The Interfaith Alliance Promotes DOT/FAA Air Travel Guidelines During Holiday Season To: National Desk Contact: Kim Baldwin or Jenny Davis, 202-639-6370 or 202-271-5695 (cell), both of The Interfaith Alliance Sumeet Kaur of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force, 877-917-4547 Samuel Kaplan of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, 202-299-1130 WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ — The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) commends the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) for issuing a fact sheet of federal guidelines to address the issues of racial profiling and turban searches at airports facing Sikh, Muslim and other Americans of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent. The fact sheet, “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the Air Travel of People Who Are Or May Appear to Be of Arab, Middle Eastern or South Asian Descent and/or Muslim or Sikh,” has been made available for public distribution on the FAA’s website at http://www.faa.gov/. As part of a grassroots effort to make the publication available to the religious and ethnic communities across the country, TIA has posted the guidelines on its website at “The DOT and FAA are to be commended for their efforts in producing these critical, educational guidelines in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. With the imminent holiday travel season, it is not only imperative that Sikhs, Muslims and those who appear to be of Middle Eastern descent know their rights when traveling through U.S. airports, but also essential that airline employees practice sensitivity and evidence respect for religious practices,” said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, executive director of TIA. “The Interfaith Alliance will continue to work with the transportation industry as well as with varied religious communities to ensure the protection of religious and civil rights alongside the protection of airport security.” The fact sheet provides the answers to questions in the following five areas: — What new DOT/FAA security restrictions on carry-on items should I be aware of before I fly on a commercial airliner? — What are my rights when I fly on a commercial airliner? — What can I expect as I go through the security screening process at the airport? — How do screeners determine when additional security screening is appropriate? — What can I do if I believe that my rights have been violated? Since Sept. 11, there has been a rise in anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant sentiment. In fact, the FAA has documented numerous cases of Sikh Americans being improperly searched while traveling through US airports. Many cite incidents in which they were singled out and improperly searched because they looked Middle Eastern. Before passing through the metal detectors at airport security checkpoints, many Sikhs have been asked to remove their turbans in public — a practice that is forbidden by their faith. When a Sikh is asked to remove his turban in public, it is as though he is being asked to undress in public. “In early November, leaders of the Sikh community, along with The Interfaith Alliance, met with the FAA and DOT to not only discuss our concerns over treatment of Sikh Americans at airports, but also to educate them on our religious tradition,” said Manjit Singh, executive director of Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force. “The new guidelines are the clearest and most explicit yet in terms of how airlines should handle Sikh and other Americans who may be affected by illegal racial profiling incidents. We thank the DOT and FAA for responding to this concern of the Sikh and other minority communities.” The Sikh Council on Religion and Education organized the Nov. 6 meeting to allow leaders of the Sikh and other faith communities to discuss their concerns with officials from the DOT and FAA. TIA has sent copies of the guidelines to its local Alliances in 38 states as well as placed them on its website, http://www.interfaithalliance.org. Grassroots activists have made the guidelines available to Sikh, Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern and South Asian residents in their communities so that they may carry the guidelines with them when traveling. The FAA/DOT guidelines (4-pages) can be obtained at http://www.faa.gov/acr/DOTAT-RNO.doc or at http://www.interfaithalliance.org/Newsroom/press/011119DOT.PDF. —— Founded in 1994, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) is a non-partisan clergy-led grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the positive and healing role of religion in the life of the nation and challenging those who manipulate religion to promote a narrow, divisive agenda. With more than 130,000 members drawn from over 50 faith traditions, local Alliances in 38 states and a national network of religious leaders, TIA promotes compassion, civility and mutual respect for human dignity in our increasingly diverse society. US Newswire
