The Terrorist Watch List is managed by the FBI Terrorist Screening Center. The FBI does not publicly confirm or deny any individuals on the Terrorist Watch List. However, "No Fly List" is a subset of the Terrorist Watch List and is overseen by The Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The no-fly list contains names of individuals prohibited from "boarding an aircraft when flying within, to, from, and over the United States." These individuals are part of the federal terrorist watchlist administered by the FBI Terrorist Screening Center.

The Terrorist Watch List and the No-Fly List were created by George W. Bush's administration in 2001 and have continued to be used until this day. There are two types of No-Fly Lists. The second No-Fly List is maintained by individual airlines for unruly passengers. The No-Fly List is different from the Terrorist Watch List, which is a much longer list of people said to be suspected of some involvement with terrorism. Based on Wikipedia, as of June 2014, the Terrorist Watch List is estimated to contain over 2.5 million people whereas the No-Fly list has about 1.8 million.

For the first two and a half years of the program, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) denied that the program existed. I wonder because if it was illegal. Ironically, "Membership in a terrorist organization does not prohibit a person from possessing firearms or explosives under current federal law," and individuals on the No-Fly List are not barred from purchasing guns and explosives. I should note here that US State Department designate 65 foreign terrorist organizations in what is called "FTOs" list (none are Jewish.)

Perhaps, you might be interested to know that the state-sponsored nations currently designated by the US as international terrorism are Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria. The terrorist state of Israel received a waiver for successfully testing US made weapons in Gaza that resulted in killing 15,000 children, 250 humanitarian aid workers, 170 journalists, 87,000 injured or missing, and destroying 12 universities, 23 hospitals, 267 mosques, 3 churches, and 345 schools.

What is the government not allowed to do with no-fly list?

According to ACLU.org, U.S. citizens have a right under the Fourteenth Amendment to return to U.S. territory after traveling abroad. Lawful permanent residents have a similar right to return to U.S. territory under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Therefore, when a U.S. citizen or permanent resident is denied boarding in a foreign country due to apparent inclusion on the No-Fly List, the U.S. government must help them secure approval to return to the United States via a commercial flight. In other word, the government may not use the No-Fly List to prevent U.S. citizens or permanent residents from returning home to U.S. territory.

 The ACLU website advised travelers "that FBI agents or other U.S. officials may seek to question or interrogate you while you are abroad after your denial of boarding and while you are seeking authorization to fly back to the United States. You have the right to decline any request for a voluntary interview. You also have a right to be represented by counsel during any interview or interrogation in which you voluntarily participate, including while you are abroad." I should add here that travelers questioned by the FBI officials should never lie because lying to a federal agent a serious federal crime? You would be legally liable even if you feel the FBI has lied to you.

After receiving an uptick in reports that American Muslims traveling internationally have been stopped and subjected to inappropriate questioning during secondary screenings by Department of Homeland Security officials, the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a Community Travel Advisory that urges American Muslims traveling internationally who have been stopped and subjected to inappropriate questioning during secondary screenings by Department of Homeland Security officials to "Know Your Rights." Basically, instructing travelers about their rights to contact an attorney and/or to call your call CAIR local chapter for help.

That is exactly what two Palestinian-American men, one from southern California and another from Virginia did. The both filed a federal lawsuit recently with the Council on American-Islamic Relations challenging the airport watchlist for terrorists, arguing that they were being targeted for their criticism of the war in Gaza.

CAIR files a federal lawsuit for two men on Terrorist Watchlist

Mustafa Zeidan, the southern California resident, said he has been placed on the 'no-fly' list, and Osama Abu Irshaid of Virginia said he was also placed on a watch list that prompts airport security to inspect his phone every time he takes a flight, prolonging the time to board a plane, sometimes by hours. Irshaid “is detained at the border by federal agents each time he crosses it,” the lawsuit alleges.

Irshaid is subjected to “humiliating questions about his lawful associations and work leading a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of Palestinians,” the suit alleges. Authorities have seized his phone and he has been unable to retrieve it, the suit alleges.

Zeidan said he has been blocked from flying altogether and has had to hire someone to look after his ailing 72-year-old mother in Jordan. She has high blood pressure and diabetes, he said according to an article published by MyNewsLA.

However, the two mentioned lists above have been criticized on civil liberties and due process grounds, due in part to its potential for ethnic, religious, economic, political, or racial profiling and discrimination.

The US government and the airlines are not Muslim-friendly. Here is why?

* A man got kicked out of a Delta flight a few years ago because his middle name is Mohammad. Oh, give me a freakin' break! 

* The middle name of Ted Kaczynski the *Unabomber* was not Mohammad. It was John! That goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover!

* The man who was sending the poisonous packages to the Pentagon and the White House in 2018 was not a Moooslim. He was a Navy veteran!

* Does anyone remember the shoe-bomber? He is the reason why you and I have to take our shoes off before we board an airplane. He did not look Muslim and his real name was Richard Reid and not Ali or Abdul. That's how he managed to smuggle a bomb in his shoe aboard a Paris-New York-bound flight. He was caught and held by brave passengers and not the airline staff or the TSA (Transportation Security Administration). 

It is rather absurd to accuse protesters who call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as being antisemitic.

The protesters who called for their university to divest from Israel and for an end to the Israeli genocide and starvation in Gaza should not be arrested or subjected to illegal, inhumane, and degrading treatments. They were exercising their First Amendment's rights. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the freedom of speech, religion, and the press.

A few years ago, I was flying from Chicago to Lebanon for a family visit. After I was cleared through security, I was followed by a male security officer who was not in uniform. The gentleman stopped me and asked if I have any bombs on me. I was kind of shocked and angry at his silly question. I responded by, "I just have been cleared by security and obviously I did not have anything illegal." Then I added, "Don't you feel guilty and ashamed accusing a retired US military veteran of terrorism?" The man left without saying a word, not even sorry. Targeting Muslims and Arabs at US airports or border crossing is illegal. No, it is not okay to argue, "If you did not do anything wrong, you don't have to worry about it." That is a nonsense argument. The fact is, in America, you are innocent until proven guilty and not the other way around.

For that reason, CAIR has an excellent 10-minute travel advisory that which Muslim travelers to be aware of their rights following an increase in reports of inappropriate CBP questioning during international travel.