Community Action Requested:


Sign Petition to the TSA and Document Your Airport Turban Screening Experience

(New York, New York) August 24, 2007 – The Sikh Coalition is calling on all concerned people to sign a community petition raising concerns with new airport screening procedures that effectively target Sikh turbans for heightened airport inspection.  In addition, the Coalition is calling on all Sikhs to document their experience with the new airport headwear screening procedures.

 

Make a Difference Sign the Petition   

Today the Sikh Coalition launched a community petition to the United States Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”).  We call on all Sikhs to sign the petition as a means of demonstrating grassroots concern with the new screening procedures.   We also ask that you to urge your friends to sign the petition.

 

All Sikhs Should Take Five Minutes to Document Their Experience with the New TSA Screening Measures

We also call on all Sikhs to document their experience with the new screening procedures. Since the TSA refuses to share details of the new procedures with the public, we will not be able to effectively raise concerns about their impact on Sikhs without learning of the community’s experience with them.   Please take 5 minutes to document your airport screening experience now.

The Sikh Coalition’s Concerns about the New TSA Policy

With the information made available to us, the Sikh Coalition has four principle concerns. 

 

  • First the Coalition is concerned that the TSA guidance on how to implement the policy specifically lists the turban as an example of headwear that can be subjected to secondary screening at the discretion of the screener.  We believe that the most precious article of our faith has become part of a government-mandated profile of a person who is a terrorist threat.

 

  • Second the Coalition believes that the new procedure should not be kept secret.  It is critical that the procedures be made public so that the millions of air travelers subjected to them understand their rights while traveling. 

 

  • Third the procedures are disturbingly vague.  Screeners have personal discretion to subject a Sikh to additional screening, a turban pat-down, or to remove the turban. With 43,000 TSA screeners nationwide, and minimal cultural competency training, the Sikh Coalition is concerned that this will lead to religious profiling.

 

  • Fourth the Coalition is concerned that the new procedures were created without consulting any Sikhs or Sikh organizations to determine if safety concerns could be met without compromising religious freedom.

Started as an effort to educate the greater North American community on Sikhs and Sikhism, the Sikh Coalition seeks to safeguard the civil and human rights of all citizens as well as to promote the Sikh identity and communicate the collective interests of Sikhs to civil society. The Coalition serves as a resource on Sikhs and Sikh concerns for governments, organizations and individuals.

The Sikh Coalition relies on your financial support to sustain its initiatives and broaden its services. In addition to supporting the Sikh Coalition directly, we encourage you to use matching donation programs offered by many employers. The Sikh Coalition is a 501c (3) non-profit organization. Thank you for your support.