Airports function as panopticons where Muslim Americans self-police ordinary behaviors.

Evidence

These actions may seem insignificant, but they reveal that for Muslim Americans, airports have become what Foucault (1995) called a panopticon, a space where discipline is unpredictable and ever present. In this panopticon under the watchful eye of the state and private citizens, Muslim Americans are not free to be themselves but must constantly demonstrate they are loyal and trustworthy citizens to escape discipline. Sarah told me that when she and her husband fly, they avoid reciting any Islamic prayers because they fear it will frighten their fellow passengers. … However, for Muslim Americans, getting caught speaking Arabic or reciting anything from the Quran could be interpreted as a threat to national security. Hamza, who was on the Selectee List for a few years, told me he avoided playing a video game on his phone that involved airplanes. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 323

These actions may seem insignificant, but they reveal that for Muslim Americans, airports have become what Foucault (1995) called a panopticon, a space where discipline is unpredictable and ever present. In this panopticon under the watchful eye of the state and private citizens, Muslim Americans are not free to be themselves but must constantly demonstrate they are loyal and trustworthy citizens to escape discipline. Sarah told me that when she and her husband fly, they avoid reciting any Islamic prayers because they fear it will frighten their fellow passengers. Flying can be an anxiety-inducing experience for many Americans, and for some, praying is one way to alleviate this stress. However, for Muslim Americans, getting caught speaking Arabic or reciting anything from the Quran could be interpreted as a threat to national security. Hamza, who was on the Selectee List for a few years, told me he avoided playing a video game on his phone that involved airplanes. He told me he turned it off because he feared it could be interpreted as suspicious behavior because of his religious identity. Faisal, an Indian American man in his midfifties, was very careful about the language he used in public, particularly when flying. — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 234

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Foucault’s panopticon concept, and to the broader Muslim American surveillance literature (Rana, Volpp, Cainkar) that Selod cites. — connects to: Surveillance targets Muslim Americans based on religious identity regardless of citizenship — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 104; Saying the word Allah on an airplane can get passengers handcuffed and interrogated. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 205; Airports function as a panopticon where Muslims must prove loyalty to avoid discipline. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 323 (+17 more)
• DEFINE: Concretely applies Foucault’s panopticon to the airport as a surveilled space where discipline need not actually occur to be internalized.
• SEED: The detail of a Muslim man turning off an airplane-themed video game on his phone is visceral, quotable material for an essay on self-surveillance as mundane terror.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 323; Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 234
• recurring: this claim recurs 3 times within its source

Broader Connections

• Surveillance causes Muslims to discipline their own behavior preemptively #corroborates (0.75)
• Surveillance leads Muslims to police their own actions and dress #corroborates (0.70)
• Airport surveillance publicly signals to the population that Muslims are potential terrorists #expands (0.60) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 338
• Performing Americanness forces Muslims to downplay or conceal their faith #expands (0.55) — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 343
• Airport profiling of Muslims is systemic and state-institutionalized rather than random #complicates (0.50) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 285
• Hostile public scrutiny becomes internalized as the architecture of Muslim American identity #expands (0.50)
• The hijab functions as a racial marker that triggers airport surveillance #exemplifies (0.45) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 224
• Muslim identity overrides American citizenship in airport profiling #expands (0.40) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 222
• Ordinary citizens report Muslims for mundane acts like mailing a package #exemplifies (0.40) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 468