Airport surveillance publicly signals to the population that Muslims are potential terrorists
Evidence
Since 9/11, U.S. airports have become highly policed spaces where surveillance is heightened. Whereas other citizens are protected by the state, Muslim Americans must work to avoid being marked an enemy of the state. Foucault wrote, “Disciplines are techniques for assuming ordering of human multiplicities” (1995: 202). For Muslim Americans, power is exerted on their bodies through formal and informal surveillance by the state and private citizens. Through federal policies such as the creation and use of the Selectee List and stops and searches, and TSA programs like SPOT, Muslim bodies are racialized as a threat to national security. The public display of this surveillance signals to the rest of the population that Muslims are potential terrorists. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 338
Categorization
- XREF: The public-signaling function of surveillance mirrors Foucault’s disciplinary power and the theatrical dimension of the Global Racial Enemy concept. — connects to: State surveillance escalates with how visibly Muslim a person is — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 380; Terrorist designations function as tools to criminalize Muslim civic participation. — Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Global…, 665; Saying the word Allah on an airplane can get passengers handcuffed and interrogated. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 205 (+23 more)
Broader Connections
- Surveillance leads Muslims to police their own actions and dress
#expands(0.70) - The hijab functions as a racial marker that triggers airport surveillance
#exemplifies(0.70) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 224 - Surveillance causes Muslims to discipline their own behavior preemptively
#expands(0.65) - Airport profiling targets all Muslims, not just Arabs or specific nationalities
#qualifies(0.60) - Perceived surveillance pressure drives Muslims to preemptively perform anti-terror condemnation
#expands(0.60) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 623 - Light-skinned Muslims can pass as white and escape airport profiling
#qualifies(0.55) - Citizen surveillance targets hijab-wearing women publicly but men privately as suspected terrorists
#expands(0.55) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 347