The case of Colleen Rene LaRose - blond, green eyed and American - demonstrates just how naive it is to assume that terrorist suspects will all have a certain "look". Racial profiling, a favorite right-wing talking point, has always been problematic and the LaRose case drives home the point.
Following the Fort Hood shooting a number of conservatives jumped on the profiling bandwagon with gusto. Typical is Sarah Palin who responded to the shooting with "profile away". Jim Inhofe (R-OK) is another profiling advocate on the grounds that "all terrorists are Muslims or Middle Easterners..." which simply isn't accurate.

The truth is never so simple. There have been efforts on the part of militant organizations to recruit white, English speaking Europeans. The British government estimates that around 1,500 white Britons have been recruited - most as a result of being proselytized in prison.

AQ spokesperson Adam Gadahn - born Adam Pearlman - is an example of an American of Christian/Jewish background who made the transition. Gadahn was recently arrested in Pakistan. Then there is the case of Murielle Degauque, white daughter of a middle class family in Charleroi, south of Brussels. She embraced the militant cause and later volunteered for a suicide mission.


It is also inaccurate to assume that within ethnic/religious markers people will all look similar. Beards and Islamic dress aren't obligatory for operatives and there are a lot of variations in skin tone and facial features among people of Middle Eastern background. To say that a potential suspect in an airport setting should be targeted because he or she "looks" Muslim or Middle Eastern says more about prejudice than any type of reality-based assessment.