Assalamualaikum, This is to inform the community of a disappointing change in Transportation Security Administration(TSA) policy that adds another layer of inconvenience to travel plans, especially for sisters who observe the hijab/head scarf. Remember to always exercise your right to ask for a private screening/check (by female person), so that you are not put through the awkwardness of hijab/body checks in full view of other passengers.
Please read the e-mail below. Please also report any instances of overly-intrusive searches to www.cairseattle.org click on "report an incident" or our voice mail 206.367.4081. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Religious Profiling: New TSA Policy on Head Covering Civil rights and community organizations are urging their constituents to take note of revised screening procedures at airports for all head coverings and to know their rights as travelers. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released a statement <http://www.sikhcoalition.org/advisories/documents/ECDReligiousAdvisory82007FINAL.doc> today confirming reports of new head covering screening procedures as of August 4, 2007. The Sikh Coalition, the largest civil rights organization of American Sikhs, was the first to learn of the new policy and to seek its clarification. The Council on American- Islamic Relations has joined the Sikh Coalition as a signatory to a petition asking the current Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to address concerns about the new policy. The new Standard Operating Procedure includes a guidance recommending that America's 43,000 airport screeners pull aside travelers for secondary screening if their head wear is suspected to conceal a "threat item," regardless of whether they pass the metal detector. The secondary screening will include a pat-down search and possibly a request to remove the head wear. The TSA has not made copies of the new screening procedure or guidelines on its implementation available to the public. According to the Sikh Coalition, the turban is the only form of religious garb specifically identified by the TSA as an example of head wear that could lead to secondary screening at security checkpoints. Failing to distinguish between religious head coverings and fashion wear, the TSA provides cowboy hats and berets as other notable examples of head wear. The new procedure's recommendation of physical pat-downs fails to acknowledge the religious sensitivities involved and does not include any guidance on how to perform these manual checks. Earlier Standards Reversed The new policy is a reversal of standard procedures created in November 2001 to address Americans' national security concerns while safeguarding religious freedom. The previous policy required TSA screeners to search head coverings such as the turban only if the metal detector was not cleared. Screeners were required to do as much as possible to avoid physically touching the head covering. Religious Profiling The specific singling of the turban and the apparent disregard for religious practice has sparked concern over religious profiling. "The policy allows screeners to single out travelers on the basis of their religion," said Amardeep Singh, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition. "..That attitude challenges the spirit of religious pluralism on which our country was built." The policy has led Sikhs to feel that the one of their most precious articles of faith has become part of a government-mandated profile of a person who is a terrorist threat. According to Sikh Coalition officials, since September 11, 2001, hundreds of Sikhs have been harassed, beaten, and even killed because of the association of their turbans and beards with terrorism. A number of civil rights organizations and community groups led by the Sikh Coalition seek to resolve concerns raised by the new policy with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including charges that the practical implementation of the policy will lead to rampant religious profiling. They are urging the TSA to implement a policy that is both respectful of religious pluralism and meets America's safety needs Know Your Rights The Council on American-Islamic Relations encourages Muslims to to respond in the following manner: 1. Please remain calm and courteous during the process. 2. Request that the screener check the headdress with a wand rather than with a pat-down process, explaining that the hijab (head covering) is a religious article of great importance. 3. If the screener cannot oblige ask that the second screening take place in a private room with guards of the same gender. Travelers have the right to request such accommodation. 4. Report any incidences you believe may be ethnic, religious, or racial profiling to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or call 714-776 -1847. The Sikh Coalition also provides a response guide and is encouraging Sikhs to report their turban screening experience. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAIR TRAVEL ADVISORY ON TSA AND HIJAB - (WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/27/07) - The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently changed its policy regarding searches of travelers wearing head coverings such as Islamic scarves or Sikh turbans. CAIR is urging airline passengers of all faiths to educate themselves about their legal rights. SEE: Know Your Legal Rights as an Airline Passenger (CAIR) http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=knowYourRightsPocketGuide#8 If you believe you have been singled out solely based on your race, religion or ethnicity, contact CAIR at 202-488-8787, or file a report online at www.cair.com CAIR is a signatory to a Sikh Coalition petition to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff on the issue of religious profiling. SEE: Stop Religious Profiling in US Airports http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1607/t/380/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=304 The TSA statement on concerns about the civil liberties implications of the new policy says: "On August 4th 2007, TSA implemented revisions to its screening procedures for head coverings. TSA does not conduct ethnic or religious profiling, and employs multiple checks and balances to ensure profiling does not happen. "All members of the traveling public are permitted to wear head coverings (whether religious or not) through the security checkpoints. The new standard procedures subject all persons wearing head coverings to the possibility of additional security screening, which may include a pat-down search of the head covering. Individuals may be referred for additional screening if the TSO cannot reasonably determine that the head area is free of a detectable threat item. If the issue cannot be resolved through a pat-down search, the individual will be offered the opportunity to remove the head covering in a private screening area. "TSA's security procedures, including the procedures for screening head coverings, are designed to ensure the security of the traveling public. These procedures are part of TSA's multi-layered approach to security screening." SEE: TSA Releases Statement on New Airport Screening Procedures http://www.sikhcoalition.org/advisories/NewTSARules.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: TSA Changes Rules for Headdress Searches at U.S. Airports Dear Friends, As some of you may be aware, we learned late last week that the Transportation Security Administration has changed its airport screening procedures as of August 4, 2007. The sudden change in policy includes, as we understand it, mandatory secondary screening for all travelers wearing any form of headgear - including religious headdress. In addition, secondary screenings of religious headdress are now permitted even if a passenger has already been cleared by a metal detector. Millions of Sikh, Muslim, South Asian, and Jewish passengers worldwide will be affected by the new process. Still, the TSA not only sprung this on our communities without warning, but now refuses to inform the public of what the new policy entails, on the grounds of security concerns. It took Sikh Coalition staff members almost 36 hours simply to get a confirmation that the policy had indeed been changed, let alone details of the new procedure. To ensure that our community was not taken by surprise, as we were last week, the Sikh Coalition sent out the attached advisory to our listserv this weekend. We have also included guidelines on what people can do if they are asked to submit to a heightened search of their turbans / religious headdress. As discussed in the advisory, we hope to have more information on this issue in the coming days, and certainly before the end of this week. Once we have had a chance to review any information we receive from the TSA/DHS, we may be calling on all of you to join us in fighting this policy change. We will let you know as soon as possible what that might entail. In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 212.655.3095 (ext. 84). Kind regards, Neha Singh Advocacy Director / Staff Attorney The Sikh Coalition < http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=157855111&u=1545415 > < http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=157855111&u=1545415 > Sikh Turbans Will Be Subject to Heightened Screening at U.S. Airports Four Sikhs Subjected to Mandatory Turban Pat Downs Over Past Two Weeks < http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=157855111&u=1545416 > < http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=157855111&u=1545416 > What Should I Do if a Screener Asks to Search My Turban? Please download our guide < http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=157855111&u=1545417> < http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=157855111&u=1545417> on handling turban pat downs Who Can I Call to Document an Incident of Heightened Turban Screening? Please call our incident hotline at (212) 655-3095, ext. 80 or e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] to file a report whenever you are asked to submit to additional screening of your turban.
