Roundtable
The Roundtable Open Forum - Round Eleven: Jan 13 - 19
EDITOR
The Rules of the forum are posted here on the right, and need to be followed strictly by all participants.
The following is this week's (Jan 13 - 19) topic for discussion, which should focus on the questions posed therein:
HOW ARE YOU FARING AT THE AIRPORT?
1 In the wake of yet another attempted, but fortunately aborted, act of terrorism, a new wave of fresh measures are being introduced to secure the skies and keep everybody safe.
2 It is in everybody's interest to fully co-operate with the authorities at the airports, no matter how inconvenient it gets on any given occasion.
2 Reading about the parameters of these new searches and methods of scrutiny, invariably Sikhs will collaterally bear more than their fair share of the brunt of it.
3 The three Sikh advocacy organizations currently active internationally - The Sikh Coalition, SALDEF and United Sikhs - are doing yeoman service in policing any infringement of human rights of Sikhs, and are on top of the situation once again in ensuring fairness and equality for Sikh citizens of the nations most affected.
4 The ‘extra' and sometimes unwarranted scrutiny - whether through profiling or through sheer negligence, carelessness, laziness or incompetence - is not merely directed to turban-wearing Sikhs. Anyone - turbaned or not - who is bronze or naturally tanned, anyone who has an accent, anyone who originates from certain ‘listed' countries, anyone who has even been in transit through these 'listed' countries, or anyone with a ‘different-sounding' name ... will find themselves ‘randomly' searched over and over again.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
- What has your experience been, before and more recently, at the airports or borders?
- Do you find you are singled out more often than others? Why do you think you were?
- Is the added inconvenience oppressive, or is it the mere hurt of being ‘randomly' picked EVERY TIME, that stings?
- What do you think is the solution?
- How often do you travel? And how has it been for you on different occasions?
- Does it make travel particularly uncomfortable for you, or have you merely chalked it off as yet another irritant associated with modern travel?
- How and when do you think the situation will change for the better?
- What do you think you and I can do to improve the situation?
Conversation about this article
1: Harsimran Singh (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.), January 13, 2010, 9:10 AM.
It's true: I am a frequent flier and, almost everytime, I've been asked to step aside for a secondary search. But frankly, I don't mind it. To begin with, my kara triggers the system. When they ask me to step into the glass enclosure, I do it with a smile. It takes no more than a minute or two. Once they're done, I thank them and tell them I'm glad they are doing this. I leave with no ill-feeling, either in me or in them. I'm confident that our excellent advocacy groups will keep an eagle eye on any excesses on the part of over-enthusiastic security personnel. In the meantime, we should bear it all with a smile. It's a very. very small price to pay for safety - and for our right and freedom to practice our faith, with whatever external articles of faith we choose to have. These western countries - the U.S., Canada, U.K. - are still heaven, compared to the miserable country we've so gladly left behind.
2: Satinder (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), January 13, 2010, 11:25 AM.
According to the following video there might be damage to one's DNA due to body scanning. http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/ID=1378383680 Add to it the profiling factor and cumulative effect of such scanning and it is enough to scare me for health reasons. I would prefer to opt for a 'pat down' option available at least in Canada. I otherwise have no qualms about getting picked for extra security.
3: Sahib Kaur (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.), January 13, 2010, 12:15 PM.
I am grateful for our Sikh advocacy groups: I laud their work and wish them all power and success. But, in whatever we do, we must never cause a situation where a man wearing a turban becomes free of scrutiny in the current climate. We certainly don't want ever - even a single instance! - of some criminal impersonating a Sikh and then committing terrorism. We have already suffered endlessly at the hands of the Indian government, whose agents are now increasingly believed to have downed the Air India flight in 1985 and blamed the Sikhs! Can you imagine what we'll then have to go through if even one terrorist goes through in the guise of a Sikh at one of our airports? I'm all for full scrutiny - as long as there are no excesses and no infringements of our rights. We should volunteer to be searched thoroughly! I hope I've put across my point ... I should add: my husband proudly wears a turban. And each of my two sons are adorned by it too.
4: Harijot Kaur (United Kingdom), January 14, 2010, 2:38 AM.
I agree with the other comments ... this is a small price to pay considering what the Sikhs have gone through and are still going through under the India government: 1984, disappearance of innocents 1984-1995, economic and social ghetto-ization. We are still better off in these countries where we can live our lives to their full and true potential without fear of the majority's jealousy and malice!
5: Dr. Birinder Singh Ahluwalia (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), January 14, 2010, 7:45 AM.
I have no objection to be subjected to regular scrutiny or extra scrutiny or ultra scrutiny or the mother of all scrutinies ... as long as it is conducted in a respectful manner by properly trained professionals who know what they are doing (and just not pretend they know)- after all, this is for our own safety and the safety of our loved ones.
6: Ladi K. Singh (Vanvouver, British Columbia, Canada), January 14, 2010, 8:46 AM.
The fact that we are no longer harassed at the airports because we wear karas and turbans is largely due to the work done by the Sikh Coalition and other groups like it. I hope they will keep at it to ensure that we are treated fairly, while being exposed to all the security measures necessary and applied to all citizens. Our institutions therefore need all the support we can give them if they are to perennially stand on guard for our rights.
7: Hakam Singh (London, England), January 14, 2010, 8:52 AM.
On a few occasions, I have been asked permission to allow a security person to pat my turban, and I have readily allowed it. I see nothing wrong with it as long as it is done respectfully - which it was each time. I've never been asked to remove my turban. If asked, I would not object or take offence - as long as I'm allowed to do it in a private area and they have the patience to wait for me until I re-tie my turban!
8: Parmjit Singh (British Columbia, Canada), January 15, 2010, 1:04 AM.
We don't have security; we have a culturally biased appearance of security. How can turbans be a concern for concealment of anything if underwear does not raise the same concern? The Detroit plane bomb suspect hid explosives in his underwear. He did not wear a turban. Current attention on turbans is actually a security risk as it masks a long list of real and higher priority security concerns. What really needs to be patted down is the integrity of politicians who speak of security, and the brains of so-called security intelligence. You and I can improve the situation by living in peace according to Sikhi, which entails speaking up. We can promote the earliest lessons of school in our lives and for the globe: be less greedy, share, and understand that name-calling is a weapon of the weak - and that nobody is born a terrorist.
9: Gurujot Singh Khalsa (Espanola, New Mexico, U.S.A.), January 18, 2010, 3:03 PM.
I usually go along with the extra screening without any qualms. I did get pretty angry once thinking about it. I get my turban patted down every time. And it's a useless exercise. They just lightly press their fingers on parts of my turban, they never even feel my kanga. To be honest, I could conceal a sharp object in my large turban if i wanted to ... and get through. I believe it is at the discretion of the TSA officer to do additional screening but it seems to have become standard practice to pat my turban down even though I never beep the metal detector. And sometimes I get the complete wand treatment and frisk. All the other passengers get to see me in a clear plastic holding cell and it thus perpetuates the image of turbaned people being a threat. Or the image of turbaned people being profiled. Either way, it makes a big deal out of something that shouldn't be looked at as different or strange. It's definitely part of the traveling experience I don't like. Once, while being profiled, the TSA officer had a casual chat with me telling me how he he was taught not to profile passengers. I guess he was trying to make me feel better ... except that I didn't believe him. lol. And the crazy thing about all of this is if someone is a terrorist, they are going to try and look normal, they're not going to try and stand out. The TSA should be profiling and picking out 'normal' looking people instead :) But seriously, I think the only effective way to approach this issue is at the intelligence level. All the hijackers who have ever done anything bad on an airplane, there was evidence and intelligence that could have gotten the person caught before they even got on a plane.
10: Jeevan Kaur (Canada), January 19, 2010, 2:26 AM.
Interesting comments! My experience as a non-dastaar wearing female with cut hair is that when I recently went through Vancouver Airport security, a very unsavoury Hindu male pointed the 'metal detector' wand all over me for no reason and lingered longer than he needed to in certain regions! Likewise in India, I was patted down by a female Hindu security officer in a very uncomfortable way ... I was shocked at this and very upset ... so let's stop complaining about the turban patting ... you are still better off than living in India!
11: T. Sher Singh (Guelph, Ontario, Canada), January 19, 2010, 1:29 PM.
I feel compelled to add one thing: Never, ever - during my couple of hundred visits to the U.S. during the last 40 years, or scores of visits since 9/11, or a couple of dozen visits in the last two years alone - have I encountered anyone rude or disrespectful at the U.S. immigration or customs. Americans, as individuals, are an extraordinarily friendly and decent people - and I say this as one who is often a vociferous critic of things American. Within months after 9/11, I drove all the way from Toronto to Ft Lauderdale and back, and each way meandered off into towns and villages in the deep South. Never did a single person say a word or cast a glance which was untoward or unbecoming in any way. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my good looks - that should be obvious! However, it may have something to do with having a constant supply of good humour handy in the knapsack! We live in tough times, and the guys at the borders have a tough job to do. [I might add that my passport currently discloses quite prominently, and has done so for the last five years, that I have recently made two different and lengthy trips to Pakistan ... purely for travel tourism purposes! It's never created ANY difficulty for me.] True, the border authorities sometimes do things which rankle us; we do need to keep at it in terms of fighting for our rights and equality. But we need to give due where it is due. Europeans don't shine as well in this regard, I'm afraid. They're an openly racist bunch, with many an exception, thank God. But collectively, they still have ways to go in acquiring true class. And India? What's there to say about them ... except that they remain a cursed lot, and don't even appear on the graph of decency.
12: Sanmeet Kaur (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), January 19, 2010, 1:40 PM.
Airport Security - This is such a controversial and wide topic. Every effort to wrap up leads me to yet another question/ discussion. But first, let's be clear on the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) take on the topic: "TSA's current procedures for the screening of bulky clothing or headwear remain unchanged (since 2007). To ensure the highest level of security, passengers wearing loose fitting or bulky clothing - including headwear - may be subject to additional screening. In instances where passengers choose not to remove bulky clothing, including headwear, our officers are trained to offer a private screening area and may conduct a pat down search to clear the individual." This leads me to my first line of questions - does a private screen area translate to a clear plastic holding cell? Can we request to be screened privately without the fear of being further inconvenienced? Has the pat down of innumerable turbans resulted in the detention of a single Sikh or turbaned individual? I couldn't find any numbers, any information pertaining to the latter question. Which led me to a couple of other questions - How effective has this particular search policy been? Does TSA review its policies periodically? If so, they have no relevant information on their site. Transparency and clarity is of utmost importance for two reasons - Airport security involves an immensely personal inter-action. It doesn't get more in-your-face than this. Add to this: when we travel internationally, we are at our most vulnerable. The best we can do is read the section "For Travellers" on the TSA site. It does make life easier when you have some idea what to expect. Recently, "TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world who holds a passport issued by or is traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening." Those of us who are planning to go to Pakistan to visit gurdwaras anytime soon should be adequately prepared. Paramjit's comment - "We don't have security; we have a culturally biased appearance of security," opens yet another discussion. Do our authorities consider it their job to make us secure or to make us believe we are so? Nevertheless, our Sikh advocacy organizations are working hard at curtailing the harassment. It cannot be said enough times that removing the turban in full view of other passengers would be the equivalent of being strip-searched in public. Sikhs are happy to put away their kirpans for the journey. In case someone forgets, should he be treated like a criminal? Inspired by fear, the TSA has probably overlooked the fact that security extends itself to the peace of mind of all, irrespective of class, country or creed. In this day and age of extreme distrust (and the need for clear plastic cells, I know), a small measure of personal confidence and great attitude goes a long way. Perhaps the best way to procure our security is to proffer some to the man in uniform.