New Delhi: The morning after all 12 passengers, detained by the Dutch authorities returned home, there were some strong reactions that came from all quarters of the media.
However, the reaction from the Urdu press, which is now largely confined to Muslim audience, has been more indignant. The detention, in Amsterdam, was termed an act borne of western paranoia, particularly stemming from Islam.
"Now they will check under the topi, inside the beards like they did for Saddam Hussain and this is not a right thing to do," Resident Editor, Inquilab Noorjahan Sarwat said.
Not surprisingly, the incident echoed similar sentiments in Pakistan.
"Because of the way we look and the way we walk about and the way we talk, both Indians and Pakistanis might end up being interrogated and basically humiliated," Chief Editor, Geo TV, Anwar Islam says.
Pakistanis have found resonance with the recent cricketing controversy that was seen by many as a case involving racial bias.
"It's like wearing the Star of David and being paraded on the international airport. This is getting a little ‘hairy’. I am using the word because of what happened with the cricket team," Anwar Islam said.
Meanwhile, the Urdu press believes these incidents will just make matters worse and alienate the Muslim community further from the West.
"At a time when globalisation is happening, all this is very bad," Editor, Akhbaar-e-Mashriq M W Haq said.
The so-called war on terror was never popular in the Urdu press. It has dubbed the latest instances as yet another attempt by the West to humiliate the people living in this part of the world a perception that is growing not just in India but also in the press in Pakistan.
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