|
US Senators respond to Sikh constituent concerns
WSN Network
Washington: At the
urging of the Sikh Coalition and their Sikh constituents, four
Senators have sent a joint letter to the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA), demanding an explanation for the TSA’s new
turban screening procedure. The letter urges the TSA to work with
the Sikh-American community to address its concerns about a
troubling new policy that allows America’s 43,000 TSA screeners to
pull aside turban-wearing travelers for secondary screenings.
The letter,
addressed to TSA Administrator Kip Hawley, was initiated by Senator
Richard Durbin (D-IL), and signed by Senator Barack Obama (D-IL),
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). This
is the third Congressional letter sent to the TSA in the last two
weeks that expresses apprehension about the TSA turban screening
issue by our elected officials. Various members of the House of
Representatives sent two such letters last week.
Citing the
potential for religious profiling in today’s letter, the Senators
wrote “We are concerned that this policy change could lead to
disparate treatment of Sikh travelers, among others. Under the new
policy it seems that travelers are being singled out for secondary
screening solely on the basis of physical manifestations of their
religious beliefs.”
The Senate letter
is a direct outcome of the Sikh Coalition’s campaign encouraging
Sikhs across the country to contact their Senators. Nearly 3000 Sikh
Americans emailed their Senators through the Sikh Coalition’s
website, and countless others made phone calls and asked for
in-person meetings.
"We are concerned
that this policy change could lead to disparate treatment of Sikh
travelers, among others," the Senators wrote to the TSA. "Based on
the limited information available and the recent experiences of
several Sikh travelers, it appears that they are being singled out
for secondary screenings solely on the basis of physical
manifestations of their religious beliefs."
In the coming
week, Senate committee staff will also ask the TSA for a security
briefing on the new policy. Senators are curious about why the TSA
would implement a policy targeting headwear, when dangerous
non-metallic explosives could be hidden elsewhere on a traveler’s
body.
The Sikh Coalition
would like to thank Senator Durbin and his colleagues for their
strong leadership on this issue. Congratulations also to members of
the Sikh American community who called their senators in response to
our request. You have made your voice heard!
26
September, 2007
|
Read Also