|
Sikh passengers shun San Francisco
airport
WSN Network
BURLINGAME:
The Sikh Coalition revealed this week that Sikh passengers are being
targeted for secondary screenings at San Francisco International
Airport (SFO). Consequently, many Bay Area Sikhs say they will avoid
flying through SFO whenever possible. The Sikh Coalition’s TSA
Report Card found that SFO was the “worst case scenario” for Sikh
travelers. Sikhs, who wear turbans according to the mandates of
their faith, are being pulled aside for secondary screening every
time they depart on a flight from SFO.The Report Card reveals that
35% of all complaints about the TSA screening policy received by the
Sikh Coalition from Sikhs across the country this quarter stem from
SFO.
The result is
religious profiling. “It is pretty clear to me as a Sikh that I am
being subjected to unreasonable procedures that do not apply to
other US citizens,” said Kuljot Singh, a Sikh passenger. Instead of
being singled out every time they need to fly, Sikh travelers are
choosing to fly through alternative airports in Oakland or San
Jose.
In October 2007,
the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) implemented a
policy giving screeners discretion to decide when to additionally
search passengers with head coverings that could be deemed “bulky.”
The move mirrored other emerging security policies that take a host
of variable factors - including facial expressions and ticket status
- into account when deciding when to subject a passenger to
secondary screening.
SFO is the only
airport that chose to interpret the revision as a mandatory turban
screening policy, thus creating a disproportionate and unwarranted
focus on Sikh passengers. Only a single Sikh passenger reported that
he was not subject to additional screening of his turban when
departing through SFO.
14
May,
2008
|
Read Also