NPR Station Carries Op-Ed Highlighting Challenges for Sikh Air Travelers

My name is Sathanuman Singh Khalsa. I am a Sikh-American. In 2001, I was in NYC on business. I had driven on 9/10 from Boston where my home office was to NY city and was staying with a doctor, who was also a Sikh-American. We watched live as other Americans in the horror of the attacks of 9/11. We watched the WTC fall, we knew what was going to happen to Sikhs. It was obvious to us. We saw bin Laden's image on CNN that day with a white turban and beard. We knew why and where he was. It was Afghanistan where wearing a turban is cultural not religious. We saw the fear appear on the faces of all Americans around us. It happened so fast yet we knew it was evolving over many years. Americans are sheltered and so far from World events until it hits them in the face. As the weeks passed from 9/11 I organized in Massachusetts with other Sikhs to educated the public, the police, the fire departments. I participated in the memorial service at Boston City Hall as an invitee from the Arch -Dioceses of Boston. Thousands were there on that solemn day. I was the only Sikh among a sea of United and American Airline employees from all over the US and Canada. There were representatives from all the major faiths in Boston. There were Jews, Muslims, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant denominations. We held hands in unity as we showed that each of us were one in our faith in the same ONE Creator. Weeks would pass and I was selected for additional screening as I flew and traveled through BWI, Boston, Providence, Buffalo airports, by security and National Guard. At that time there was no TSA. Phone calls were made of my presence in airport parking lot and State Police were called to respond to the unknown presence of man with a beard, wearing a turban on the phone. It was time for a Sikh to pro-active not reactive. A friend of mine, Sher Singh from Frederick, Maryland was arrested on an Amtrak train in Providence by Rhode Island State Police on September 12th, 2001. Later the world would find out that Sher Singh worked for the Defense Department in DC. It is now 2009 and I have worked 3 years in Portland International Airport as a Lead Security Officer for TSA. I wear a blue federal officer's uniform with a dark blue or black turban daily as I perform the same procedure which every TSA officer performs to help keep our nation safe and secure. I listened to the piece on NPR by the teacher whose debate team was challenged at LAX by government security because one of her high school debaters, a young Sikh had to go through additional security screening. While I admire Jennie Savage's empathy for her young Sikh student, I wonder if perception is the real challenge here. Yes, its true that Sikhs wearing turbans go through pat downs in public, private screening, self-pat-downs but so do Orthodox Jews wearing hats when they aren't removed, Muslim women wearing Hijabs, Roman Catholic Nuns wearing habits. At least they are supposed to according to the standard operating procedure of TSA. I know because I administer them throughout the week while I perform my duty at PDX in Portland. The procedure is not to single out any one religion or sect or citizen traveling through a security checkpoint. TSA has done much to educate its entire workforce on Sikh Cultural training as it has for Arab and Muslims. No Sikh should show reaction or anger towards this procedure in my opinion. It is not the practice of our noble path to show any fear. It is the example of nobility and resolve that Sikhs will show an ignorant and sometimes arrogant society that we have a true faith in the One who created us not to react to any event that comes our way. Many Sikhs in India, Great Britain, Canada and other British Commonwealth nation states employee Sikhs to perform Security as well as serve in the armed forces. In Canada Sikhs make up a growing part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The face of Canada's most elite law enforcement agency changed in 1990 when a brave and noble Canadian-Sikh named Baltej Singh Dhillon challenged the tradition of the Mounties and was allowed to have his beard, uncut hair and Daastar/Turban and still perform his duties. He has since received many honors. I suggest that Ms. Savage watch the "Great Debaters" (DVD) about an all African-American debate team who championed the Harvard debate team at Cambridge, Massachusetts during the 1930's. They won by showing that non-violence is more powerful than violence when it comes to Justice. Those great debaters from Wiley College in Texas began their argument with the episode in Amritsar, India known to Sikhs, British and world history as the Jallianwala Massacre. This event took place on April 13th, 1919 when British General Dyer ordered the assault of 10,000 Sikhs in a courtyard in Amritsar. Five hundred Sikhs were murdered and thousands wounded by the same government and military they served victoriously during WWI. That resolve eventually gained India its Independence in 1947. Today India's Prime-Minister is Monmohan Singh, a Sikh. This event turned the tide on the struggle for India's Independence and showed Mahatma Gandhi that his theory of Satyagraha would work. It took the courage and resolve of Sikhs to bring it about. Eighty-percent of those who were beaten, locked in jail from 1919-1946 were Sikh and they represented 2% of the entire population of the sub-continent. I understand that Ms. Savage feels that TSA showed no sensitivity to her young debater and maybe procedures weren't explained properly as I wasn't there, but due to the climate we are in it is important that Sikhs stand strong. There is a reason events happen. To a Sikh God is the Doer of all action. We accept God's Will. The more Sikhs are pro-active and join the service of the FBI, Customs and Border, TSA, Justice Department and eventually are allowed to join the US Armed Forces again as they were before 1981, the better it will be for the consciousness, safety and security of America. I myself travel I accept the procedure I endure because of my non-conforming head wear. We Sikhs stand-out for a purpose. There is a responsibility that comes with the Bana of the 10th Master. Its my opinion that showing dignity and self-confidence has more powerful affect on observers than reacting to the perceived injustice. I have heard the horror stories of Sikh-Americans and Sikhs from Canada, Great-Britain, India who endure the humiliation of being singled out in security screening. I have reached out to them and listened to their feelings. I encouraged them to keep up and be strong. My best resolve is to serve and be seen as a example of security and positive attitude while I work with a Daastar. This will eventually have a positive affect on the psyche of Americans and help reverse the fear of images of bin Laden on 9/11. Many comments come my way saying how great it is to see Sikhs doing security work for the Federal Government. Often these comments come from US military servicemen from enlisted ranks to General officers. Many times it comes from Europeans, Indians and often from Americans themselves who have enlightened themselves on who these folks are with beards, turbans and steel bracelets on their wrists. Thank you NPR for airing Ms. Savage's comments but I strongly suggest that she use her influence in education to learn and teach more about the history of how Sikhs made a difference in India from 1699 to 1947 and how wherever they immigrate to they are successful and prosperous hard working citizens including America. The largest population of Sikhs in the US are in California. There is so much history for her to learn and challenge her students to investigate. Thank you again for this opportunity to make some comments on Sikhs and others undergoing security at US airports. I just wanted to say that TSA is not the enemy and even though its inconvenient to undergo this procedure, I as a Sikh-American welcome the procedure to show others how its done. Hopefully our nation will once again have the courage that made us the Land of the Free and the home of the Brave.