Following on the heels of another press release by the Sikh Coalition (please read it), I wanted to clarify why the current pat-down policy is unfair. First and foremost, Sikhs are for security, just like everyone else. If the TSA were patting down every single other passenger, then yes, I could imagine we’d have less of an argument to object to turban pat-downs. But that’s not the case today. Right now, the TSA is just patting down turbans–while letting others walk right by. If I could be hiding something ‘up there’ then just about every other passenger could be hiding something as well, and deserves a full pat down. Doesn’t that sound fair to you? If it does not, and you believe Sikhs should be singled out, that’s profiling. Also removing a Sikh’s turban is like removing an article of clothing–like a shirt or blouse–for example.