Ever heard 2 completely different versions of a story? Well, this is the perfect case scenario.
I recently heard of the Indian actor, Shahrukh Khan being detained at Newark Airport (ironically at a time when Indians are celebrating their Independence day – August 15th) because, well, coz he is a Muslim. The timing is also ironic considering his next project to be released is “My Name Is Khan” which is based on racial profiling.
According to an American paper, SRK downplayed the event and it was reported as if the whole incident was no biggie. Which actually isn’t a biggie because he’s famous but rather because he was among many who undergo racial profiling. Such reporting is nothing new when it comes to American papers as far as I have seen.
“I told them I am a movie star,” Press Trust quoted Khan as saying.
The reported detention made top news on TV stations in India.
Kahn told reporters in suburban Chicago on Saturday that he did not want an apology from the U.S. government. Asked about what happened, he simply said: “I think it’s a procedure that needs to be followed, but an unfortunate procedure.”
His surname is Khan not Kahn. *rolls eyes* Evidently, the news reporter can’t spell because they are too busy writing their own version and downplaying the reality of security checks. Ever heard of Google, sir?
According to other papers such as the Hindustan Times, he was quite upset by it.
Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan was on Saturday questioned for two hours at the Newark airport in the US over his surname and was freed only after Indian diplomats intervened.
The Indian government and entertainment industry reacted furiously after the 43-year-old actor, named by Newsweek last year as one of the world’s 50 most powerful men, revealed how he was detained and stopped from even using his mobile telephone.
“They checked me because I was an Asian,” the actor said. “They wanted to know why I came to the US and where I am staying.”
Shah Rukh’s manager Niloufer Qureshi earlier told IANS over telephone from Mumbai: “He was detained because his surname is Khan. He was kept until officials from the Indian embassy intervened.”
According to Gulfnews paper:
“I was really hassled perhaps because of my name being Khan. These guys just wouldn’t let me through,” he said in a text message to reporters in India.
“Absolutely uncalled for, I think. I felt angry and humiliated,” said Khan, who just finished a month long shoot in the US for his upcoming film, My Name is Khan, which is a Muslim man’s experience with racial profiling.
According to the American papers he was detained for 66 mins whereas according to the Gulf paper, he was held back for a couple of hours. He was lucky he had the Indian government to help him in this regard. What about the poor Muslims who have no connections whatsoever and are detained for hours to days because they look or sound Muslim. It’s an unfortunate situation and although Obama is trying to improve the image of America by visiting Middle Eastern countries, it would be really helpful if there was a way to change the perception of Americans towards Muslims as well.
