Are air passengers being racially profiled?

That was reason enough for the pilots of Northwest Airlines to send an SOS to the Dutch authorities.

Soon, two F-16s were escorting the flight back to Amsterdam. Twelve Indians were arrested and it was 24 hours before the authorities could clear them, saying no terror-related charges were filed against them.

This was not the first such incident. Earlier this month, two Arab-speaking men were forced off a flight on suspicion that they were terrorists. Upon investigation, no such link was found. Five years ago, the crew of a Malayalam film was detained when they were on a flight from Dallas to New York in the US. The reason: They were conversing in an alien language.

With such instances on the rise, one of the first questions that arise is whether there is a bias against Asians among Western security agencies, both European and American? What do you think of the recent happenings? Is there a racial bias against Asians?

Have you faced the brunt of any racial bias from security personnel at airports? Share you experience and thoughts with our readers. Click here.