Oh my god. I do not know how people can have such patience. If I was subjected to the same absurd humiliation as the author, I'm afraid I would have "snapped" angrily and ended in a much worse situation.
I remember the first time I was flying to the US, I was adviced by multiple people in the days leading up to the flight, to get rid of my beard, because it made me look Muslim. From all the stories, it's probably a good precaution to take. Stuff like this and complying to authority in a polite way even though all human instinct tells you to be pissed is normal.