The Sikh Coalition chalks up another success with its response to this incident, reported in its press release, included after the jump. (more…)

It’s here, the jointly produced Sikh Air Travel Guide. What’s remarkable about this document is not its content, but the collaborative effort that produced it. SALDEF, SikhCoalish (just coined the term), and United Sikhs, three organizations usually vying for the community’s donation dollars by claiming to be the “oldest” or “largest” Sikh advocacy group, jointly authored the document. It’s included for your perusal below.

In a recent press release, the Sikh Coalition enumerated the kirpan cases that it has participated in. For those who don’t know, the Kirpan is a small blade carried by Sikhs to express their duty to defend anyone weak or oppressed. No more dangerous than the multi-function swiss army knife that your IT manager carries, the Kirpan is one of the five symbols that practicing Sikhs maintain. Here’s the list of kirpan cases, followed by the original press release–another case was won in Ohio. For a law-enforcement-grade understanding of the kirpan, watch this video.

A History Success: The Sikh Coalition Work to Protect the Right to Carry the Kirpan

New York City v. Makhan Singh, November 8, 2001: The Queens District Attorney’s office decides to drop weapons possession charges against Makhan Singh for wearing a one foot long kirpan openly over his clothing in John F. Kennedy Airport.

Knox County v. Charanjit Singh Dhadwal, December 6, 2001: The Knox County Prosecutor’s office drops weapons possession charges against Charanjit Singh for carrying a kirpan on his person while he was driving his truck through Tennessee.

City of New York v. Harjit Singh and Lal Singh Jassal, January 2002: A judge in criminal court in Manhattan dismissed criminal charges against Harjit Singh and Lal Singh for wearing a kirpan after learning that the kirpan is a religious article of faith.

Menomee Falls v. Hargian Singh, August 29, 2002: Hargian Singh was given a citation for wearing a kirpan in Menomee Falls, Wisconsin. At trial the judge dismissed the charges and apologized to Hargian Singh after learning that the kirpan is a religious article of faith.

New York City v. Joginder Singh, October 31, 2002: A judge in criminal court in Manhattan dismissed criminal charges against Joginder Singh for wearing a kirpan after learning that the kirpan is a religious article of faith.

Scagville v. Avtar Singh and Hardeep Singh, February 19, 2003: Police in Scagville, Maryland release Avtar Singh and Hardeep Singh who they had detained for one hour after they received a faxed letter from the Sikh Coalition explaining that their kirpan are protected religious articles.

New York v. Kashmir Singh, April 13, 2004: A prosecutor in Manhattan drops criminal charges against a Sikh cab driver for carrying the kirpan.

State of Montana v. Sarjeet Singh and Gurnam Singh, April 20, 2004: A prosecutor in Big Horn County, Montana drops a kirpan prosecution against two Sikh truckers for carrying kirpans on their persons while driving through Montana.

Ohio v. Anoop Kaur Ahluwalia, May 12, 2004: Weapon possession charge dropped against a Sikh woman who entered an airport wearing her kirpan.

City of Bellevue v. Gagandeep Singh
September 17, 2004, criminal charges dropped for carry the kirpan by local prosecutors in Bellevue, Washington.

State of Washington, County of Kittitas v. Gajjan Singh Bal
July 28, 2004, criminal charges against a Sikh trucker are dropped for carrying his kirpan while working by local prosecutors in Kittitas County, Washington.

State of California v. Kamaldeep Singh
August 4, 2004, criminal charges against a Sikh student for carrying the kirpan while studying in the cafeteria are dropped by local prosecutors.

State of Michigan v. Bhagwant Singh
August 16, 2004, criminal charges against a Sikh for carrying his kirpan while waiting for his father in his car outside an airport are dropped by local prosecutors in Wayne County, Michigan.

Oregon vs. Gurpal Singh
October 1, 2004 - Prosecutors in Roseberg, Oregon decline to file criminal charges against Gurpal Singh (Gill), a Sikh truck driver who was issued a criminal citation for carrying his kirpan, after the Sikh Coalition intervenes.

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So as you know, the TSA quietly changed its screening guidelines in August and Sikhs were being searched–some were being asked to remove their turbans–without ever setting off a metal detector or wand. This was a big step backward from the consistent screening policies implemented by the TSA after 9/11. Anyway, the new policy, as jointly announced by Sikh Coalition and SALDEF (with verbatim, time-synchronized press releases to boot)
means:

1. Turbans will not be listed in any TSA guidance as an item that should be subject to additional screening.
2. The TSA recognized that security screeners should not be allowed to touch a Sikh’s turban indiscriminately, and should seek explicit consent before doing so, if no alarm has been set off.
3. By accommodating religious head coverings, the TSA has acknowledged the distinction between secular and religious garb, including the Sikh turban.
4. Before the Thanksgiving 2007 travel season, all 43,000 TSA screeners will undergo the following mandatory training about Sikhs:
   1. View On Common Ground (see previous post) Sikh American Cultural Awareness Training for Law Enforcement.
   2. Receive copies of the Common Sikh American Head Coverings poster.

I’ve attached both Press Releases after the jump.
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The Sikh Coalition recently launched a website for Sikh Kids. It’s basically the modern day equivalent of a brochure on a topic with an interactive discussion board, videos, and cool PowerPoint decks and resources. Useful and well-designed, kudos to the Coalition for putting this out!

http://khalsakids.org

This is an Op-Ed piece written by the Sikh Coalition.

As a kid growing up, I was always seen as the “genie” — you know, the dude with a turban that comes out of a lamp. Thank you Disney. A stereotype, but a benign one. Unfortunately as Sikh kids grow up today, they are labeled by their peers as “Osama” (thanks CNN) so I can only imagine what it’s like to be a fifth grader with a Sikh turban. Hopefully efforts like those highlighted in the editorial will ensure our schools give all students and equal chance at education.

A Free Ride for Bullies

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I’ve attached the full letter. Here’s a key paragraph:

“We are concerned that this policy change could lead to disparate treament of Sikh travelers, it appears that they are being singled out for secondary screenings soley on the basis of physical manifestations of their religious beliefs. Moreover, we find it troubling that the policy was changed without any consultation with the impacted communities, and minimal information has been made public regarding the new procedures.”