What should we do in the name of security? Five Muslim Americans who were stopped and detained for more than six hours when attempting to reenter the United States from Canada are suing the Department of Homeland Security for allegedly violating their constitutional right to freedom of religion and freedom from unlawful searches.

The incident occurred in December and the five plaintiffs were returning to the United States by car after attending a religious conference in Toronto. They were detained at the border for more than six hours and forced to hand over their credit cards and other belongings. They were searched, photographed and fingerprinted without any explanation as to why. None of the five were ever charged with any crime.

The lawsuit is seeking no monetary damages but merely to have these practices stopped. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the lawsuit along with other groups and have named the head of the division of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, as one of the defendants.

Sawsaan Tabbaa is one of the plaintiffs. She saw how many fellow Muslims who attended the conference called 'Reviving the Islamic Spirit' were detained at the border. She was very upset about her experience. 'I am proud of being American but I couldn't believe my eyes something like this could happen,' she said.

A US Customs and Border Patrol spokeswoman said that the main goal of the procedure was to 'prevent terrorists and their weapons from entering' the country.

The agency also stated that conferences such as the one in Toronto have been used in the past by terrorist organizations to raise money.

In addition to the end of these search practices which the plaintiffs consider discriminatory, the plaintiffs also want their fingerprints and photographs that were taken when they were detained to be expunged from the record.

This case illustrates the delicate balance between individual rights and the Bush Administration's 'War on Terror.' How much freedom can we and should we give up to fight terrorists? This lawsuit will help define the answers to that vital question.