Sikh outrage at US airport security


The tragic events of September 11, 2001 shaped the new decade, and will definitely remain unforgotten well into the next. As a global citizen, I can scratch the surface of the impacts of the event, but I can hardly fathom how deeply ingrained it is into the American national psyche.

The profound effect of these events are still widely felt to this day, six years after the event. Coalition troops are embroiled in bloody war in Afghanistan and Iraq, security, especially at airports, is at levels higher than ever seen before 2001, and we read of terrorist events occurring across the globe, from Madrid to London to Glasgow and the streets of Baghdad. However, should we not be doing our best to fight these agents of terror?

Terrorists seek to sow discord and dissension more than cause any lasting physical damage. Bombings will affect your public transport network for a couple of days, it will cost the government money and time, but more importantly it causes fear and terror. Fear gives rise naturally to distrust and animosity, especially towards those perceived as outsiders.

Since 2001, many racial and religious minorities in the United States, especially those that hail from the middle east, or give the appearance of doing so, have faced increased hatred and persecution. Discrimination and racism have always been problems in society, but the event of 2001 have severely exacerbated this.

America has declared a “war on terror”, not a war on terrorists”. She needs to recognise that terror is a construct of the mind in people; the terrorists merely feed it. America need to crack down on policies that allow this terror, fear and animosity to fester and breed. Under the new regulations mentioned in this report, Airport officials have been given free reign in searching sacred religious symbols.

This is blatant and outrageously discrimination against the religious minority of Sikhs in the United States. No authority in the States would ever pass a regulation that permits officials free reign in searching Christian religious symbols; it should be no different for persons of any religion.

Of course, one must understand that the halcyon days prior to September 11 that the United States enjoyed are long past. The turban poses a small security risk for sure. However, as the article said, there was an old policy in place that gave Sikhs a high amount of privacy regarding their turbans. However, America cannot allow the kind of discrimination shown in this regulation to continue. This does not help reduce terrorism, it promotes fear and distrust that that hate of terrorism feeds on.