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.