The journey of ‘Muhammad’ to US –1
No answer for a question- who did damage my laptop at the airport?
Muhammad Tahir
(Boston-November 20, 2006)- After the incident of September 11, 2001- in the United States- alongside many other Muslim origin fellows around the world, I included the name of the United States in my list of the countries, where I don’t travel unless it’s very important. This is not because I don’t like this country- it’s a lovely country which is such an open minded and multicultural nation, this is the country where opposite to Europe I never hesitate to open a discussion with anyone I wished.
This love existed in my heart, in a period when I knew the States only with its action movies, that produced movies such as ‘rambo-3’ where an American put his life in danger to help freedom fighters in Afghanistan to defeat Russian invaders. Such movies played an important role in helping me to decide to buy a villa on a roadside of Hollywood, which could give me exclusive access to see and even meet these ‘powerful and bulletproof’ humans.
When I got a bit mature, I also started to admire the powerful logistic structure of New York City, which had such huge and tall buildings standing like the roof of the world. The design of the capitol building ‘Congress’, in Washington was among the list of locations, where I definitely would go, whenever I came to the States. The seaside view of Boston has always been impressive for me, not to mention the huge educational institutions of the city, which is no doubt that the world’s most prestigious and biggest universities are located here.
After joining my professional career in 1998, my travel got more frequent to this part of the world, which for mostly academic and professional reasons, sometimes of course for holiday- but as a son of a middle class family elsewhere, I have little time and financial means for pleasure.
But what to do with the tragedy of 9/11- which not only forced me, but many other Muslim fellows, to think many times, before deciding to travel to the States, where they were not welcomed anymore. This single incident organized by individuals put such a negative impact, affecting directly the human life in the entire world, which in first hand divided this planet into many pieces especially the two Muslims and Americans. After this incident, life was not going be easy for Muslims in the West neither Christians especially Americans in the East ‘in the Muslim world’. After this tragedy the news of possible future attacks gave new a shape for the American’s daily life- fear factor started to be the daily topic of public debate, where the days started being defined with colors.
After this incident I knew that, this tragedy is going to affect even my life, as I imagined this was the case, when I traveled years later to the States after the tragedy. But the situation was even worst than I could imagine, where now not only nationality but faith and name was enough for security agencies to put you on hold for hours and even reject your entry admission to the country.
Despite all previous bad experiences, I again had to travel to the States in October 2006. This time I selectively chose Boston, which I thought may be less sensitive, compared to New York, but even this was not going to happen easy either.
I was traveling via London by stooping by in the city for some engagement and academic proposes. I never had and neither expected ‘I would have’ any problem with the British Immigration officers, and it was true even for this time. While I was proceeding to the immigration police, I had expected to fill a form, declaring my name and possible location of stay. It was for sure that I was going to stay with one of many friends [whom I have made during years], but I didn’t know their addresses by heart, as I imagined immigration asked this question.
I said ‘I don’t know where I am going, but it’s for sure that I am going to somewhere in London’.
For a while the officer was looking at my face, but it didn’t take more than a few second for him to decide to let me go in. After few days I was on my way to Boston, which took around 6 hours, the flight has landed around 10 PM local time, the initial immigration process really impressed me- which took only few minutes.
I was about to be happy, while I stooped on the step-door of entry gate to the public arena.
Looking at my baggage, ‘apparently a costumes officer forwarded a question’- what is your name Sir?
"Muhammad – Muhammad Tahir," I repeated.
"Can I check your documents Sir?"
"Yes- sure, here you are," I handed over my travel documents
After checking documents, officer asked me to come to the side and another officer ‘her name was Diepsa- or at least she introduced me like this’, advised me to open my bags, where she double searched everything I had. During the search, she also found books written by me. I don’t know, whether it surprised her or not, but the head of the ‘home land security- branch at the Logan airport-Boston’, was a bit impressed and probably he read few sentences of the book, since his way of questioning ‘in fact interrogation’ has slightly changed.
But another ambitious officer, who seemed sure that he will find some thing wrong with me, as he took my laptop computer into his own room to screen. Even he also took the CDs [which songs, mostly in Turkish and Persian language’ it took more than half hour for him to make himself sure that there is nothing he is looking for in me.
During this investigation, the chief of border forces with help of two other officers was questioning me about different issues, including an interesting question about the cause of terrorism. More directly the question was ‘what I think about all these terrorism activities around the world?’
If it had been an ordinary occasion, where freedom of press would mean something, my answer definitely would be entirely different than what I was going to say here. I said ‘this is the bleeding picture of the world, and needs urgent solution’.
If the ambitious officer wouldn't have come back with empty hand, this discussion would result differently, since I was hardly controlling my burning feelings in inside, especially looking at the other passengers, being let even without any question, but I have been dealt like a big security risk for the States.
More interestingly, when instead of that ambitious officer, the head of the homeland security- handed me over my lap top, indicating that, there was small damage, he said ‘I don’t think that it happened here’.
When I saw the computer, it was very clear that someone opened the screen part of the computer. I don’t know what s/he was looking for inside, but it was sure that I had nothing to do with that part of the computer, so why would I needed to open it? And there was no one even had touch this computer, during the entire journey even back at home, so there was no chance that this damage could have been done somewhere else except here and surely except this room and the officer now standing silently on front.
Despite knowing this fact, I couldn’t resist, as probably people are only expected to obey and not to react any more in the country, especially people in my position, who are even confused whether he has any rights in case of trouble, caused by the security agencies?
Any way despite this 40 minutes of painful interrogation at the Logan airport I had to force myself to be satisfied by being let into the States, which is however pleasant as a country and nation one of the most pleasant location to spend time.
Dear readers: - this is the country of adventures, regardless of your nationality and origin, there must be something in the journey, which is directly touching you, and things of your interest, whether you live in States or you are planning to travel to the states. So keep following me.