Disparate Screening of Sikh Travelers at American Airports

spnadmin · #1 (**permalink**) 20-Jul-2011, 04:27 AM

To: Administrator John Pistole, Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Subject: Disparate Screening of Sikh Travelers at American Airports
Date: July 8, 2011

This memorandum is jointly submitted by the Sikh Coalition, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), and UNITED SIKHS to highlight concerns and recommendations regarding airport screening policies of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). These screening policies result in disparate screening of Sikh travelers, who are religiously required to wear turbans.

In the course of offering recommendations, we are guided by a belief that protecting the civil rights of air
travelers is not only compatible with but also necessary for the fulfillment of national security goals.

Because of the format of this pdf file it cannot be copied easily nor uploaded. Please see the full 3 page memorandum, and links to be part of the advocacy process at this web site:
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-coalition/36393-disparate-screening-sikh-travelers-american-airports.html

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/16...inistrator.pdf ***

spnadmin · #2 (**permalink**) 20-Jul-2011, 04:31 AM

Sikh Coalition's web site has this background on the memorandum

July 19, 2011 (Washington, DC) – Last week, representatives of SALDEF, Sikh Coalition, and UNITED SIKHS met with the head of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Administrator John Pistole, as well as other TSA officials, to highlight the discriminatory screening of Sikhs at American airports.

The meeting was led and made possible by Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32), who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Representatives of the offices of Congressman John Conyers (MI-14) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18) were also present to support the Sikh community.

Click here to read our joint memorandum to the TSA

Our organizations offer gratitude to the offices of Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congressman John Conyers, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee for their support of civil rights, as well as to TSA Administrator Pistole and other TSA officials for their willingness to listen to and address the Sikh community’s concerns.

TSA officials pledged to examine the issues raised by the Sikh advocacy organizations, including the status of the current secondary screening policy; the impact of a new risk-based screening policy on Sikh travelers; the screening of Sikh children who wear patkas; updates to cultural sensitivity trainings; and improvements to the TSA complaint process for travelers who are mistreated.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36393

Next Steps

We will continue to insist that TSA adopt a fair and equitable screening policy for all travelers, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, or origin. In the meantime, if you suffer unfair treatment at an American airport, please contact one of our organizations for assistance.

Gyani Jarnail Singh · #3 (**permalink**) 20-Jul-2011, 10:00 AM

Lots of other people also suffer....the other day i read a report of an old lady on a wheelchair who was travelling with her young grand-daughter..the lady was wearing an adult diaper.which being wet was setting off the alarm ???.and she was asked to REMOVE the diaper...while the grand daughter told them her granny only had the one she was wearing and if removed it would be terribly inconvenient as she was suffering form urine incontinence..but the airport security insisted..remove it or dont fly...In the end the diaper was REMOVED and the lady flew as she was...of the people polled..a majority supported the security...lives are more important than personal considerations..who is to blamed IF that old lady was indeed carrying something dnagerous in her underwear...?? a plane load of people would be in dnager of losing their lives ??? my take is Sikhs should go under whatever security the airport people want to put them through...safer for all concerned..peace of mind for the other passengers..

spnadmin · #4 (**permalink**) 20-Jul-2011, 11:36 AM

I agree and I disagree. Reconsidering this

Quote:

lives are more important than personal considerations.

What level of IQ and/or common sense is required to see and smell that a wet diaper is a wet diaper, and not a method for transporting dangerous explosives?

I am more concerned that she was shamed, that she sat in an airline seat which was not doubt contaminated with her waste (no fault of hers of course), and that nothing of practical value was returned for the indignity.

Kanwaljit Singh · #5 (**permalink**) 20-Jul-2011, 23:41 PM

SPNAdmin ji, I think the quote 'lives are more important than personal considerations.' was said with a little bit of sarcasm from Giani ji, or I could be wrong!
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36393
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36393

The main idea is that by focusing on 'saving lives', people are sacrificing their personal considerations (and easily those of others). They stay quiet and are not caring if things go beyond the tolerable levels of absurdity!

Call it chance or what, I came across this Nazi philosophy on War and Peace:

This is what Nazi general Göring said about war and extreme nationalism to Captain Gilbert, as recorded in Gilbert's Nuremberg Diary:

Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship. ...voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.

spnadmin · #6 (**permalink**) 21-Jul-2011, 23:37 PM

Kanwaljit Singh ji

Great observation, and thanks for reminding us that the same "consideration" was caise number 1 in Nazi Germany...but also in France who turned over her Jews under a law called Special Sections, in the US where Japanese were incarcerated on nothing more than association by ethnic origin, and throughout the so-called free world. We have to remember that laws exist precisely because individuals sacrifice some freedom for the greater good, but it is humans who govern under the law, and those very humans who "gave up some individual freedom" have the moral and ethical obligation that law is not mistaken for legalized terror.