U.S. Wants Prints Of Muslim Visitors
Arab Rights Groups Denounce Plan

By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 7, 2002; Page A03

The Justice Department announced yesterday that it will require thousands of students, workers and other men from five Muslim countries who are temporarily residing in the United States to be fingerprinted and photographed, the latest step in its program to register visitors from countries linked to terrorism.

Authorities launched the registration program less than two months ago at airports, where they began gathering extensive information from arriving citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria -- countries allegedly involved in terrorism -- and other people suspected of links to terror.

This program is very narrowly targeted - only males who are visiting the US and who are from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria, will be affected.  Aside from the obvious civil rights concerns, however, I'm not really sure how well this plan will work to cut down the risk of terrorism.  For one thing, most of the terrorists who have either struck in the US or tried to were from Saudi Arabia or Egypt, not any of the countries that are being targeted. 

I have to wonder, then, what the point of the program is.  Why are men from these five countries being singled out, and why aren't we looking at men from countries where identified as producing the most terrorists, and why aren't we looking at women at all?  Granted, female terrorists aren't exactly common, but it wasn't that long ago that the first Palestinian female suicide bomber struck, and other women have since followed in her footsteps.  What makes us think that there won't be a female terrorist who might strike here.  What better way would there be for someone to sneak a terrorist into the US than to find a Saudi Arabian woman who would be willing to do the job?

I'm not a supporter of violating the civil rights of individuals - even those who are only visiting - especially if it's not likely to produce the desired results.  In this particular case, if we're going to start fingerprinting those we think belong to a demographic that is likely to commit terrorists acts, then lets do exactly that - include Saudi Arabians and Egyptians, and include women.  Otherwise, we're simply once again doing something that is supposed to look effective, but which actually won't do any real good.