Tipsheet

Does Israel Profile Muslims? Heck Yes They Do

There has been controversy over Republican nominee Donald Trump's recent comments claiming that Muslims from Arab countries must be profiled before being admitted into the United States.  "Profiling is something that we're going to have to start thinking about as a country," he said on Sunday.

"You look at Israel and you look at others, and they do it and they do it successfully," he told CBS' "Face the Nation."

Regardless of your position on the matter, Israel is a country which routinely profiles Muslims, and does it well.

Arabs and Palestinians, who make up around a fifth of Israel's population, are often singled out for their religious beliefs. They are also subject to searches at security checkpoints in everyday travel.

A senior Israeli official justified the "profiling" of Muslims as potential security threats on Monday.  

"Ultimately these (security) apparatuses ... must build a profile of characteristics as to where the danger comes from and locate it," Israeli Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz  said in a briefing to journalists.

"It is not the whole population, but sometimes when there is a specific form of terrorism, you can seek out Islamic terrorism only among Muslims."