CHENNAI, India — It did not come as a surprise recently when well-known Indian movie star Shahrukh Khan was detained at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Ironically, he had just finished shooting a film in the United States about racial profiling.

Titled "My Name Is Khan," it is set in post-9/11 America and was inspired by a true story. Khan, playing himself, is arrested because his name sounds Islamic. His clumsiness due to Asperger syndrome (an autistic disorder) further fuels the suspicion of federal authorities.

That the reel life played out in real life in a nation of continued paranoia is only to be expected. Nobody questions the rule of law — certainly when it is implemented effectively. But America hides deep-rooted prejudices behind the law.

Khan was understandably upset at the way he was treated at the airport — not because he is a star, or because he had just inked a handsome deal with Fox for the movie's distribution, or because he enjoys an iconic status at home and abroad. He was upset essentially because he is a Muslim.

He later said he was happy his children were not with him during the airport ordeal, but that he would want them to understand what it means to be treated the way he was because of a name. His words conveyed deep anguish, hurt and, above all, a sense of betrayal.

Any name with Khan or one that remotely sounds Muslim is suspect to the average American. India's former President Abdul Kalam was frisked by Continental Airlines' employees before he boarded a flight in New Delhi. Tamil actor Kamal Hassan, a staunch Hindu and globally popular, was questioned in the U.S. only because the authorities thought his name seemed Islamic.

In contrast, a largely illiterate society like India's is phenomenally literate in its awareness of foreign talent. The story goes that an ordinary policeman in Kolkata recognized French director Louis Malle, who was filming a political demonstration that was being dispersed. The cop was about to hit the helmer with his baton, then cried out, "Oh, Louis Malle." This may be a mere story, but it emphasizes the point.

Americans in authority need to be sensitive. It is time the Muslim-bashing end. And this must apply to every law-abiding Muslim, not just celebrities.

For every Shahrukh Khan, or Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, there are hundreds of innocent Muslims who are harassed only because of their faith. If Shahrukh Khan was hurt, hassled and inconvenienced as he has claimed, so have been many others who have been asked to "step aside" in airports, their dignity ruffled only because they carry an Islamic name.

In a recently Bollywood cinematic work, "New York," we see how the main character, a Muslim, is arrested on a vague suspicion, stripped, tortured and humiliated in a way that drives him to seek revenge. Although this is only movie, this is what might happen when a man's or woman's dignity is mindlessly brushed aside.

Racial profiling American-style can be extremely demeaning, and it is understandable that thousands of Khan's fans and New Delhi itself were annoyed at the detaining and questioning of one of the country's best-known icons — even as his secretary walked through. India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambica Soni hinted at retaliatory treatment of American visitors.

Maybe she has Brazil's method in mind. Angered by the crudity of U.S. officials, Brazil has begun fingerprinting and photographing American visitors.

Ultimately, though, tit-for-tat measures can be no more than palliative. In the long run, it is imperative that prejudices be eliminated.

Gautaman Bhaskaran is an Indian journalist.