If you’re not flying first class, getting through an airport and on an airplane is almost always a hassle.
In post-9/11 America, air travel is not what it once was. For most of us, it means longer waits in line, taking off our shoes and generally being regarded with more suspicion. Still, a major and sometimes unspoken element of this shift is the phenomenon of targeting passengers from specific cultures or religions. In some cases, the way a passenger is dressed might bring additional attention from the TSA.
That was the case for Waris Ahluwaria, a high-profile Sikh actor, model and jewelry designer.
Ahluwaria first made a name for himself in a now-iconic 2013 Gap advertisement.
After that, he was also in several major movies including The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Inside Man and The Darjeeling Limited. More recently, Ahluwaria made headlines after being randomly searched by AeroMexico as he was trying to fly out of Mexico City to go to New York City. Ahluwaria spoke about his experiences to reporters at BuzzFeed News: “They waited until everyone boarded the plane before they did the secondary security check on me.”
After that, they asked him to take off his turban to continue onto the flight—which he refused to do.
In the Sikh religion, turbans are a religious head covering and a mark of piety and humility.
Because of his religious beliefs, Ahluwalia objected to the TSA agents involved and used the moment as a teaching opportunity:
“Being asked to remove your turban in public is like being asked to remove all your clothes in public.”
Ahluwaria continued to post updates on his delayed flight on social media, particularly on his Instagram, which drew thousands of likes:
After all the discussion, the executives at the airline did their best to smooth over the bad PR.
Still, Ahluwaria refused complimentary tickets to get on the next flight and stood his ground, with three demands as a result of his experience. The first was a public apology from AeroMexico; the second was Sikh awareness training for airport security and the third was additional training on how to screen passengers with religious headwear. As he explained to BuzzFeed News reporters:
“It’s no longer about me and my comfort . . .we have a situation here, and that situation is ignorance . . . I’m not angry, let’s just make [a] change so that no one else has to deal with anything like this again.”
Do you think this situation was handled correctly? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
