Sikhs object to removing their turbans

Associated Press

Followers of the Sikh faith say they have been singled out for elaborate security checks at airports, sometimes being forced to remove their turbans, an integral part of their religious identity.

Some say racial profiling at airports has been part of a backlash against people of Middle Eastern appearance since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Sikhism contains some elements of Islam and Hinduism. However, Sikhs often are mistaken for Muslims because they also wear turbans.

For Sikhs, the removal of a turban is as intrusive as a strip search, said Ed Vasquez, spokesman for the Sikh Communications Council.

Gurmeet Singh was standing in line at the metal detector at the airport in Albany, N.Y., when a guard told him

to remove his turban. Singh said removing it was against his religion and offered to let the guard pat down his turban and run a scanner over it. He finally agreed to take off his 15 foot turban so he wouldn't miss his flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration states that if a handheld metal detector locates an object in religious headgear, the situation must be resolved, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said. But exactly how is left up to the screener. People should not be asked to remove head coverings if nothing has been detected by a metal detector, Dorr said.