Sikhs Keep Turbans on at Airports
India West, News Report, Ashfaque Swapan, Posted: Oct 29, 2007
Sikh American community groups are expressing satisfaction after the federal Transportation Security Administration amended a previous policy of screening head gear that Sikhs felt unfairly targeted them at airports. The new security screening policy will go into effect at U.S. airports on Oct. 27.
The August 2007 procedure targeted Sikhs for secondary screening due to their turban, an article of faith. For Sikhs, removal of the turban in public is akin to a strip search. The procedure resulted in Sikh travelers being forced to undergo an invasive pat-down or removal of the turban.
The new policy addresses Sikh concerns adequately, Rajbir Singh Datta, associate director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, told India-West.
SALDEF, based in Washington, D.C., had earlier received over 50 complaints from Sikh travelers.
"The best solution would have been to remove the policy, but I think what we have so far, it's absolutely workable," Datta said. "The major problems that we had were alleviated. The fact that turban was mentioned (before), it's not mentioned any more. This policy is not a head covering policy, it's a baggy clothing policy, so it applies to every single passenger that goes to the nation's airports. The third thing is (that) they made specific clarification between secular and religious clothing rather than exclusively focusing on the head covering. So I think it is a good policy, they've finally gotten to a point where they understand our concerns."
In a press release, the SALDEF managing director called the new TSA guideline "encouraging."
"Our collaboration with TSA has resulted in a solution that strengthens TSA's ability to protect our nation's airports, while also respecting the civil liberties of all travelers of faith."
Lawmakers also got involved in changing the security screening rules. Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus. "To me, the August policy raised concerns about racial profiling and religious sensitivity," said Honda. "We have been working with TSA administrator Kip Hawley to find a balance between securing our airports and protecting people's civil liberties."
Under the new procedure, a Sikh traveler's turban will be accommodated during the screening process by providing additional options to satisfy the security requirements. According to TSA, the revised procedure states: "TSA will now include the screening procedures for headwear within the overall category of bulky clothing and will not call it out as a separate category. Removal of all headwear is recommended but the rules accommodate those with religious, medical, or other reasons for whom removing items is not comfortable. Transportation Security officers have several options for screening passengers who choose not to remove bulky clothing, including headwear."
In a press release, Dr. Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Silver Spring, Md.-based Sikh Council on Religion and Education, said, "This is a welcome change. The Sikh community is fully committed to work with (the) government to ensure the safety of all Americans and at the same time making sure that the religious rights of all citizens are protected."
While expressing satisfaction, some organizations still have some concerns.
"Screeners have been given discretion on when to perform the additional screening. Some screeners could use this discretion in an inappropriate manner and single out or harass travelers of a certain national origin or religion," said the Sikh Coalition in a press release.
Meanwhile, all 43,000 TSA screeners will undergo Sikh cultural awareness training before the Thanksgiving holiday travel season. The trainings will include two tools developed by SALDEF in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice: A training video entitled "On Common Ground: Sikh American Cultural Awareness Training for Law Enforcement," and a poster titled "Common Sikh American Head Coverings" that TSA is distributing to all 450 airports across the country.
"That's going to be a huge step," Datta said. "With that, and the poster and with in-person training, I think this sort of thing will slow down."
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