It's usually OK to wear a piece of fabric on your head, provided it's got a shape that doesn't frighten other domesticated primates. Unfortunately for Waris Ahluwalia, an Indian-American actor and designer, the piece of fabric on his head was in the shape of a turban, a shape that triggers acute panic in certain homo sapiens. As a result, Ahluwalia was prevented from boarding an Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York.
"This morning in Mexico City I was told I could not board my @aeromexico flight to NYC because of my turban," he wrote on Instgram.
From The Guardian:
For Sikhs, wearing a turban symbolises commitment to the faith.
“[Taking the turban off] is not something that I would do in public,” Ahluwalia told the New York Daily News. “That’s akin to asking someone to take off their clothes.”
Aeromexico made the following statement on their website:
Aeromexico is a global airline that has operations in countries around the world, which recognizes and is proud of the diversity of its passengers. Every day we work to ensure strict compliance with the highest safety standards, while we respect and value the culture and beliefs of our customers.
We apologize to Mr. Waris Ahluwalia for the bad experience he had with one of our security elements in addressing your flight to New York in the Mexico City International Airport.
This case motivates us to ensure that security personnel strengthen its care protocols, always respecting the cultural and religious values of customers.
Image: Shutterstock
