Religious organisations, fans condemn U.S. treatment of Shah Rukh Khan

Several Guyanese, including two notable promoters of the Indian culture, have expressed concern over a move by U.S. authorities to allegedly detain individuals for prolonged periods. Their concerns mounted after Bollywood superstar and actor, Shah Rukh Khan was detained for a 90-minute period by U.S. airport officials, allegedly because of his last name.

Dr Vindhya Persaud, head of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha said while the U.S. has a right to enforce its laws, protect its citizens and its borders, its action in regards to Khan must be condemned. She questioned what would be the reason for detaining such a prominent and well- respected International Bollywood icon, only to apologise after.

She said that the developing world should take a page out of Guyana’s book since no visitor can accuse Guyanese officials of being inhospitable and discriminatory.

Dr Persaud stated that “no one should be detained based on the complexion of their skin; religious beliefs; their names or culture. Humans ought to be treated equally at all times”.

President of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) Fazeel Ferouz said the local Muslim community condemns the actions of the U.S., noting that the way Khan was treated was unfortunate.

Local actor Neaz Suban in an invited comment stated that it is quite unfortunate that the incident occurred.

He disclosed that someone’s name does not give any official the right to detain and question that person. “In this case, we couldn’t confirmed whether or not Khan was singled out, but nevertheless no one carrying a Muslim name should be suspected to be associated with terrorist attacks,” Suban added.

He also commended the U.S. officials for quickly clearing the air while dispelling reports that suggested that the superstar was not detained based on his name.

Meanwhile, Some of Shak Rukh Khan’s Guyanese fans have also lashed out at the U.S. authorities for their actions, and called it “disrespectful”. One woman noted that “everyone knows Shah Rukh Khan. He is an actor my god. How can they not recognise the actor, especially if he arrived in the U. S. on a private jet?”

The fan said too that it is obvious that when the actor arrived in the U. S., he had his entourage and from experience, once a private jet is scheduled to land in a country, certain basic information must be made known to the airport officials.

The actor arrived on a private plane and was on the way to Yale University for a function when he was stopped. U.S. customs and border protection authorities have since expressed “profound” apologies for the incident.

It is still unclear why Khan was detained at the airport, which serves New York City. The actor said then that he was stopped because he had a Muslim name but the U.S. customs officials have since denied that Khan had been detained, saying he was questioned.

In 2009, the actor was detained for two hours at Newark Airport and was released after India’s embassy in the U.S. intervened. Khan has appeared in more than 70 films and is considered one of India’s most recognisable and popular celebrities.

There have been several other incidents of this nature in the past of prominent Indian officials being stopped or frisked at U.S. airports. In December 2010, the U.S. expressed regret after India’s then ambassador Meera Shankar was pulled out of an airport security line and frisked by a security agent. Also, in 2009, America’s Continental Airlines apologised to former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam for frisking him before he boarded a flight to the U.S. In 2010, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali claimed that he was treated in a similar manner.