who apparently have recently begun to study their religion and in the process become radicalized when they read things like non believers should be killed in the name of their religion?

Dr Faruqi was wronged. So have all the thousands who have been killed recently in the name of islam.

[Turborama]

10. WTF did I just read?

[Douglas Carpenter]

11. hate and bigotry are now mainstream here on du

[Turborama]

12. I miss DU2.

[brett_jv]

8. I'd frankly be shocked if she didn't simply say ...

"I am a MEMBER of the Australian PARLIAMENT. I'm a SENATOR, to use American terms. Go onto the internet, and type in MY DAMN NAME, and you'll find my picture!"

And I'd imagine the inspectors would've done just that ... discovered who she was ... and then released her with an apology.

I find it hard to imagine things going down any other way once she was in the 'questioning' part of the process.

[dembotoz]

9. would we howl if reverse happened.....a congressman detained at a foreign airport

warm up the bombers?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. How about a congressman detained at Reagan National?

http://www.brainerddispatch.com/content/dingell-searched

[Nye Bevan]

15. If white American evangelical Christians had a history of committing atrocities in Australia,

would it be understandable if such people received extra scrutiny by security staff at Australian airports?