News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

Rediff.com  » News » British Muslim MP says fine to "profile" passengers

British Muslim MP says fine to "profile" passengers

Source: PTI
January 03, 2010 18:52 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

With the failed US bombing igniting the profiling debate, a leading Muslim MP in the UK has said it is reasonable for Muslims to be singled out for security and this would not amount to their victimisation.

Labour MP from Birmingham Perry Barr Khalid Mahmood said it had become necessary to "profile" passengers from certain racial and religious groups to weed out possible terror suspects. "I think most people would rather be profiled than blown up... It wouldn't be victimisation of an entire community," he said.

Mahmood said it is reasonable for Muslims to be singled out for extra security checks at airports after the attempted bombing over Detroit. "If people want to fly safely we have to take measures to stop things like the Christmas Day plot. Profiling may have to be the price we have to pay. "The fact is the majority of people who have carried out or planned these terror attacks have been Muslims," he said.

The UK Border Agency said profiling was one of the security measures used in the case of people coming into Britain, but the Department of Transport refused to say whether it was used on passengers leaving the country.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Source: PTI© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.