( CNN ) -- Enhanced screening procedures for U.S.-bound air passengers traveling through `` state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest '' such as Pakistan , Yemen and Nigeria amount to religious profiling of Muslims , the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Monday . The Transportation Security Administration announced the strengthened security steps Sunday , saying that `` effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders . '' A senior government official , not authorized to speak on the record , provided CNN with the list of 14 countries subject to the enhanced screening for travelers heading to the United States : Cuba , Sudan , Syria , Iran , Afghanistan , Algeria , Iraq , Lebanon , Libya , Nigeria , Pakistan , Saudi Arabia , Somalia and Yemen . The new guidelines target 13 Muslim-majority nations and will `` disproportionately target American Muslims who have family or spiritual ties to the Islamic world , '' the Council on American-Islamic Relations said , adding that the tougher measures `` amount to religious and ethnic profiling . '' `` Under these new guidelines , almost every American Muslim who travels to see family or friends or goes on pilgrimage to Mecca will automatically be singled out for special security checks -- that 's profiling , '' said Nihad Awad , the council 's national executive director . `` While singling out travelers based on religion and national origin may make some people feel safer , it only serves to alienate and stigmatize Muslims and does nothing to improve airline security . '' A TSA spokesperson , Kristin Lee , responded that `` TSA does not profile . '' `` As is always the case , TSA security measures are based on threat , not ethnic or religious background , '' Lee said . The tougher measures followed a botched bombing attempt on Christmas Day by a Nigerian man who boarded a U.S.-bound flight in Amsterdam , Netherlands . The suspect , Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab , originated his trip in Nigeria and changed planes in Amsterdam to a Northwest Airlines flight headed for Detroit , Michigan . On the flight 's final approach , the suspect allegedly attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear . The attempt failed , and the suspect was grabbed by other passengers and crew members . U.S. officials said the suspect received training and help for the attack from al Qaeda in Yemen , one of the countries of origin on the list for enhanced screening . A senior State Department official , who could not speak on the record because of the sensitive nature of the material , said Sunday the countries on the list are places `` where we have concerns , particularly about al Qaeda affiliates . '' The official said the State Department was heavily involved in compiling the list , along with the Department of Homeland Security and other intelligence agencies . The State Department compiles the annual `` Patterns of Global Terrorism '' report , which details terrorism trends in countries around the world . Passengers from other countries could still face enhanced security for other reasons . Awad said the suspicious behavior of AbdulMutallab in the failed Christmas bombing case , rather than his religion or ethnicity , should have alerted authorities . For example , Awad said , AbdulMutallab paid cash for his ticket and boarded without checking in baggage . Improved monitoring of such anomalies is the solution , said Awad , who called for increased spending `` to obtain more bomb-sniffing dogs , to install more sophisticated bomb-detection equipment and to train security personnel in identifying the behavior suspects . '' The American Civil Liberties Union issued a similar statement on Monday that called profiling an ineffective strategy . `` Singling out travelers from a few specified countries for enhanced screening is essentially a pretext for racial profiling , which is ineffective , unconstitutional and violates American values , '' said Michael German , national security policy counsel with the ACLU 's Washington legislative office . `` Empirical studies of terrorists show there is no terrorist profile , and using a profile that does n't reflect this reality will only divert resources by having government agents target innocent people . Profiling also can be `` counterproductive by undermining community support for government counterterrorism efforts and creating an injustice that terrorists can exploit to justify further acts of terrorism , '' German said . A federal counterterrorism official said the new TSA security directive lacked an expiration date , meaning it was intended to be `` sustainable and long term . '' The directive , issued to domestic and international air carriers , states that any individual flying into the United States who is `` traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening . '' The TSA did not elaborate on what those enhanced security procedures might entail . In addition , the directive also keeps in place a mandate issued after the attempted Christmas Day attack giving pilots discretion to prevent passengers from keeping pillows and blankets on their laps during certain international flights , the official said . Also retained is the option for pilots to limit movement in the cabin on those international flights . CNN 's Mike Ahlers and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report .
Extra # ##s for information coming through ` ` state sponsors of terrorism '' 13 of 15 nations on the list have majority Muslim populations . Policy ` ` only seeks to identify and stigmatize Muslims , '' group says . ACLU says profiling is ` ` ineffective , unconstitutional and violates American Constitution ''