Friday, February 12, 2010

The solution to Islamic modesty concerns about airport scanning lies in Terahertz

It has recently been reported that Muslim-American groups are very concerned that the current airport scanners are far too revealing, and violate Islamic rules on modesty.
Here are two press releases, the first identifies the issue, and the second, which is a repost from this blog of an earlier news article proposes a solution.
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Detroit Free Press:

Saying that body scanners violate Islamic law, Muslim-American groups are supporting a "fatwa" -- a religious ruling -- that forbids Muslims from going through the scanners at airports because of concerns that the scanners are too revealing, and violate rules governing modesty.

The following is a repost of an earlier story on this blog last month that identifies the solution to this issue. Please share this with your Muslim friends or acquaintances.
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Detroit television news story on Advanced Photonix airport scanning capacity


http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/22278105/
(note you may need to copy and paste this link into your browser)
Below is a short summary posted of the story, but please take the time
to watch the video, it's really good and perhaps someone can send it to
a national news show.

Local Company Has Solution To Airport Body Scanners
POSTED: Tuesday, January 19, 2010
UPDATED: 3:49 pm EST January 19, 2010
Picometrix is working on a new type of body scan that may solve the battle between security and privacy with regard to body scanners at airport security checkpoints.
For 15 years, they have used terahertz wave technology for customers like NASA to scan shuttle tiles and seals for flaws.
This week, Picometrix, of Ann Arbor, landed a contract to scan the U.S. Air Force's F-35 Lightning II fighter jets for structural integrity. This is a multi-million dollar contract.
A terahertz scan can identify the makeup of a material, whether it's the metal of a gun, or the chemical signature of PETN, which is the chemical explosive that authorities said terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab used in his Christmas Day bombing attempt.
Current scanners produce a high-definition image of travelers, which some see as an invasion of privacy. The ability of terahertz waves to identify material without the use of detailed images could provide the necessary compromise.
Each substance, from metal to chemicals, has a signature that can be stored in a database. A traveler carrying a substance on the threat list will trigger an alarm when scanned.
There have been claims that terahertz waves are damaging to human DNA. Not true says IRL DULING/ PicoMetrix. The light waves are similar to infrared or microwaves, and the terahertz scanner puts out wave equivalent to a light bulb, and thus poses no threat to humans.
The technology exists now, but it's up to the Transportation Safety Administration when we might see it in airports.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/seenon4/22275268/detail.html

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