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Sikh Actor Gets Apology, Criticizes TSA After Being Barred from Flight

HeadlineFeb 10, 2016

An actor and designer who follows the Sikh religion and was barred from boarding a flight for refusing to remove his turban says the airline, Aeroméxico, has apologized and issued a directive to staff on religious sensitivity. The move follows an outcry after Waris Ahluwalia was prevented from flying to the United States from Mexico. Ahluwalia said he blames U.S. transportation authorities, not the airline.

Waris Ahluwalia: “No part of me is angry at the Aeroméxico gate agents. They didn’t know. Right? This is an issue that they weren’t—they didn’t know how to deal with it. This is a flight that goes back to America, so it comes under the jurisdiction of the TSA. The TSA needs to make clearer guidelines for foreign airports on how to deal with Sikh travelers, as well as any traveler that has religious articles of faith.”

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