Shah Rukh is a Khan

U.S. flags are being burned. Protests are being held outside of the U.S. Embassy. Politicians are demanding that the government seek to potentially implement a 'tit-for-tat' policy against Americans. And of course, celebrities are up in arms against a 'slight' against one of their own brethren. No I'm not talking about a situation brewing in Iraq or Afghanistan. I'm talking about the incident this past weekend where noted Bollywood mega-star Shah Rukh Khan, was detained for several hours at Newark's Liberty International Airport after his name appeared on the no-fly list. Despite attempts to explain who he was and what the purpose of his visit was (he was on his way to Chicago to lead the Indian Independence Day parade). After communication was finally established between the Indian Consulate and the State Department, the situation was cleared up and SRK was allowed to proceed but the incident has left a very bad taste in many people's mouths.

What has enraged most Indians is that someone of Shah Rukh Khan's stature was treated so shoddily in a foreign country. And while I feel the frustration and anger that many feel I don't think it justifies behaving the way many of the people are. Politicians within India are calling for a tit-for-tat policy. Why does the government need to step in and harass Americans just because an Indian actor was harassed? And besides, didn't the Indian government already do a wonderful job of that when they attempted to arrest Richard Gere when he kissed Shilpa Shetty a year or two ago? Here is an actor who has done a great deal for the Dalai Lama and who has enjoyed every trip to India who then went overboard and kissed Shilpa Shetty and the next thing you knew, his effigy was burned, his photos hit with shoes (a major insult) and he was nearly forbidden from returning to the country. Thankfully common sense prevailed and he was allowed to return though I'm not sure he has since.

But people who don't know Shah Rukh Khan from Genghis Khan are probably wondering what the big deal is. Well to put it in perspective, just imagine Brad Pitt showing up in London and subsequently being detained and questioned because his name resembled the name of someone on a terror watchlist. That's precisely the reason that SRK was detained the way he was. Now no one has ever indicated that the terror watch list is a perfect thing. I mean just ask Senator Edward Kennedy. In 2004, Kennedy was denied permission to board a flight because his name was supposedly on a terror watchlist. Now I would venture that it's safe to say that if a person of repute here in the United States is detained for being on that list, is it any surprise that an Indian actor might undergo the same type of detainment?

I think what is further enraging people is the sense that SRK was thrown into a prison and locked up. The images of Guantanamo Bay and Abu Gharib Prison flash before people's eyes and they think that he must have been tortured until his release. I hate to break the news but that's not what he went through. He was inconvenienced and treated this way because of his name. Now Shah Rukh Khan conjures up many things to many Indian movie fans but for the average Joe who is working security at an airport, it probably doesn't mean all that much at all. Sure in Bollywood we have Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sohail Khan, Irfan Khan and a host of others, it is common. Over here in the United States I can't think of a single mainstream actor with the name Khan. I don't mean to imply that it was therefore right of the Transportation Security Agency to detain him but neither do I think it's any surprise.

I am ashamed that someone of repute like Shah Rukh Khan had to undergo such treatment when he was visiting our country but in the name of safety and security, he suffered more because his name is Khan than anything else. I wouldn't call it racism or discrimination. I would call it bad luck that Shah Rukh Khan has the name Khan and that it is probably what flagged him on a terror watchlist someplace. In India he and other major celebrities can often bypass security due to their stature and standing in public but over here they are just another face. Perhaps there is some resentment over the fact that they aren't recognized over here but I can imagine that happening to tons of other actors as well. I mean if it can happen to a Kennedy, I would imagine it could happen to anyone.