Muslim immigrants – males and females – are reportedly the targets of harassment in different airports, including the JFK International Airport.

According to reports, thousands of Muslim immigrants experienced mental anxiety after being detained upon arrival in New York City airports, alerting several organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Muslim Citizens Rights (MCR) and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

In a press conference held last Wednesday [July 30], Dennis Parker, director of ACLU’s Racial Discrimination Affairs, said that the detention cases at the airports proved that U.S. government authorities have targeted the Muslim population, particularly those from the Middle East and South Asian countries, presenting clear examples of racial and religious profiling.

Reports added that even Muslims with U.S. citizenship or permanent residency are still being subjected to interrogation at the airports, violating several U.S. laws.

Parker said that Muslims are interrogated for no specific charges, undermining the U.S. Constitution and reducing the efficiency of U.S. law enforcement agencies to find real terrorists.

Omar Muhammad, chief of the New York Chapter of Council on American Muslim Relations, said that in order for the authorities to maintain security, they should monitor the behavior of people at the airports. But if a person is targeted because of his or her race and religion, it is obviously violating the U.S. constitution and certainly unacceptable.

Muhammad added that Muslims traveling to the United States are now afraid to fly into JFK International Airport. He hoped that the situation will change.

In the same press conference, a Muslim family – Nagham Al Yakubi and his two daughters, Arwa and Mumiya – shared their horrible experience when they were detained for six hours at JFK International Airport. Although they were born in Iraq, they are all U.S. citizens and have lived in New Jersey for a long time. They flew back to New York after spending their summer vacation in Jordan.

“Just after our arrival at the JFK International Airport, the immigration officials asked us to go to a certain place. We were sent to another floor, where there were about 300 people. About 98 percent of the people in the room were Muslims or came from Middle East or South Asian countries,” said Arwa, Mumiya’s sister.

“While we were detained, we were not supplied with drinking water, even though we made the request several times. We were told that there was water in the bathroom. When some people in the room became annoyed and asked immigration officials why they were detained without any specific offense, the Department of Homeland Security officials threatened to arrest them. It caused panic in the room. Under these circumstances, many, including children and women, broke into tears. The immigration officials did not show any kind of sympathy.

“We were called after spending six hours under such conditions. They [immigration officials] asked us to evaluate the present situation in Iraq. We understand that they wanted to make a decision on the basis on our political belief. This is a total violation of our freedom of speech as protected under the U.S. constitution. When we were finally released, we couldn’t forget the experience that we have.

“We left behind hundreds of people in the room, looking at us with helplessness, uncertainty and fear on their faces. But none of them are criminals. They said that this kind of situation must come to an end,” Mumiya said.

Meanwhile, in a report published in The New York Times last Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security disclosed a plan to get personal information of the passengers, including brief family histories.

FOX News commentator Bill O’Reilly proposed that all Muslims, ages 16 to 45 years old, be interrogated at the airport. “It is not religious or racial discrimination, rather it is a criminal profiling,” said O’Reilly, adding that Muslims must be interrogated for the security of the United States.

“This is not like a war against Germany. We are at war against Muslim fanaticism. So Muslims must be screened in line using the process that is in effect in Israel,” O’Reilly said. He suggested immigration officials should get the passengers’ lists in advance.

A recent report said that the U.S. government will introduce a special machine at the airports to monitor the passengers and their behavior. Any passenger who acts suspiciously will be taken in for interrogation.