Oklahoma Muslim Community Calls Airport Racial Profiling Unconstitutional

The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations hosted a town hall meeting Friday to discuss issues of concern to the Muslim community such as airport profiling, youth empowerment and civic engagement.

Friday, January 15th 2010, 8:19 pm

By: News 9


By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations hosted a town hall meeting Friday to discuss issues of concern to the Muslim community such as airport profiling, youth empowerment and civic engagement.

About 100 people showed up for Friday's meeting to share personal stories and voice their opposition to racial profiling and why it's un-American. The crowd of mixed cultures came together to take on the issues racial profiling, a method the group called illegal.

"The 14th Amendment of the Constitution requires all citizens to be treated equally," said CAIR-OK Executive Director Razi Hashmi. "It is important for the community to know more about one of the fastest growing civil rights groups in the metro area that is serving the needs of the Muslim and greater community alike."

Across America, there's on-going debate on what racial profiling can do to stop terrorists, especially at airports. Nadia Enchassi said she has experienced racial profiling first-hand.

"We try to go to Lebanon, my dad's home country, every other summer, and every other summer going and coming back, we get the special security check," said Nadia Enchassi, who attended CAIR-OK's town hall meeting.

Enchassi said it happens so often, her family now expects it, but the ACLU argues racial profiling is not a way to stop terrorist attacks. The group said Oklahomans should know that.

"The Muslim community is not monolithic anymore than the Christian community. It would have been absurd for me to make the claim that Timothy McVeigh represented all Christians," said C.S. Thornton, ACLU of Oklahoma.

Fifth District Congressional Candidate Kevin Calvey organized a group to protest outside the meeting.

"CAIR has been identified by several law enforcement sources as a front group or propagandist for terrorists, including Hamas, and CAIR has been frequently denounced by the Anti-Defamation League for their anti-Semitic and anti-American statements," Calvey said.

Read Calvey's claims of CAIR's ties to terrorist groups

Read the Anti-Defamation League's claims of CAIR's links to terrorists

However, protesters who showed up for Friday's CAIR-OK meeting originally scheduled in Moore at 7p.m. found only an empty building.

"We had to move the meeting for logistical reasons," Hashmi said.

The meeting was moved to 3815 N. St Clair in Oklahoma City.

Read CAIR's response to terrorist tie claims

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