Final answer:
Since 2001, over half of Americans have supported racial profiling of Arab Americans in airport security, reflecting a wider societal issue of Islamophobia. The practice is associated with wider racial profiling issues that affect many ethnic groups, such as African Americans and Latinos within law enforcement contexts, and historic events like the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.
Step-by-step explanation:
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, national surveys indicate that more than half of all Americans favor the racial profiling of Arab Americans when it comes to air travel security. This practice is illustrative of the phenomena often referred to as Islamophobia, which is an irrational fear of or hatred against Muslims. It's important to note that Arab Americans come from a diverse array of religious backgrounds and are not exclusively Muslim. Furthermore, the region known as the Arab world encompasses the Middle East and parts of North Africa (MENA), and includes people with varying ancestries and primary languages.
Racial profiling has also been acknowledged as an issue within other contexts, such as law enforcement's engagement with African American and Latino communities. For example, Black and Latino individuals have been subjected to greater scrutiny by police, exemplified by the terms 'Driving While Black' or 'Driving While Brown.'
A discrimination visible also during significant historical moments, such as the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, demonstrates the recurring challenges of racism and profiling in American history. The complexities of racial profiling affect various ethnic groups, not just during air travel but in many aspects of life, from interactions with law enforcement to everyday transactions in the community.