US Sikhs outraged by new turban search policy

[*jr]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The largest civil rights organization of American Sikhs has expressed outrage at a new US airport security policy that it said allows arbitrary searches of turbans, a sacred headdress for members of the religion.

The Sikh Coalition said Saturday it had been informed by the Transportation Security Administration that under its new guidelines, turbans could be subject to manual pat-downs even if their wearers had passed a metal detector test.

"Telling screeners to search people in turbans is the same as telling them to search black people or Arabs or Muslims," Amardeep Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, said in a statement. "The policy allows screeners to single out travelers on the basis of their religion."

Singh argued that the message the new TSA policy sends to the public is that "people who wear turbans are dangerous."


http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories ... 3300.hw...


---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This info is on the TSA page in a traveler info section on religious items which I think is why it starts out with the profiling disclaimer:


Head Coverings:

On August 4th 2007, TSA implemented revisions to its screening procedures for head coverings. TSA does not conduct ethnic or religious profiling, and employs multiple checks and balances to ensure profiling does not happen.

All members of the traveling public are permitted to wear head coverings (whether religious or not) through the security checkpoints. The new standard procedures subject all persons wearing head coverings to the possibility of additional security screening, which may include a pat-down search of the head covering. Individuals may be referred for additional screening if the security officer cannot reasonably determine that the head area is free of a detectable threat item. If the issue cannot be resolved through a pat-down search, the individual will be offered the opportunity to remove the head covering in a private screening area.

TSA's security procedures, including the procedures for screening head coverings, are designed to ensure the security of the traveling public. These procedures are part of TSA's multi-layered approach to security screening.

*It isn't clear to me if this new security screening also include the headscarf or any other types of Hijaab.