Profiling ‘Middle Eastern men’ effective counterterrorism measure
Predictably, Leonard Pitts Jr. uses the arrest of Colleen LaRose, aka Jihad Jane, to advance the politically-correct notion that all ethnic profiling is wrong [“Ethnic profiling and Jihad Jane,” Opinion, March 14].
It was inevitable that terrorists would tap people not fitting the description of, as Pitts wrote, “swarthy, bearded young men with Middle Eastern accents and exotic headgear.” Still, the vast majority of terrorists are, generally speaking, Middle Eastern Muslim males between the ages of 20 and 40 — and no amount of wishful thinking can change that. This may not be the case in the future, but in the meantime, isn’t it simply pragmatic to more closely scrutinize — not harass or intimidate — those fitting the profile?
Think of it this way: If police were looking for a bank robber described as in his late 30s, six feet tall, weighing about 185 pounds with dark brown hair and I was in the area, I would expect law enforcement to take a closer look at me because I fit that description.
Finally, Pitts’ contention that we depend on profiling for our safety is absurd; profiling is but one of many tools used in the battle against Islamic terrorism.
— Brett Davis, Port Orchard