The Shahrukh Khan Affair – The Aftermath

Following up on the brief detention of Shahrukh Khan, one of India’s most famous actors, at a US airport, the star of the upcoming “My Name Is Khan,” which explores the treatment of people with Muslim surnames in the United States, says that he will never again visit the US.

His detention, which has created something of an international incident and a major headline story in India, stems from his surname allegedly matching one on one of the assorted US watchlists. Khan says he has never been treated so shabbily, and that the airport officials refused to let him contact anyone for over an hour despite several Indian and Pakistani travelers on the scene vouching for his identity as one of the most famous men on the subcontinent.

His mistreatment may in the long-run be good for him in the US, as it will no doubt draw attention to the American release of his next movie, which is expected sometime next year. The outcry from the Indian population will no doubt fade over time as well, because Khan’s detention lasted only a couple of hours.

But ultimately this isn’t about Khan or his movie, or about Newark Airport employees not recognizing an international celebrity who, among the non-Indian population of the US, is lets face it, relatively unknown.

Rather it draws attention to something that is happening to hundreds, perhaps thousands of people on a daily basis across the US. People get hauled out of line, on the basis of a name, or a nationality, or a religion, and subjected to God-knows-what behind closed doors. Khan’s detention was no doubt considerably shortened by the Indian embassy springing into action the moment it discovered one of the nation’s favorite sons was in custody. Suppose this didn’t happen to Shahrukh Khan the actor, but Shahrukh Khan the small business owner, or Shahrukh Khan the dentist. Would we even be talking about it? Would he still be in custody?

We don’t know the full details of what happened to this fellow yesterday, and maybe we never will. But his story is common enough that it seems unlikely the airport officials broke any serious rules with what they did. It’s business as usual in the US these days, and instead of chastising these people for not treating an international celebrity with due decorum, shouldn’t we be asking whether or not these rules need a major rethink?

9 thoughts on “The Shahrukh Khan Affair – The Aftermath”

  1. No one forced him to come to the USA. So he won't be back? Big deal. I'm pretty sure America will survive without him. He can cry me a river. Being hassled by border security or guards is a risk you take when you engage in international travel. I have been detained and roughed up by border staff myself a few times when I travelled abroad.

    1. OFCOURSE YOU PEOPLE WOULD NOT GIVE A DAMN ,IF YOU WERE HASSLED, INTERROGATEDAND HUMILIATED, THEN U WOULD HAVE CARED. PEOPLE ARE THREATED THIS WAY BECAUSE OF THEIR COLOUR, THEIR NAMES AND THEIR RELIGION. NEVER WAS A WHITE PERSON INTERROGATED FOR ANY REASON ESPECIALLY INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. A PERSON WHO HAVE BEEN 'DETAINED AND ROUGHED UP' WOULD HAVE NEVER SPOKEN THE WAY U HAVE.

        1. Andy, geting hassled as a part of the system is still acceptable. But getting picked out of a que just because you belong to a certain religion and being called a terrorist just because of it is a very different ball game.

          This is something that an american can never understand… Because they are the ones who have done this thing to people all this while. First they victimised Native Americans, then blacks and now Muslims. Its part of your culture.

          Then, you people wonder why the world hates you?

          1. Yeah, sure, like Islam is a faith of tolerance and peace. Your religion was built exclusively on conquest and slavery. I don't see any end to people from the sub-continent and elsewhere trying to come here – a land they "hate". India and Pakistan have fought three wars already in just six decades.

          2. What do you think christianity was built on? Ever heard of the crusades? Pick up a history book sometime… Most major religions of the world have had a violent time in their history. And speaking of wars, let's not even touch that topic. The good ole US of A has fought more than 3 in its recent history. Andy dear you need to brush up on your research before you make self-defeating statements!!

  2. I am from India, and I think that Shah Rukh Khan is overplaying it. It is possible that he put on a
    prima donna attitude. Anyway, take a look at the reader comments in an Indian on-line publication;
    most people sympathize with the U.S. government, and regard the Indian government as spineless,
    making noises to placate the Muslim vote bank.
    http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/aug/15/shahruk…
    A reader comment goes thus:
    it is not the first time that Mr. khan has a brush with law authorities. Mr. Khan was interrogated and
    slapped for his rote in 1993 bomb blasts and his association with Mr. Dawood Ibrahim. It was only
    after the help of then Congress government that Mr. khan could come out clean despite clear
    evidences of his warm ties with Mr. Dawood Ibrahim and other anti indian forces. US Authorities must
    have stumbled on his ties with international terrorists that they detained him for two hours. I hope US
    Authorities keep doing this great work and does not get affected by influence of a spineless country
    like India which does not have the guts to fight the agents of terror.

    1. It's also true that Indian comment boards are like their American counterparts, infested with right-wing nastiness, that in both cases amounts to vicious Islamophobia.

    2. Wow. You seem to know nothing about Shahrukh. Aside from being THE most popular actor in India, Shahrukh is very intelligent and conducts himself with dignity and humility. I've not known him to behave in an arrogant way…if he did, the Indian media would be full of it.

    3. SNR, your comment wreaks of Xenophobia.

      Where in the world did you read that Mr. Khan was involved in Mumbai blast? For your kind information, the actor had stepped in the industry in 1993 and was not even a minor start before that. He never slapped anyone nor has he ever been charged with ties with underworld.

      In fact, he got threats from the underworld for not abiding them. He is the one star who refused to give them money or work in the movie funded by the underworld. OK???? He has been given security by the Govt. of India because of that. You should be ashamed of yourself for talking so irresponsibly.

      And LET ME MAKE ONE THING VERY CLEAR…. INDIA IS NOT A SPINELESS COUNTRY. It has stood and fought many enemies face to face. Probably more than any other country in the last 30 years. You have no right to bad mouth INDIA or SHAHRUKH KHAN.

      So shut your mouth!!

  4. I'm from India too, the above post is ignorant of the fact that America has become a police state, the comments on the above link rediff is posted by 15 year olds who swear than think and write..if you read all the posts it wont make any sense, its just hatred towards Muslim community and their are more f words than anything else more like youtube comments.

    Did we forget gates versus crawley incident where a Harvard professor was handcuffed in his own home, what does that tell you about police and administration highhandedness in America, just like shah rukh, thousands of Americans go through the torture of being bullied by police everyday in America itself.

    No less than the president had to calm things down, even then both did not apologies to each other, this just shows general mistrust and disrespect that has grown in American society lately.

    Indian people think America is some kinda god own land where everything is perfect and blame sadly on their own shortcomings, we have lost our integrity and respect, people should read sites like anti-war.com, globalresearch.ca and counterpunch.com, watch bill maher real time to see the true color of American life.

    Just watching CNN & types won't get you anywhere close to reality and truth.

  5. Andy…don't put cart before the horse, the point here is that thousands of Americans and minorities are profiled and subjected to mistreatment everyday in US, shah rukh khan news just shows the greater problem America is facing.

    The point Anti war is making is even if Shah rukh khan does not come to US again, the problem wont go away, people are continually being harassed by American police state.

    US has the highest number of prisoners anywhere on earth more than china, Iran and north Korea combined…what does that tell you about America?

    One needs to save ordinary Americans themselves from the American police state…that is the very reason sites like Anti war exists.

    1. I doubt Khan is hardly well-known in America. He probably acted obtusely too. He looks the type. The singer Bob Dylan was picked up by police for wandering around. The police didn't know who he was. He didn't make a big deal out of it, "pull a Gates" or accuse the police of anti-Semitism. A little profiling might have prevented the 9/11 attacks and saved American lives. James Woods reported suspicous behaviour by Arabs while flying to the authorities – the very Arabs , all "visa-overstayers" or really illegal aliens, who participated in the 9/11 attacks. He was ignored because the offenders weren't blue-eyed Scandinavians. Had he been taken seriously who knows what might have been prevented?

      1. Andy… the very reason 911 happened was due to American hegemony , empire building and bullying all around the world, the same happened to Hitlers Germany, British and Japanese imperialism..you cant expand for ever without expecting something is return…its karma

        America never minds its own business, jihad and mujaheddin were created by the US to fight of the Russians in Afghanistan. its ok even i go with that for the sake of statement, but the way Americans left the hapless afghans onto fight among themselves and create a lawless land is most disgusting.

        They should have stayed their and help built the lawless land, have a stable democracy and law which it is doing NOW which it should have done before 911.

        911 is America's karma, none has escaped the laws of nature, you only get what you deserve. The real danger is now that America is using a pretense of 911 to justify anything wrong it does ….racial profiling, threatening to bomb iran, religious profiling etc

        Again, Not only Bob dylan, who was minding his own business was stopped by the bully police and the news came out, my reason is , it is exactly what is happening everyday to ordinary US citizens who are held up in US prisons for no reason and media does not know about it. if it was not bob dylan, the poor chap must have ended up in prison with no media coverage.

        please look beneath the media news, shak rukh and bob dylan incidence shows, how police overreact and show no respect for human rights.

        I'm saying this again, US has the highest number of prisoners anywhere on earth? china with 1.3 and indian with 1.1 billion people have combined less people in prison

        1. You are obviously new to AntiWar.com. I don't disagree with what you are saying. I also want America to dissolve its empire and bring the troops home. An America that minds its own business is just fine with me. That is HALF of what I have always said on this website. The other part is to have secure borders and control over deciding who – if anyone – comes to this country. You don't argue that all 19 of the 9/11 hijackers were in the country illegally do you?

          1. I started reading anti war, as soon as internet browsing cost came down in India, so yes i couldn't start early enough, but i think i covered the ground by reading more, when i had the opportunity and affordability here in a third world country.

            as far i have read, the hijackers were learning flying lessons & english in Florida with student visa, so no they came legally not illegally , but they had very less attendance in English classes and why would they compromise such a big plan by getting exposed living illegally in America, their mission was not to live in America, so illegal was not the option, they were arabs and had plenty of money from al quida.

          2. What I wrote is that they OVERSTAYED their visas. They were thus NO LONGER in the country LEGALLY. The "visa fast-track" program was ALSO a mistake. Furthermore attention was drawn to them to the authoritiesby concerned citizens, like James Woods and the training pilot who thought it STRANGE that his Arab student wanted to ONLY learn how to FLY a plane through the AIR, not how to TAKE-OFF or LAND a plane. The authorites IGNORED all this because of the disease of political correctness. Please be aware of your "facts" sir, or please do not bother to reply to my commentary.

          3. This is the problem with Americans like you, why you always catch the short term goal bug, why you guys not get the larger picture, did the arabs came out of mental asylum and attacked the Americans.

            This was all started by your country first, not by outsiders, this visa thing is a minuscule matter, with or without visa they would have carried the attacks and don't forget Timothy McVeigh, he was no Arab, he was one of your own kind.

          4. I agree that "blowback" is a major factor in motivating terrorism against America. No argument there. This is why I want America to abandon its foolish overseas commitments and have a non-interventionist foreign policy. If you are saying that, then I agree with that. That is PART of my message. But it is also true that political correctness and ill-conceived open-door immigration is also a problem. Those 9/11 terrorists could have been easily caught had it not been for P.C. handcuffing of the authorites. When 3,000 Americans die because of "blowback" or "P.C." stupidity I see no difference to the victims. Had those Arabs been neo-Nazi skinheads the FBI would have been all over them. Maybe Arabs would have attacked America with or without visas, but I tell you what buddy, I sure wouldn't have made it any easier for them.

          5. Andy,

            there is a difference between refraining from being politically incorrect and being totally wrong…. Something which Americans don't know about. It is wrong to not to frisk people just to show you are non-racist, but it is equally (probably even more) wrong to detain someone just on the basis of his religion. Shahrukh was the only person detained among 10-16 other people who were on the same flight and who's bags had not arrived either.

            FYI, 9/11 terrorist were not caught because at that time, americans were too proud to admit that somebody can come inside their territory and kill their people.

            before that, it was only America's forte to send flying planes to the countries and kill their people.

  7. I think the promotors r responsible for what he went through. I was in Atlantic city on Aug 14th to see him. It was the most awful and disorganized program I ever saw.

    1. He should accept what he gets, whatever it may be. For him to visit India is a privilege, not a right.

  9. This is a huge awakening for Shahrukh Khan who has always portrayed himself as the ultimate Indian patriot. Recently, another Muslim actor complained about housing discrimination in Mumbai, and Shahrukh was less than sympathetic. Whether due to living in a Bollywood bubble or because of legimitate fears that any complaining about discrimination would bring blood-thirsty fascist mobs down on your neck, this will hopefully move him to a more courageous public position.

    As for profiling, I have Irish American friends whose relations get repeatedly hassled at airports.

  10. The only ones making a big deal out of this whole situation are the media itself and uneducated but not so literate politicians. I fully support US govt. to check frisk any person entering their land. When you visit a country the rule of that land should be obeyed humbly.
    So SRK stop behaving like a sissy and get over it. All you are doing is making yourself and this country look like a fool. And for your foolishness it's regrettable India's name is dragged along.
    In short STFU & GTFO.

    1. Let me tell u Mr gaurav, if u were in his place , u would understand. It is not pleasing to be insulted just on the basis of religion.
      So PLEASE think about it again. OK?????

  12. Well, I'm a blue-eyed Scandinavian-American and I'm uneasy about being harassed (maybe more) by goons working for the Ministry of Fear (Homeland Security). I teach English in China and used to visit family in the US. But in recent years, I have not done so, because I'm uneasy about the US "organs of state security." I've mean-mouthed Bush and the Republican Party and the idiotic Wars in Iraq/Afghanistan over the years. I've angered some people in the process and I would not be surprised if some of them have denounced me as a "terrorist sympathizer." If people as famous as Shahrouk Khan or Ted Kennedy can be harrassed, so can a nobody like me. So can you.

    It probably sounds strange that I be more nervous of the US organs of state security than of the Chinese. But as Toynbee said of the Byzantine Empire, incompetence and corruption allow much more freedom than one might expect. The US authoriities are generally competent and obedient, even when it comes to doing the wrong things.

  13. I am just so thankful that I did get to live in a free country during most of my life. I traveled by car, motorcycle, freight train and foot over most of America with little money and only accidental identification. No more – we are becoming a fascist country, full of hatred and fear of the stranger. A nation of walled communities with trigger happy troopers suspicious of anyone appearing poor or “out of place”. We should examine what happened in New Orleans during Katrina – really examine the rank ugliness of the treatment of victims confronted by armed authorities shoving the victims back to devastation. This is the emerging cruel face of America now.. Get used to it. As our capitalist system declines into a race for survival to be won only by the selfish and greedy, .this will be America, body and soul.

    1. Likewise, I am old enough to remember when you could travel pleasantly in the U.S. The last time I bothered to subject myself to air travel (three years ago), I was struck by the police state quality of the airport. Fortunately for me, I a look like I'm in the military, so I was able to avoid excessive scrutiny. But I'll not forget the thuggish quality of the experience.

      Regarding the poor and strangers: The Grapes of Wrath will play out again. As the economic decline deepens, people will begin to embrace the bunker mentality ever more completely.

      Regarding the police: Avoid them like the plague. Nothing but evil can come from interacting with them.

  14. Having been interrogated at various airports around the USA, i have to say, the Newark Interrogation apparatus is the worst. They have no air conditioning in their interrogation area, which is just not on really and the toilet should be kept cleaner. I was also pretty dissappointed they didnt also inspect my bags, because at least then i would have known where they were. it was quite a struggle to find my suitcase after i was let go after 1.5 hours of hanging around.
    Special props go out to the Phoenix aiport people. they treated me like a vip, i got my bag inspected, and once i'd answered the mandatory questions, the policeman walked me out into the departure lounge carting my suitcase. now that was pretty sweet, especially since i got out before first class.

    on a more serious note: i'd say the vast majority of my family have been taken away for special questioning at US airports. I can 'pretend' that I understand it, but, i really don't.

    1. Only this time, it;s the FedGov crew that is left marooned on a barely inhabitable planet with brain-eating parasites in their heads. And no one finds them.

    2. Only this time, it's the FedGov crew that is left marooned on a barely inhabitable planet with brain-eating parasites in their heads. And no one finds them.

  16. it is not the first time that Mr. khan has a brush with law authorities. Mr. Khan was interrogated and interestingly slapped by Mumbai SP R.C. Sharma ( he initially denied his association and started talking about how big a star he is and what kind of connections he got. Then Mr. Sharma slapped him and showed him photographs of him and Mr. Ibrahim partying at various events in middle-east and asked him if that person is his father–BAAP) for his rote in 1993 bomb blasts and his association with Mr. Dawood Ibrahim. It was only after the help of then Congress government that Mr. khan could come out clean despite clear evidences of his warm ties with Mr. Dawood Ibrahim and other anti indian forces. US Authorities must have stumbled on his ties with international terrorists that they detained him for two hours. I hope US Authorities keep doing this great work and does not get affected by influence of a spineless country like India which does not have the guts to fight the agents of terror.

  17. Valerianus,
    “As the economic declines deepens, people will begin to embrace the bunker mentality ever more completely”
    If things deteriorate as they trend now, in a few years, we will have large groups of people, unemployed and homeless wandering about trying to survive. They will be welcomed nowhere, but they will be safe from incarceration – no-one will want to feed or house or medicate them. That was the ugly truth about Katrina – without money, the free-market fascist state doesn’t want you. You are free – to starve and die. Just don’t do it at my door.

  18. Any one who thinks that he has nothing to fear from the ever expanding the secuirty system because it only targets Muslims,or people from different race ,color.or background is only fooling himself.The Muslims are the easist scapegoats who nobody would care about when it cames to rights nor lives.

    “They first came for…..then they came for me…”

  19. This inccident and many other like it such as denying Cat stevens ,a well known figure in music,entry into the US and forcing him to fly back to UK ,is training the American people to become docile accepeting the police state planned for them.It woud not stop at Muslims or people of color.When American citizens start to voice their opposition to some of their government polcies,healt for example,the mechanism would be in place to address such opposition.Then it would be late for them to cry over their lost liberties.

  20. Soccer is the most popular sport all over the world.In the US they called it world series when it comes to baseball finals ,even though it is only teams from the US and Canada compete in it!If a n actor is no known in the US ,that does not mean he is not well known in other countries.

  24. i too will not be going to the usa -this life and the next life,
    and my name is jesus

  28. WELL WELL WELL…WHAT A FIASCO THAT US OFFICIALS STOP SOME ONE TO QUESTION FOR REASON. WHAT IF THIS PERSON WAS A TERRRIST AND WE LET HIM IN OUR LAND THEN WE WILL BE CRUSIFYING THE SAME OFFIICIALS FOR NOT QUESTIONG TEH PERSON. REGARDLESS, I AM FROM INDIA AND HAVE BEEN IN US MOST OF MY LIFE ADN EVERY TIME I HAVE GONES TO INDIA I HAVE FACED THE CUSTOM AND IMMIGRATION CHAOS BECASUE I REFUSE TO BRIBE THOSE NIT WITS ON INDIAN AIRPORTS.

    FOLKS TO PROTECT OUR HOMELAND WE HAVE TO QUESTION EVERY ON WHO COMES TO OUR HOME BUT IF WE QUESTION THEM BASED ON THEIR NAME OR RELIGION THAT IS NOT ACCPATBLE

    1. Mr. the fiasco is not that they stopped the person. the problem is that they stopped a person who has been all over the world and is a known personality in most parts of the world.

      The man is not a terrorist because terrorists move all over the world and like that. He could not have been pulled aside on any other basis but his religion, because the man doesn't even have a speeding ticket record anywhere in the world.

      He is one of the most noblest and honest people in the world. He has filmed at least 5 movies in America and many other all over Europe and Asia. So, his papers could not have been wrong….

      They told him that he is being pulled aside because "his name is common". Well, 'Shahrukh' is not a common name, so it has to be its surname which was Khan, a muslim surname.

      The whole "so-called" fiasco is that, Sir.

    2. You are missing the point, If they have to stop you anyway, then what is the point, in taking finger prints, retina scan, 100 documents before even boarding the plane, if Americans are doing their job, they should not have allowed him to board the plane at first place, this just dont make any sense.

  29. "…without money, the free-market fascist state doesn't want you. You are free – to starve and die."

    Quite true. This is another reason I keep on teaching in China. Each year I ask US friends about job openings in the US, and each year they say "stay in China." By now China feels like home, of course. I like being able to walk down the street with an open beer bottle, seeing mothers nurse their babies, with no danger of being arrested for "indecent exposure," etc.

    In all seriousness, if any of you want to get away for a year or so, teaching English abroad is a good way to get away from all the US madness and learn other ways to live. China is less picky about formal qualifications than many countries and American people are popular. (Because romantic movies, mostly.)

  30. Re: Shahrukh Khan, this is worse than a crime, it is a blunder. The US government wants India as an ally, but pissing off famous actors is not the way to make friends.

    1. Indians are the worst victims of terrorism and we understand that American have to secure your country. The reason why everyone is so agitated in India is that there should be some limit. No problem if you check our bags or frisk us. But don't do that on the basis of religion.

      First of all, they chose an Indian actor who are one of the most law abiding people abroad. On that, it was The Shahrukh Khan who seems to have an angel in him. the guy has never done anything wrong or objection worthy in his life….

      If he can be harassed like that, then what about the common people?

  31. I’m a U.S. citizen working for the U.S. Government in the Middle East, and I can tell you that U.S. airports are the worst when it comes to hassle.

    I can travel to any airport in Europe from the Middle East and get waved through with no hassle, but when I reenter the U.S, the CBP officers act like they’ve caught a suspect once they see where I’ve been.

    You don’t get a “welcome home.”

    What is worse is what happens to naturalized citizens. I know a naturalized Arab American with a security clearance that got the Shah Rukh Khan treatment every time he returned to the USA. He threatened to quit his job unless the hassling stopped, and after that they treated him more decently.

    The problem is that their databases are useless and the border examiners are incompetent.

  32. The US used to have a system where the intelligence of an individual was applied in determining the truth behind the matter. This empowered immigration officials, Police officers, licensing officers and people from all walks of life take rapid fire decisions in the best interest of the situation. Post 9/11 this is no longer possible and procedure needs to be followed. This procedure is the bench mark of Babudom in India and I must say 66 minutes is quite fast for paper work to be pushed thru. If this was in India it would have taken 66 days.

    In SRK's own words his one phone call to the politician set off a media frenzy. Maybe next time he will be wiser and use that phone call to tell the people outside not to worry he has landed and will be a short while getting thru immigration and to wait for him. Is that not what any other person would have used their one phone call for?

  33. Many people here said that he is making it too big of a deal. But its so strange that all of those people have non-muslim names. Americans have the problem of denying the existence of a problem unless, until it comes and personally bites them in the ass. They denied terrorism until 9/11, they denied or rather neglect the existence of poverty until Katrina. They also denied global warming until half of the north pole melted.

    Now they are denying the existence of Racial profiling. Don't worry, one day this problem will reach to the white, rich population of the country and then you will realize that how "big or small this deal is." Just wait and watch!!!

  34. Please spread the word, every decent human being all over the world, needs to realize that the USA is now a very dangerous country to visit, its not worth coming here. Its too expensive, people here are now extremely dishonest and every segment of society is suffering. Its a very dangerous country to visit, its just not worth coming here.

  35. He only called the politician (who is also his family friend) because the immigration people were asking him for numbers of people in America who can vouch for him, which he thought was very embarrassing?

    Can you believe it? A man whose movie has been bought by FOX, who was listed among world's most powerful people by Newsweek magazine and was on the cover of Times magazine, has had a dinner with Bill Clinton when he was in India, is being asked "do you know any american who can guarantee that you are not a terrorist?"

    This is bullshit!!

  36. Shahrukh was stopped only because of his religion because there were other 10-15 people with him who's bags didn't arrive at the airport. But all of them were let go except him. What's ironic is that out of all the people in that plane, Shahrukh had the biggest number of people who recognized, he had the most stamps of visas to all over the world on his passport and he was the one who had just filmed his movie in America just 20 days ago.

    What do you call this???? Answer me.

  38. “The former employee also alleges that Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe,” and that Prince’s companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life.”

    http://original.antiwar.com/scahill/2009/08/04/blackwater-founder-implicated-in-murder/

    Perhaps the most shocking of those charges — quoted by MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann on Thursday from the employees’ sworn declarations — is that Blackwater was guilty of using child prostitutes at its compound in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and that owner Erik Prince knew of this activity and did nothing to stop it

    http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/07/blackwater-provided-child-prostitutes/

    “We’re back in 19th century Africa with Christian missionaries primly looking aside as soldiers whipped African children to death and British colonialists punished indigenous peoples for not producing enough rubber – by chopping off their hands. (9) (In all fairness some missionaries protested the barbaric behavior. Their complaints fell on deaf ears just as the protests of the International Red Cross regarding conditions inside Abu Ghraib were also ignored.)

    We’re back with Christian missionaries who believed the natives should be treated “with utmost severity.” We’re back in the heyday of European colonization when the brutal necessities of colonization — burning down of villages, shooting of rebels, torturing of slaves — were considered “sacred work.” We’re back steaming up the rivers of Africa with Bible-toting missionaries, armed-to-the-teeth soldiers, and greedy entrepreneurs. And we’re back with the pious folk at home lauding those fateful steamers saying they were “carrying the glad tidings of ‘peace and goodwill toward men’ to the dark places of the earth which are now filled with cruelty.” (10)

    http://dissidentvoice.org/May2004/Hamilton0516.htm

    “Eastern Christians would not have welcomed the Westerners, and Western Christians as readily killed the Orthodox and burned their cities as they did those of Muslims…
    .. it might be better for all peoples of faith to look more in the mirror and less out the window, to promote peace.

    http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080424/an-islamless-world/index.html

    Few of the wars waged by the ever-loving Chritians:
    The Saxon wars. to convert the Pagans of Saxony to christianty.
    Crusades,so many !
    The war against the Huguenots in France.
    The Thirty years war.
    The Inquestions.
    The enslavment of the people of Africa.

  39. Sir,
    I really feel very hurted…after getting the news….but hope u will 4get this & continue…ur journey as u always did…all the best …..

  40. “Bad breed on the blood of the Good”

    “The Rich also Cry”

    “Nothing is new under the sun”

    Say, Shahrukh isn’t frisked away just because he is a famous actor. Next time, some terrorist in the name of a famous Khan will escape the radar and there again a new 9/11 will start, just coz Shahrukh was let go scott-free…. Bad breeds on the blood of the Good.

    Being famous does not mean that you escape unjust treatment. Everyone gets subjected to that however unfair it is. I’m not legitimising American treatment- They are ‘sons of bitches’ but then as FDR proudly said they are ‘our’ sons of bitches. The Rich Also Cry coz the poor and middle class have cried more…

    APJ Abdul Kalam was also searched and that was TOTALLY unfair – – a dignitary, so who is Shahrukh Khan then??? Now frisking APJ Kalam is a serious issue – he doesn’t deserve that. So there is nothing New under the sun….

    I believe Indian authorities should strip search Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie …. if possible publicly …

    1. In India, there's a saying "poori Ramayan Khatam ho gayi, aur poochte hain ki ram kaun tha" This means that the whole epic tale has been told and the listener is still confused about the protagonist's name.

      We have been through your point 500 times…. Go and read the previous messages. and BTW, we took strongest contempt to the frisking of MR. APJ Kalam. Plz don't compare him to you hollywood stars….. OK????? It was completely UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!

  46. I think, it's time to sort out the problem in polite way. One more thing, the mistreatment with any person even with shahrukh khan is not good things.It affects the reputation of anyone.

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