Harassed AT Trinidad AIRPORT

[Guest SikhForLife]

send it to the CEO

[kurtas]

I think 1st to do is to change your photo on the passport with latest one

Your article is a nice reply

Most sensible idea on this discussion.

[kurtas]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

Hey Veerji, maybe we should write a letter to the local papers aswell.....

let me know if ur up to it

btw just a question, if a white guy suddenly grows his beard or keeps a gotti, does he need to go to change his pic before he flys? :wub:

The white guy should change his picture according to the information at http://www.ppt.gc.ca/passports/responsibilities_e.asp

This is not a white/black issue so stop trying to give it a racial edge. It is issue of a person being told it was ok to travel on a passport despite a change of appearence and then getting grief over it from an airport employee who had a bad attitude.

Sometimes there is such a huge culture difference that what may appear rude to us is not considered rude in that country. Take Holland as an example, people use the term Paki to describe asians. There is no racial slur intended but for someone travelling from the UK they will think the Dutch are being racist. Staff in shops and restaraunts in Holland are also very in your face, people from other couries my think this is rude but it i

s normal behaviour in Holland and accepted as such

Keeping a passport up to date is very important. If you fail to do it and get grief from airline/airport staff then it is partly your fault. The staff should still behave with respect but nowadays a lot of airline staff feel as though they are paying for your travel and treat you like rubbish it is even worse where the airlines have outsourced the ground services to other companies.

[Guest Sony]

Fateh,

Im sorry i was seriously not trying to make this a racial edge, it was seriously a general question, and the link u posted provided the answer. Again, i didnt mean to make it a racial subject. I should have said that if neone kept a beard, or if a woman coloured her hair or nething like that. Im sorry that was my mistake.

Thank you for clearing that up.

Pul Chuk Maaf

[amandeep]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, that is really out of order.

With regards to your letter - there are a number of minor grammatical errors and a couple of spelling errors. Ive cleaned it up and attached it.

On a more general note, the opening few paragraphs are fine as you detail the events. However the last couple of paragraphs lack some punch. You need to explain exactly what you want BWIA to do ? Do you want a personal apology? a corporate apology ? Do you want Chittar to be chastised in some way ? Do you want BWIA to institute training? Compensation? What exactly do you want them to do. If you dont state anything then they will write a non-commital reply "regretting that you were inconvinienced by their securty measures" and then throw your letter away.

I woudl also be inclined to strip out all unecessary verbage and get the letter down to just a few paragraphs. Also put a time limit on their reply (14 days) and if you dont get a reply then escalate the issue from customer Srvices up the chain of command (short letters get read long ones get ignored)

I would also encourage you to let SMART/SALDEF becuase they have dealt with these cases before and a legal approach from them can simply scare an airline into compliance. You may want to look at their website for some good resources.

Good Luck (and please see the re-worded letter below)

Aman

I am writing to complain about discrimination that I had to endure from one of your employees at Piarco Airport on xxdatexx. While in transit at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and after clearing security I approached the BWIA counter for check-in Mr Maniram Chittar (A BWIA employee) checked my docume

nts and told me to have a seat. After checking the other in-transit passengers Mr Chittar re-inspected my passport meticulously before a very rude and public interrogation began. Again, Mr Chittar demanded that I return to where I was sitting and I was made to wait another fifteen minutes. By this time, passengers were being called to the gate since boarding was about to start. I was again called to the counter where Mr. Chittar’s impoliteness towards me grew Information that was clearly stated on my passport was repeatedly asked of me; it was clear that Mr Chittar thought that I was carrying a false passport. I had no problem with this because since my last passport picture was taken, I have since grown a beard and I wear a turban which is a requirement of the Sikh religion.

Mr Chittar made no attempts to make this interrogation private; I was questioned in the presence of all other travellers and passers-by. As his questioning continued, I could see the reaction of other travellers towards me; they were looking at me as if I had done something wrong. My humiliation grew when Mr. Chittar, publicly asked me how long I had grown that ‘that thing’ on my face; he was referring to my beard. Appalled at this disrespectful question, I asked Mr Chittar if he was referring to my beard. He demanded that I answer his questions regardless of how he asked them. I remained calm and explained to Mr. Chittar that I am a Sikh and keeping a beard is a requirement of the religion; I went on to tell Mr. Chittar that referring to my beard as ‘that thing’ is very disrespectful and hurtful. Mr. Chittar responded, ‘Yeah Whatever’.

Shocked at Mr Chittar’s indignant response, I asked him if he was harassing me because I have a beard. This direct question obviously infuriated him as he told me that he can do whatever he wants to anyone he chooses. Determined to assert his authority. Mr Chittar instructed another BWIA employee that my bags should be removed from the plane so that they could be searched. Obviously upset at this point

, I told Mr Chittar that he had no right to speak to me in such a manner since I have paid for my ticket and am entitled to the same respectful treatment as other passengers but my words seemed unheard by anyone. I was then summoned by Mr Chittar to the boarding area and made to wait until everyone boarded the plane, even though I was seated in section 1OF. This horrible encounter mercifully came to an end.

I am very humiliated and hurt by the actions of Mr. Chittar and I am determined not to let this prejudice go unnoticed. I want everyone to realize that this discrimination still plagues visible minorities, and it is not restricted to normal civilians; it is evident even in the Airline Authorities with whom we place our trust. Persons like Maniram Chittar should not be allowed to get away with such behaviour. I was the centre of harassment and embarrassment because I have a beard and wear a turban. Think about this for a second: I was treated like a criminal because of the length of my facial hair and the turban on my head; I was insulted because I chose to follow the requirements of my religion. Imagine being insulted because you wore a cross on your chain. I was exposed to this prejudice because Mr. Chittar Thought that tolerance was too good for someone like me.

Mr Chittar is a paid employee of British West Indian Airways (BWIA); and on January 6th he was paid to make me feel less than a human being. He was given money, by his employers, to harass me because of my beard and turban. Of course this is not the intention of Mr Chittar’s employers, but should he continue to be employed, it would suggest that Piarco International Airport and BWIA condones and encourages this religious intolerance. It suggests that Mr. Chittar employers support his opinion that anyone who is different by his standards should be subjected to harassment and embarrassment. Mr Chittar should not be allowed to subject other persons to the prejudice and humiliation that I was made to endure and I sincerely hope that his emp

loyees at BWIA share my sentiments.

I will never forget this humiliation, but I do understand that these are people who do not understand my religion and culture; but this should not give anyone the right to treat another person with such disrespect because they have not been properly educated. So this is my mission: To make as many people aware of this actions of Mr. Chittar and those like him; to encourage anyone who has been discriminated against because of their race, religion, culture or nationality to stand up against this religious intolerance. We have a voice, the media is capable of reaching every corner of the world; and this is where my story intends to go.

YOU REALLY NEED TO EDIT DOWN THE LAST 2 PARAs AND ADD EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT BWIA TO DO. Eg Do you want them apologies personally, go on cultural awareness training and compensate you? Also have them reply to you in 14 days otherwise threaten to go to the CEO and also start publicising this through the wider Sikh community in North America. Try to get this onto 1.5 pages maximum

{you may want to quote the following from www.sikhnet,com which has some good sources in it}

You are not allowed to be discriminated against solely on the basis of being a Sikh or based solely on an

appearance or dress that is associated with our religion and/or culture.

o For example, selecting a man for an inspection solely because he is wearing a long beard or

turban is unlawful discrimination, violating state and federal statutes and constitutional principles.

o As a Sikh woman, you have the same rights with respect to your hair covering as a Sikh man has

with his turban.

o The authorities may search you in the same manner in which they search other passengers. That

is, if they are requiring all passengers to disrobe, or if they are “randomly” searching passengers

without regard to their appearance alone.

Source: Norman Strickman, US Department of Transportation, Office of the General Counsel, email to

Aviation In

dustry, September 21, 2001

o You or your property are not to be inspected, searched, detained and/or denied transportation services

solely because you are a Sikh, speak Punjabi, wear a Turban, or wear Punjabi clothing.

Source: Carrying Out Transportation Inspection and Safety Responsibilities in a Nondiscriminatory Manner,

email from DOT to Aviation Industry, October 16, 2001

o If you trigger a metal detector and security asks you to remove your turban, ask first that they check you

with a hand wand, and if necessary, to pat you down. You may request that this be done in a public or a

private setting. If security refuses to respect this reasonable request, ask to speak to a supervisor.

Source: Carrying Out Transportation Inspection and Safety Responsibilities in a Nondiscriminatory Manner,

email from DOT to Aviation Industry, October 16, 2001

o If a search or inspection is necessary for safety or security reasons, you must be provided with the choice

of a public or private inspection. You must be given the opportunity to replace your clothing in a private

area.

Source: Carrying Out Transportation Inspection and Safety Responsibilities in a Nondiscriminatory Manner,

email from DOT to Aviation Industry, October 16, 2001

o You have the right to be treated with respect and in a polite, respectful and friendly manner, just as the

other travelers expect to be treated.

Source: Carrying Out Transportation Inspection and Safety Responsibilities in a Nondiscriminatory Manner,

email from DOT to Aviation Industry, October 16, 2001

[V]

EDITED

Admin note : This is your first and last warning and this reply will be deleted by morning!

Deleted for what ? Is there anything offensive in my post ? NO. Read it !! This is funny but yesterday a veerji on another thread wrote about censorship and him not being allowed to use jago wale in a broadcast. Here we have admin not allowing debate and threatening to delete a reply. There is nothing offensive in the reply as far as I can see. If telling people to change passport pictures is offensive then I apologise. Also I have not even had a first warning so whats with the premature last warning ?

Admin Note : Veer ji Your id is under moderation now. If duplicate id appears, your ip will be put on ban list. Thank you

What for ? Would be nice to know what forum guidlines I have broken and then it would be nice to apply these to everyone.

Mod Note : contact@sikhsangat.com. If more question raised in public forum, ip will be put up in ban list. Thanks

StopSingh I don't think what you said was wrong - i.e Bhaji Shoulda have taken a WRITTEN letter from Embassy etc

but it was your WAY OF SAYING IT.

INstead of supporting a hurt brother, you have a go at him - I think tha's what offensive!

>bhull chukk maaf

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[Gurpreet Singh]

Thanks for the help sangat ji. I am already in the process of changing my pictures and i just wanted to make it clear since it was such a close call i didn't get to change my pics in time and i did contact my embassy before flying and they told me to get other documents to support my identity but anyways.............I still haven't gotten a reply from the airlines and im in touch with united sikhs and hopefully we can get something done about this.....

[untrackable singh]

ni paji i feel ur stiry as i have been throught some similer times.

A man in atlanta georgia in the us has mad him self a millionare by being a cheapskate. His advise when dealing with a company that doesnt reply or look at ur complaint is to protest as loudly as possible. Gather the sikhs in ur area and make banners and signs. PROTEST OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT, THEIR OFFICES, AND anywhere they com in contact with a consumer. the minute u show up with ppl to protest they will take notice of u.

untrackable singh

no injustice shoud stand! <_<