Five Canadians. One origin. Two countries. A never ending war. An imaginary line to jump above. This was the pretense for us crossing the Burlington-Quebec border to enter the United States of Hysteria on April 28^th 2004. Little did we know this would reiterate the unquestionable reality of racial profiling and the unimportance of “legal passport holders” in North America. Prior to September 11^th, feeling prone to racism was still a daily occurrence; one or the other members of my tribe (as I would like to call my friends) would be in a situation or another where we would feel uncomfortable. Being Iraqi, we’d get the regular rhetoric from an Arab (or a person of any origin for that matter) when telling them where our parents are from. “So… Saddam Eh?” No homie, not Saddam. Iraq. Babylon. Assyria. Beautiful women and men. Flourishing palm trees. Education. The epicenter of a Middle Eastern thriving society…before Saddam came and shit on our plates. That’s what Iraq meant to us, the root of our ever growing tree of thought. Sadly, this did not mean the leaves remained during the harsh winters of Canada that conditioned those beliefs and belonging away. After September 11^th. Mr.ODBL (Ol’ Dirty Bin Laden) didn’t exactly help us feel welcome in any office, store or restaurant, (Let alone sky scraper!!!) This coming decade is going to be completely and intensely hectic; from trying to get around the world to establishing a dialogue on “why all these people are angry’’.

The Project for the New American Century is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to a few fundamental propositions: that American leadership is good both for America and for the world; that such leadership requires military strength, diplomatic energy and commitment to moral principle; and that too few political leaders today are making the case for global leadership.
-www.newamericancentury.org

The origins of racial profiling began way before slave ships ever entered the conquered land of the Americas. Now, Christopher Columbus gets his due props from bigots and racists worldwide, no doubt, but watch him roll in his grave as we realize where this black/white connotation to life began.  Before we go into HIStory, we need to get that pesky definition out the way, for us to further delve into the territory (no pun intended!) of the present American mind frame towards us Arab folk. 

OTHER: (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
1 a : being the one (as of two or more) remaining or not included  b : being the one or ones distinct from that or those first mentioned or implied
2 : not the same

I couldn’t assume we didn’t look threatening. Passing the Patriot Act and Bill C-36 in North America created the biggest bureaucratic handcuff onto the arms of all ‘suspect’ Arabs and Muslims. Whether devout, bearded, Hijab Couture, Iraqi, Syrian, Irani, Saudi (well, they get off the hook more than live bait!!!), or a plain old mixture of Semitic genetics, the social lobotomy slowly became a ‘baghead the raghead’ moment with no questions asked and voices of dissent muted. We remained, but became more prevalently ‘the other’.  Pre-constructed characteristics and social disfigurements have been placed upon the guise of what the Twenty first centuries Public Enemy #1 should look like. We, as ‘Angry Ravaging Aggressive Bomb Scientists’ better be ready for the next millennium. Enter the terror probe, where Orientalism is now on 2 for 1 sale with a free box of Democracy, signed and sealed by the approval of Dick Cheney, Hollywood and Al-Jazeera. (Fingerprints not included)

Racial Profiling became an issue largely discussed and acted upon during the African civil rights movement in America. As a global war mentality reigned with the furthering of technology, weaponry and communications, the world became one big ball of paranoia. The USSR and Communism ‘fell’ to the eternal bond of ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ of democracy. America thrived, as a nest of bees would feed its Queen, slowly other countries became the soldiers with play grounds for war games to occur. Nicaragua, Cuba, Kosovo, Liberia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam. To name a few. The sudden shift in global mentality towards ‘the other’ went from black and white to black-grey-beige-yellow-brown/white.  As Political reign and supremacy became present in our ‘political correctness’ and ‘social awareness’, so did the larger picture of the present terror probe and line ups of hairy men and women in front of the Department of Home Land Security. Now, for a lack of space, Let’s go back to when Dick Cheney was about 100 pounds lighter and 12 years younger, 1992.

The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) bloomed into foundation on a spring day in 1992 by Robert Kagan and William Kristol, both right wing republicans bent on formulating an organized strategy of thought and political presence of American influence worldwide. As for implementation of this ‘Project’, the engineers had to be found and the founders had to be guaranteed. Who Better suited for the job than Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush, Richard Perle and four more republican members? Nobody.  In September of 2000, after the PNAC’s letters to Clinton to go to war with Iraq and the 90 Page ‘Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and resources for a New Century’, was written holding points such as ‘several war theatres toppling amenities into allies’, further involvement in the shaping of Middle Eastern power struggles, and strengthening American Military presence worldwide.  It also spoke of a ‘New Pearl Harbour’- a political act that would entitle America to veto, or revenge, for the carnage and vindictive show of power onto American Soil. As Bush was elected, he appoints leadership of PNAC to some of the highest levels of Executive Branch and the Pentagon. In September, The American administration got that ‘Pearl harbour’ they were asking for; the introduction to the new American Century: Die Hard 4: Die Free-er.

An act such as those planes entering New York Air Space is committed on a slower and more protracted scale on every continent except North America. Africa for example has been struggling with expanding war zones, internal strife and disease for decades. The Middle East, despite the extreme comfort zones such as Dubai, is plagued with wars and toppling regimes; power vacuums and  dirty skies.  Of course there are two sides to every story (look up your Middle East history). One thing that has been learned through this New World Order is its better to keep your mouth shut, and let Halliburton burn the bridges for you. This way you don’t have to face the mess. At the cost of war came the new age of Racial Profiling.

So we all get to the booth.  We were on our way, as ‘Euphrates’ to perform at Wesleyan University in Connecticut for an Anti-Discrimination Event against Muslims and Arabs in America. Of course, we made this clear to the border officer and he was immediately a bit hesitant as to whether he should agree with us and smile, or show his supreme patriarchal American flag and wave it in our faces. He asked where we were from, we all said Canada. He said, no…where are you really from? We said ‘Iraq’. He wrote something down, asked if we were Armenians (diversion techniques?!), we said no; we are Iraqis (or were). He looked at me, as the signee of the contract to the University and asked ‘what is the purpose of this show?’ I told him to spread awareness against discriminatory acts against minority groups marginalized in society. He told us to take our marginalized asses into booth number 2, park the car and head into the precinct…please.  And so began our classification….

In that precinct, we were asked our height, weight, eye colour, and purpose of trip. We were told to place our fingers on a scanner, and pose for a picture. We asked what the response to us declining to act accordingly, he said ‘Congress passed it, you have no choice, so your mind is already made’ and chuckled at us.   I guess we didn’t. We were now five new files in the system. Just another brick in the wall.

Ironically I got send back to Canada with my tribe, and a piece of paper calling us aliens to American soil. At that moment, I sat back and thought of the entire process I went through to get this passport, this ‘identity’, and what my parents escaped in their Iraq. Before the biggest patriarch and thug with an Oedipal Complex got ‘hired’ by the PNAC goons. And we still ask ourselves why the American administrations long arm is shoved all the way up our Falafel holes.  So while you read this on your beach side, think of all the fingerprints, all the dead children and mothers, all the torn families, and how they are all linked to our ignorance to our leaders involvement with these ‘States’ we feel oh so bitter towards. Now breathe; before they start charging us for air.  Look up the PNAC on the matrix, you won’t regret it. At least we didn’t leave with ink on our fingertips.  Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to our Novus Border Seclorum.