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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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November
2004
Volume 7 - Number 2 |
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Travel &
Terrorism
The definition
of terrorism is: “ n. – The unlawful use or threatened use of force or
violence
by a person or an organized group against people or property with the
intention
of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for
ideological or
political reasons”.
I have never
been a direct victim of a terrorist attack. I have never seen anything
explode,
burst into flames, or persons threatening anyone in a menacing way. I
am an
innocent – a law-abiding citizen. Yet I
am still effected by terrorism.
Most of where I
have felt the differences is when I travel. First, the “random”
security
checks. I don’t believe they are random – they are totally based on
race and
color. After 9/11, domestically and internationally, I have been pulled
aside
several times for a “random” security check – wherein I am asked to
remove my
shoes and open my bags for a search. I comply, because I understand
there must
be some sort of security procedure to try to ensure terrorists don’t
strike
again, but this doesn’t seem very effective to me. This isn’t just a
local
phenomenon – I have friends from around the world, and the story is the
same –
if you are a person of color, you are more likely be “randomly” checked
at an
airport than those that are not. Despite the many instances of
terrorists that
are not people of color attempting and succeeding in becoming
saboteurs, much
of security has become a question of race and color.
My second
interaction with the effects of terrorism was when I went to Kashmir.
This
highly contested state in South Asia has been ridden with fear because
of
terrorist activity and in a constant state of virtual war between India
and
Pakistan. Upon my arrival, I was body checked three times as was my
luggage
(once is the norm in India). On our taxi ride to our hotel, as I looked
out the
window, there was military and security everywhere. Many of the roads
had
security checks and road blocks. It was the first time I had ever seen
a land
with that much of an external show of force. Our time in Kashmir was
short – we
only stayed for four days. Kashmir’s reputation as a beautiful
destination for
adventure travelers and honeymooners alike still remained, despite the
evident
security. We stayed on a house boat that overlooked a garden of lotus
flowers
and took luxurious boat rides, visiting communities built on the lake.
We left
early – we were scheduled to stay for another two days but we decided
to leave
a little early because we had tired of traveling. I
was body and bag searched at least four
times upon departure. Two days later, there were several bomb blasts in
Srinagar – the city which we had visited.
My third and
last example is this: my mother forbids me to go anywhere in the Middle
East
for another 5-10 years. Most of this is a mother’s fear of her children
going
somewhere she doesn’t deem “safe”. But
it begs the question, should an American be able to travel freely in
the Middle
East (or internationally, for that matter) without being in fear of
his/her
life? Areas where Western tourists frequent are definitely targets for
terrorist attacks. However, I have met Europeans that traveled through
Turkey,
Iran, and Afghanistan and had very few
problems. Does this mean that a person with an United States passport
can do
the same, just as easily? I don’t have the answer to this question. |