Approximately two weeks after the Indian-American actor, model and designer Waris Ahluwalia was barred from boarding an Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York City for refusing to take off his turban, Canadian YouTube star Jasmeet Singh, aka JusReign, faced the same situation at a San Francisco airport—literally, yesterday.
This is becoming all too familiar to digest.
Singh announced via his Twitter page that security agents required him to take off his turban and go into a private screening room to get examined for safety precautions. Once he complied with the authorities and proved that he indeed was not a public threat, Singh was told that he could put his turban back on in the restroom.
so the @tsa made me take off my turban in extra screening or they said I wouldn’t be able to be let through to catch my flight
— Jasmeet Singh (@JusReign) February 22, 2016
so I get into the private screening and take it off and they body search me and put my turban through another X-ray machine because “safety”
— Jasmeet Singh (@JusReign) February 22, 2016
after finding absolutely nothing wrong because a turban is just cloth and the whole thing is stupid I ask for a mirror to tie it back again
— Jasmeet Singh (@JusReign) February 22, 2016
As per Sikh religion, turbans are mandatory in public for those men who practice the faith. After being denied a mirror to rewrap his turban in the private room, Singh was forced to walk down the terminal without his turban to the nearest bathroom and unfortunately, temporarily break the tenets of his religion.
the agent tells me there are no mirrors and that I can just walk down the terminal to the nearest restroom ???
without my turban on ???
— Jasmeet Singh (@JusReign) February 22, 2016
FAM WHAT WAS THE POINT IN TAKING ME TO THE PRIVATE ROOM IF U JUST TELL ME TO WALK OUT TO THE NEAREST RESTROOM TO PUT IT BACK ON AGAIN
— Jasmeet Singh (@JusReign) February 22, 2016
I know dudes that don’t even wear turbans to airports anymore because they have to deal with this bullshit but I choose to cuz i look swanky
— Jasmeet Singh (@JusReign) February 22, 2016
Coincidentally, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) also tweeted this post on their Twitter page one day before the incident:
TSA prides itself on the diversity of its workforce and recognizes the struggles of those who made it possible. #BlackHistoryMonth
— TSA (@TSA) February 21, 2016
Singh’s lighthearted yet impactful response to this ironic tweet encapsulates the problems of racial profiling at airports across the world in light of the increasing number of security threats seen over the past few years.
nah only thing u can pride yourself in is how much you’re riddled with xenophobia https://t.co/9TbuhBhU0N
— Jasmeet Singh (@JusReign) February 22, 2016
Due to a lack of education about cultures and religion, security officials have threatened thousands of individuals’ religious freedoms to seemingly protect the safety of the masses.
Nonetheless, groups like the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based civil rights organization, are taking these incidents as opportunities to educate society and spread awareness about the importance of administrative reforms.
[Read Related: Sikh Actor Waris Ahluwalia Denied From Boarding Flight Due to His Turban Returns Home]
In response to Ahluwalia’s situation, the Coalition has pledged to continue working with the TSA to demand clearer and more respectful guidelines for its security officers when screening individuals with religious headwear.
