[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        SIKHS SHOULD NOT BE FORCED TO REMOVE TURBANS AT AIRPORTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 18, 2007

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, recently a Sikh named Dr. Ranbir Singh 
Sandhu was stopped at the San Francisco airport as he tried to board a 
flight and forced by agents of the Transportation Security 
Administration to take off his turban. Dr. Sandhu, who is around 80, 
was on his way to a funeral in Vancouver. He refused to take off his 
turban and was barred from the flight, forcing him to make a 20-hour 
drive to get to the funeral.
  This is unacceptable. I certainly understand and support wanding the 
turban for security reasons in this day and age, but forcing a Sikh to 
remove his turban is an insult to his religious identity. TSA does not 
make Jewish passengers take off their yarmulkes and that is right. They 
shouldn't. But they require Sikhs to take off their turbans. That is 
unfair, discriminatory, and wrong.
  Airport security is important. We were just reminded of that again by 
the passing of another anniversary of the September 11 attacks. But we 
must not let that be used as an excuse to violate the religious 
liberties or the civil rights of anyone. We should stop asking Sikhs to 
remove their turbans.
  The Council of Khalistan recently wrote to President Bush, Homeland 
Security Secretary Chertoff, and the TSA Administrator, Kip Hawley, 
asking that this policy be changed.

                                               September 12, 2007.
     Hon. Michael Chertoff,
     Secretary of Homeland Security,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Chertoff: I am writing to you today about 
     the Transportation Safety Administration's practice of making 
     Sikhs remove their turbans in order to travel. Recently, Dr. 
     Ranbir Singh Sandhu of California, a retired engineering 
     professor who is around 80 years old, was stopped at San 
     Francisco International Airport on his way to Vancouver for a 
     funeral. He was ordered by TSA security workers to remove his 
     turban. When he refused he was not allowed to board his 
     flight and he wound up having to drive 20 hours to Vancouver 
     to get to the funeral.
       Asking a Sikh to remove his turban in public is worse than 
     asking someone to remove his pants in public. No one would 
     even think of making such a request, yet the TSA thinks 
     nothing of asking Sikhs to remove their turbans in public.
       I salute TSA for not asking Jewish people to remove their 
     yarmulkes in public. This is because they are religious 
     symbols. Jewish people are required to wear them in public. 
     By the same principle, Sikhs are required to wear their 
     turbans. Wanding the turban should be enough and would be 
     understandable in light of security concerns, but forcing a 
     Sikh to remove his turban is unacceptable. It is a strike 
     against his Sikh religion and his Sikh identity.
       I respectfully but strongly urge you to take action to 
     prevent what happened to Dr. Sandhu from happening to any 
     other Sikh traveller. Please order the TSA workers to respect 
     the religion and identity of Sikhs and not to force them to 
     remove their turbans. Thank you for your attention to this 
     matter.
           Sincerely,
                                          Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
     President, Council of Khalistan.

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