Reply to: Should the US refuse to admit British Pakistanis without visas?

[Stan]

As sad as it is I don't think many people would argue that when they get on a plane they would rather there wasn't a group of Asian men with long beards on the flight with them, so does that make someone a racist?

No, it makes them a retard.

This alleged move is like making black people get visas because they are statistically more likely to be involved in criminality (in the good old USA anyway). Or you could make them sit at the back where they could be monitored.

Is that racist?

[xoggoth]

Every such decision should be made by any government with the interests of its citizens as the primary concern, racism has nothing to do with it. Given the idiotic way our government has turned a blind eye to every sort of radicalism against those who are supposed to be our allies, I do not blame the Yanks one little bit for this.

[realityhack]

Don't be stupid, of course it doesn't.

It makes the beardist.

Free the beard man!

Just say you have pognophobia, and can the ragheads over there please be moved to economy.

[Zorba]

At the risk of repeating what most people already know, if I remember correctly the 9/11 bombers were Saudis anyway...

[gingerjedi]

Even if they were Sikhs?

No that’s different I should have phrased it better as "Asian Muslims" again it's sad that many don't know the difference.

There’s a Sikh guy here who's always celebrating a festival of some sort and it usually means he has a load of free food going at his desk.

[Rantor]

I'd be even more worried!! (re: that festival last week where Sikh men were charging around with swords...)

...especially if your name was Gandhi

[andy]

I'd be even more worried!! (re: that festival last week where Sikh men were charging around with swords...)

but they dont blowup

[Burdock]

Even if they were Sikhs?

I'd be even more worried!! (re: that festival last week where Sikh men were charging around with swords...)

[sasguru]

As sad as it is I don't think many people would argue that when they get on a plane they would rather there wasn't a group of Asian men with long beards on the flight with them, so does that make someone a racist?

Even if they were Sikhs?

[Clippy]

As sad as it is I don't think many people would argue that when they get on a plane they would rather there wasn't a group of Asian men with long beards on the flight with them, so does that make someone a racist?

Don't be stupid, of course it doesn't.

It makes the beardist.

Free the beard man!

[gingerjedi]

yeah and what's more suspicious than being a paki, right?

As sad as it is I don't think many people would argue that when they get on a plane they would rather there wasn't a group of Asian men with long beards on the flight with them, so does that make someone a racist?

[OwlHoot]

Whatever they have planned is normally done well before getting to the airport, part of the training is that they should blend with the norm and society around them.

In any case, they might not be planning anything to happen at the airport. (May have been what you meant.)

Another issue is that not all would-be terrorists are Pakistani. Several have been african, and one or two even "indigenous" (for want of a better word) western converts like that shoe bomber and the US guy captured in Afghanistan.

[DodgyAgent]

Oh, my answer to the question is anyone behaving suspiciously in an airport should be targeted.

Bring on Inspector Clouseau

[SallyAnne]

Oh, my answer to the question is anyone behaving suspiciously in an airport should be targeted.

yeah and what's more suspicious than being a paki, right?

[threaded]

A thought that strikes me is that these biometric passports were brought in so that people could continue to do the visa waiver thang with the USA. Obviously that is now all bollox, so are the UK scumervent going to drop these biometric passports? I won't hold my breath...