deckingraj
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Hi All
I have a terrible experience during immigration to US today and wanted to share it with members....
Intentions : Before i start i would like to make my intention clear about opening the thread...I treat US as my second home and want to do something about the terrible experience that i faced so that people don't end up having a bad taste....I would request members to please give some valuable suggestion(if you can) or share if you have any similar experience but please don't use this discussion to shower your hatred/grudge against US(if you have any)....As this is personal experience and happened just today so i am still a little shaken and sensitive about it...Hope people will comply to my request...
Background : I went to India two weeks back for vacation and heard about Nigerian guy trying to blow up a plane...I was happy that the plan was busted but the news made me really nervous because i knew that now immigration people would be on their toes...Being a sikh i know there are definite different standards applied while screening you during immigration(Sikhs though very different yet a layman can mistaken them as someone coming straight from AF belonging to Taliban/Al-Qaeda to commit another 9/11)...Though unfortunate yet i know that this is fact and to be honest have learned to live with it...after all terrorism is a reality in today's world....I believe its the looks that cause this confusion among security/immigration people - though a bigger question is should a liberal society allow different screening standards of people based on their looks???
Here are some pictures that i would like to post...
For a layman this is how a devoted Sikh(known as Nihang - A warrior) looks
A Sikh who is not a nihang kind of dresses like this
And here is a the picture which caused lot of racist attacks on Sikh community
I can easily see the difference between the looks of the above two images but maybe a person who has no idea about Sikhism would find it hard to differentiate...Though ignorance can't be used as an excuse and any discrimination on looks/caste/religion etc should be condemned unequivocally....
Experience : As said above i was nervous because of security issue in US and had prepared myself for extensive checking but to much of my dismay the fuss was much bigger than what i anticipated... The moment i reached immigration officer he started asking me all sorts of questions(it should be noted that it was my 7 visit in last 3 years)...Obviously i answered all of them to the satisfaction of the officer. He then asked for the finger prints and i complied...Then came the bummer...He asked me to remove my hat(i covered my head with a hat instead of turban) to take the picture...I explained to him that as per my religion i am supposed to cover my head all the time and cannot remove my hat...To ask a sikh remove his head cover is equivalent to asking a women remove her clothes and that too in full public glare....I explained the officer about my reluctance and told him that at best i can pull it above my forehead so that he can take a cleat picture of mine....At this he called his supervisor and after discussion with him(supervisor) told me to follow him....They took me to a separate room where there were many people sitting(all from the same flight that I boarded)...I was not surprised to see that most of them were Muslims( i kind of figured from their names)....Here i was asked to sit and later(15-20 minutes) an officer came and told me bluntly that i would have to remove my hat...I tried to explain him but he said that you have to follow the law...I told him that if i need to do it as per Law than i am all for it...However some sensitivity should be shown as per tenets of my religion and i should be taken to a private room...At that he said that there are no private rooms and I have to remove my hat right here in front of people...This was shocking...I never had face such extreme thing in my past visits...I understand the security concern but could not understand the insensitivity around the procedure and the way things were communicated....With almost tears in my eyes i removed my hat and found out that they were not ready to take picture because there is some issue in the system...This was like adding insult to the injury... I waited for nearly 10 minutes with uncovered head and was feeling disgusted(something like you are being raped)....After the photo session i was stopped at customs and once again the series of questioning started...then i was asked to wait for some time and finally after my luggage was frisked i was asked to leave....Somehow i carried myself and talked to the officer..I told him that this is my seventh visit and never had such a horrific experience....How unfair was it for me to ask for a private room??? After all i am not a terrorist and appreciate their work for keeping people secure...but why this insensitivity about someone's religion??? At this he told me that he will make a note of this but can't promise me anything...With a bad taste i left the airport but not able to sleep and that embarrassing moment is still troubling me.....I can't understand why there is so much fuss and insensitivity in US...After all i cleared UK security and immigration just yesterday(my connecting flight got canceled and had to stay there for a day)..They also have tightened the security but they are very much sensitive about someone's religion(atleast my experience)...
Next Step : As a next step can any member please advice is there anything i can do in this regard??? I am thinking of contacting a local gurudwara(temple for sikhs) and share my experience with them...May be they can suggest something.....
Also if you have faced similar experience please share on this thread
I have a terrible experience during immigration to US today and wanted to share it with members....
Intentions : Before i start i would like to make my intention clear about opening the thread...I treat US as my second home and want to do something about the terrible experience that i faced so that people don't end up having a bad taste....I would request members to please give some valuable suggestion(if you can) or share if you have any similar experience but please don't use this discussion to shower your hatred/grudge against US(if you have any)....As this is personal experience and happened just today so i am still a little shaken and sensitive about it...Hope people will comply to my request...
Background : I went to India two weeks back for vacation and heard about Nigerian guy trying to blow up a plane...I was happy that the plan was busted but the news made me really nervous because i knew that now immigration people would be on their toes...Being a sikh i know there are definite different standards applied while screening you during immigration(Sikhs though very different yet a layman can mistaken them as someone coming straight from AF belonging to Taliban/Al-Qaeda to commit another 9/11)...Though unfortunate yet i know that this is fact and to be honest have learned to live with it...after all terrorism is a reality in today's world....I believe its the looks that cause this confusion among security/immigration people - though a bigger question is should a liberal society allow different screening standards of people based on their looks???
Here are some pictures that i would like to post...
For a layman this is how a devoted Sikh(known as Nihang - A warrior) looks
A Sikh who is not a nihang kind of dresses like this
And here is a the picture which caused lot of racist attacks on Sikh community
I can easily see the difference between the looks of the above two images but maybe a person who has no idea about Sikhism would find it hard to differentiate...Though ignorance can't be used as an excuse and any discrimination on looks/caste/religion etc should be condemned unequivocally....
Experience : As said above i was nervous because of security issue in US and had prepared myself for extensive checking but to much of my dismay the fuss was much bigger than what i anticipated... The moment i reached immigration officer he started asking me all sorts of questions(it should be noted that it was my 7 visit in last 3 years)...Obviously i answered all of them to the satisfaction of the officer. He then asked for the finger prints and i complied...Then came the bummer...He asked me to remove my hat(i covered my head with a hat instead of turban) to take the picture...I explained to him that as per my religion i am supposed to cover my head all the time and cannot remove my hat...To ask a sikh remove his head cover is equivalent to asking a women remove her clothes and that too in full public glare....I explained the officer about my reluctance and told him that at best i can pull it above my forehead so that he can take a cleat picture of mine....At this he called his supervisor and after discussion with him(supervisor) told me to follow him....They took me to a separate room where there were many people sitting(all from the same flight that I boarded)...I was not surprised to see that most of them were Muslims( i kind of figured from their names)....Here i was asked to sit and later(15-20 minutes) an officer came and told me bluntly that i would have to remove my hat...I tried to explain him but he said that you have to follow the law...I told him that if i need to do it as per Law than i am all for it...However some sensitivity should be shown as per tenets of my religion and i should be taken to a private room...At that he said that there are no private rooms and I have to remove my hat right here in front of people...This was shocking...I never had face such extreme thing in my past visits...I understand the security concern but could not understand the insensitivity around the procedure and the way things were communicated....With almost tears in my eyes i removed my hat and found out that they were not ready to take picture because there is some issue in the system...This was like adding insult to the injury... I waited for nearly 10 minutes with uncovered head and was feeling disgusted(something like you are being raped)....After the photo session i was stopped at customs and once again the series of questioning started...then i was asked to wait for some time and finally after my luggage was frisked i was asked to leave....Somehow i carried myself and talked to the officer..I told him that this is my seventh visit and never had such a horrific experience....How unfair was it for me to ask for a private room??? After all i am not a terrorist and appreciate their work for keeping people secure...but why this insensitivity about someone's religion??? At this he told me that he will make a note of this but can't promise me anything...With a bad taste i left the airport but not able to sleep and that embarrassing moment is still troubling me.....I can't understand why there is so much fuss and insensitivity in US...After all i cleared UK security and immigration just yesterday(my connecting flight got canceled and had to stay there for a day)..They also have tightened the security but they are very much sensitive about someone's religion(atleast my experience)...
Next Step : As a next step can any member please advice is there anything i can do in this regard??? I am thinking of contacting a local gurudwara(temple for sikhs) and share my experience with them...May be they can suggest something.....
Also if you have faced similar experience please share on this thread
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