Credit cards seem to carry very different purposes indeed. You never wonder today that some credit cards are issued to repair one's credit history after bankruptcy or build a credit history anew. We are offered credit cards for establishing credit and we can find the best credit card deal for the consumer category which we belong to.

We also know of different bank credit cards issued in different countries and they are USA-based credit cards, UK, Canada or Belgium credit cards. But we don't seem to ever have heard of credit products for various nationalities, do we?

And it's true. It is very unlikely that credit card issuers will start producing cards for Black Americans or Japanese Americans - it would be a foolish and maybe even offensive practice. Remember those shops for white people only which are still working in some of the States, stirring up indignation among African-Americans.

I think it would be just the case with credit cards and as long as they are widely accessible to the vast scope of nationalities in this country - it is a fair game on the part of banks and credit card companies.

What's more, we all have heard of the Bank of America that has been so liberal that it is issuing its best no fees and rewards credit cards to - and it's hard to believe - undocumented immigrants working in the States.

So, all US citizens seem to be quite equal in their credit rights no matter what their nationality is, provided they have credit rating good enough to qualify. Well, this is a free country and it is natural that it provides its people with due rights and liberties.

But it all is not so quiet and unworried as it seems at first sight. Lots of Americans are furious about terror acts happening in the world and especially in the USA herself and suchlike moods cannot but reflect on the minorities of Muslim origin residing in the country.

A curious thing - one of the methods to fight against disseminators, supporters or just associated with terrorism people has become credit cards! Just to demonstrate it, there's a story of a Muslim Basil coming from Pakistan. He had legally lived in the Sates for 10 years before he made his first credit card deal for green card and he built quite a strong credit history with it to apply for an ordinary US-based credit card.

No wonder the man did get credit card approval from American Express which issued him a good credit card with frequent flyer points. Being accurate and responsible by nature, Basil never missed his credit card bills and always paid more than the minimum required.

Then imagine his great astonishment and confusion when he got a letter from the American Express stating that his AmEx Blue was being cancelled without a sound reason indicated.

Well, credit card companies are stepping on the warpath? Are private companies ready to sacrifice their huge revenues for the sake the fight against terrorism? They are already doing it. If you have a misfortune to be Pakistani, Muslim or both at the same time in this country, be ready that your credit card may be closed even if you display a perfect credit score and solid credit history.

The fact that a Pakistani may be a proprietor of small business using credit for survival on the market is of minor importance to credit companies, American Express in particular. And the inability to have access to credit deprives them of the main source of income to make decent living.

In connection with this, there arises a question. Do such unfair policies against minorities of Muslim origin justify the strong desire on the part of creditors to eradicate international terrorism? Or are they just pouring oil on flames?

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