Was it something he said?

This is the America of George W. Bush, William Kristol, Condoleeza Rice, Michael Ledeen, Michelle Malkin, Dick Cheney, David Horowitz, Daniel Pipes and Charles Johnson.

The [British] international development minister was stopped and searched at Washington DC's Dulles airport after a series of meetings on tackling terrorism.

Mr Malik, MP for Dewsbury, West Yorks, had his hand luggage checked for explosives when returning to Heathrow.

He said the same thing happened to him at JFK airport in New York last year.

On that occasion he had been a keynote speaker at an event organised by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alongside the FBI and Muslim organisations, to talk about tackling extremism and defeating terrorism.

He's been detained, not once, but twice... because of his race.

Mr Malik said he had received numerous apologies and assurances from the US authorities after that incident.

But he was again searched and detained by DHS officials on Sunday.

Mr Malik said two other Muslims were also detained.

"I am deeply disappointed," he said.

"The abusive attitude I endured last November I forgot about and I forgave, but I really do believe that British ministers and parliamentarians should be afforded the same respect and dignity at USA airports that we would bestow upon our colleagues in the Senate and Congress.

"Obviously, there was no malice involved but it has to be said that the USA system does not inspire confidence."

The surname Malik, no matter how common, would set off alarms in many of the world's airports, but that's hardly the point. This is a minister of the British Crown. A member of a government allied with the United States of America and, (for the time being), an active member in Bush's war on Iraq.

We could call this kind of performance by Dulles and Kennedy airport officials shameful.

But, why bother? It won't change anything. The mantle of fear manufactured by the group named at the top of this post has well and truly taken hold. The pants-pissers are in charge.

Mr. Malik should count his blessings. Others who have fit his particular profile, (skin colour, religion, lack of US accent), ended up on a plane to Syria.