|
Turban at the Airport: TSA makes nuanced
change,
accomodates Sikhs' concerns
WSN Network
Washington: Introducing a nuanced change
in the wording of the controversial policy of invasive patdowns of
Sikhs' turbans at airports as per the recently introduced
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules, the TSA has now
issued instructions that the headgear search policy will not be a
separate category and that officers will have several options in
case passengers chose not to remove headgear because of religious or
other reasons.
The October 16 directive from the TSA reads: "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.”
The new security screening policy will go into effect at U.S.
airports on October 27 and apply to all religious head coverings.
The change has been brought about after the Sikhs, and a lot of
their representative organisations, protested against the
turban-specific guidelines and expressed a wish to work with the TSA
in evolving better modes of ensuring security.
The earlier procedure, implemented on August 4, 2007,
disproportionately targeted Sikhs for secondary screening due to
their turban, an article of faith, like the Jewish kippah (yarmulke)
and Muslim hijab. The turban is an integral part of the Sikh faith
and identity, and 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 turban was the only religious article listed as potentially
requiring additional screening. Furthermore, the procedure may have
resulted in a misallocation of national security resources due to
the heightened focus on Sikh passengers solely because of their
religious practice of wearing a turban.
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.
Additionally, all 43,000 TSA screeners will undergo Sikh cultural
awareness training before the Thanksgiving holiday travel season.
17
October, 2007
|
Read More