Guyanese in New York are upset at treatment meted out to Shah Rukh Khan

Dear Editor,

Guyana Times and other media reports say popular Bollywood film icon Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) was detained and questioned by U.S. immigration authorities last week during a visit to New York to attend a function at Yale University. This was the second time the Bollywood superstar was detained by immigration officials and most Guyanese here in New York are upset at the manner in which this true super star was treated.

The detention was unnecessary given that SRK is well known internationally and does not fit the profile of a terrorist. What on earth provoked this detention? No one, least of all SRK, should be profiled because of his or her name, ethnicity or religion.

Other distinguished individuals have also received similar checks at various airports in the U.S. One would have expected that American immigration and customs inspectors (ICE) would have been familiar with the name SRK by now. He is, after all, not an ordinary Khan but a giant among the Khans. He visited the U.S. dozens of times and has filmed several of his 70 movies on American soil.

I am currently in Morocco and everyone is familiar with the name SRK. In fact at Morocco’s immigration, the immigration officer called me over and said “India, please come on this line. I love India. Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachan are my favourite stars. Oh you are from Guyana but your origin is Indian”.

Some American officers need to stop behaving in this manner and learn about other popular entertainment figures besides those from that country. The authorities should know to distinguish between a terrorist and a peace loving person.

The Indian government reacted sharply to the actor’s two-hour detention, saying the apology the U.S. offered was nothing but mechanical. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said detention and apology had become a habit with the U.S., which should not continue.

Yale University, where SRK was scheduled to speak, also apologised to the actor.

According to Indian reports, the actor himself made light of his detention, tweeting that “whenever I start feeling arrogant about myself, I visit U.S.A. The immigration guys kick the star out of stardom”.

An irony about the actor’s detention is in 2010: he starred in a Bollywood movie set in the U.S., “My Name is Khan”, which critiqued the official stereotyping of Indian Muslims as suspicious persons.

While I am all in favour of checking peoples’ identity and no one should be given special privileges at border crossings, someone like SRK should have been recognised not to be a terrorist and whisked through immigration, especially since he arrived on a private aircraft and was accompanied by high profile persons for a specific event at Yale.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram