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The Scene in the USA

I spent a week in the US at the beginning of October 2001, less than a month after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and found what I saw very depressing.

The first thing that one sees when one gets off a plane in Newark is massive security and overwhelming patriotism. But the security seems to be just for show, and the patriotism consists of showing the flag but nothing more.

I found the security problems especially disconcerting, since I was flying a couple of long-haul flights in and out of a New York airport. On the way from Lisbon to Newark they of course were confiscating all kinds of small sharp items, like nail files and corkscrews, but liquor from the duty-free was permitted - ever see a broken bottle used as a weapon? On the return flight an earnest security guard gave me the most thorough frisking I have ever experienced (even flying in and out of Tel Aviv), and when I pointed out to her how easily I could have gotten a gun or hunting knife past her she almost fainted with shock (I won't describe how to do it here, but I am sure that any hijacker could spot the same security hole that I did).

As for the flags everywhere, I could only be amused at one large poster that said:

    THESE COLORS DON'T RUN!

when in fact everything I saw, heard, and read pointed to a terrorised and frightened reaction that is almost paralysing the country. Theatres are vacant and stores are almost empty. The only businesses that are thriving are flag sellers and video rental outlets, so that people can decorate their cars with American flags and rent a video to watch in the safety of home. Of course, this was no surprise - the expatriate community has reacted the same way. Americans are cautioned not to be conspicuous (specifically, leave the cowboy hat at home!), and American expat organisations have asked me not to publicise their meetings.

The ugly side of this is the hatred and cry for vengance that is raising its vicious head. Conspicuous Moslems, especially Arabs, and anyone who might be mistaken for one (such as Sikhs) are at risk, and every day the papers had accounts of unwarranted attacks and even killings. My niece was appalled to hear fellow students call for the expulsions of all people from the near-East from the US, and for the total destruction of Afghanistan.

To their credit, the Moslems in the western world have faced these threats with courage. While I do not know the statistics, it seems that the number of people I saw in traditional Moslem garb remained fairly high, and I saw no reports that attendance at mosques has dropped.

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