Sikh barred from boarding |
Indian American actor and model Waris Ahluwalia was barred from boarding an Aeromexico flight in Mexico City Feb. 8 after he refused to publicly remove his religiously-mandated turban during a secondary security screening. Ahluwalia was in Mexico to attend Zona Maco, dubbed the most-important fair for artists in Latin America by Forbes magazine. He was due to fly back Feb. 8 for the start of New York’s fashion week, which begins Feb. 10. Instead, the actor who was just nominated for a Canadian Oscar for his role as best supporting actor in the film, “Beeba Boys,” found himself detained at the airport, unable to board his flight home. His his boarding card had been stamped “SSSS,” which meant he would have to undergo a secondary security screening. The Sikh Coalition has long contended that Sikh Americans are disproportionately singled out for secondary screenings. A TSA spokesman noted that SSSS determinations are not made at the airport, but are assigned through the agency`s "Secure Flight System" database, prior to travel.
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