Canadian Young Muslims' Experiences of Security and Surveillance at Airports and Borders.

Since 9/11 the social environment has changed for Muslim communities living in western nations. In recent years a variety of literature has emerged about the potential targeting of Muslims through the new security measures and anti-terrorist legislation that has been implemented in North America (Choudhry 2001, Macklin 2001, Helly 2004 and Pratt 2005). According to this literature these new measures are damaging for Muslims because they construct them as being dangerous and make them vulnerable to discrimination. However, where this literature has come short is in providing an understanding of the actual experiences Muslims have had with these new security measures and legislation and what impact it has had on their lives. This gap is the impetus for this research. Through the use of fifty in-depth interviews, I contribute to the existing literature by examining how government attempts to ensure safety and security is impacting the lives of young Muslims in Canada. More particularly, I explore what experiences young Muslims have had post 9/11 in their interactions with state policies at airports and borders; and how these experiences tied to Orientalist depictions of Muslims in the West and also to the gendered and racialized processes in our society. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]