In theory, the Constitution recognizes individuals. In practice, security regimes often recognize identities. Suspect by Default is an inquiry into how terror narratives, once introduced as emergency responses, become normalized tools of governance. It explores how Muslim citizens—particularly those from marginalized backgrounds—are disproportionately drawn into the machinery of suspicion, often without credible evidence, and held there for years through procedural delays, restrictive bail laws, and media stigmatization. This book traces the life cycle of suspicion: How names become files How neighborhoods become "zones" How preventive detention replaces investigation How trials outlast innocence How acquittal fails to restore dignity Importantly, this is a pro-constitutional one. It acknowledges that law enforcement operates under immense pressure and that terrorism is real. But it also insists that efficiency without accountability is dangerous , and that security without justice breeds alienation —the very condition terrorism exploits. Each section of the book builds systematically: From ideology to mechanism From arrest to aftermath From individual suffering to structural incentives From critique to reform The ultimate argument is simple yet urgent: A democracy that trades equality for expediency will lose both. This book invites lawmakers, judges, journalists, students, and ordinary citizens to rethink how terror is fought—and at what cost.