Sikhs need not remove turbans at US airports
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1269 air passengers will no longer have to remove their turbans at US screening checkpoints if doing so makes them uncomfortable under new guidelines coming into force October 27.
The new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines announced on Tuesday give airport screeners the option to pat down headwear at the metal detector if a passenger does not want to remove it for personal reasons.
Experts say mixing up the screening techniques is good security. “We must use security measures that are unpredictable, agile,” TSA Administrator Kip Hawley told a Senate panel on Tuesday.
New York based Sikh Coalition, a leading US Sikh civil rights organisation, welcomed the change because it both protects national security and is respectful of religious pluralism. But it also asked the TSA to create safeguards that provide better protection against religious profiling.
Under the new policy, a Sikh, or any person wearing religious headwear can pat down his or her own head covering, and then have their hands swabbed with a cotton cloth to check for chemical residue. The new policy is a direct response to Sikh concerns, raised after the TSA in August listed “bulky” headwear such as cowboy hats, berets or turbans should be patted down.
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