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| Credit: Cbsa-asfc.gc.ca |
Over the past 5 years I've flown to the United States from Canada several times. Sometimes I was flying to an American destination, and other times it was a layover on the way to another part of the world. I've grown accustomed to the mental preparation needed for the whole "Flying While Muslim" airport routine. You know, ask any Muslim woman who wears the hijab, she'll tell you what I'm about to describe.
First, you wait in line for a really long time at Pearson Airport in Toronto, and then enter the security gates on the border to the American side of the airport. There, you'll start feeling the tense atmosphere. The employees directing you to the baggage scanning machines are a little bit stricter, the officers' looks at you are a little less friendly, and you suddenly start feeling like you're the lone Muslim about to be humiliated at the final part of the process, the explosive trace detection procedure.