INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Navdeep Bains was repeatedly asked by airport security agents to remove his turban.
About a year ago, while at an airport in Detroit, Canadian Cabinet minister Navdeep Bains found
himself in a situation he had never experienced before.The country's Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development said in a
televised interview Thursday that he was repeatedly asked by airport security agents to remove his turban - even after he had passed through
security and was at his departure gate
Bains, a devout Sikh, said he was only allowed to fly after he showed the agents his diplomatic passport."I felt very awkward," he said
"It's not something that I expected
on many occasions.In Sikhism, wearing a turban is "considered one of the most dutiful acts for a person of the faith," Bains said in a
The practice "asserts a public commitment to maintaining the values and ethics of the tradition, including service, compassion, and
honesty," according to the Sikh Coalition, an advocacy organization.Following the incident, Bains said Canadian officials contacted the U.S
government, and received an apology, according to La Presse, a French-language news site
La Presse was the first to report on the minister's experience in an article published Thursday.While Bains said he accepted the apology, he
decided to go public with his story to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion."So many Canadians can relate to this story because of
the challenges that they face themselves," he told reporters in Toronto.Canada has more Sikh ministers than any other country, The
Washington Post has reported
In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced "the most diverse Cabinet in the country's history," including four federal ministers who
are Sikh, according to The Post.The incident involving Bains happened in April 2017 when he was traveling through Detroit Metro Airport on
He had attended an event in Michigan where officials had discussed "strengthening Canada-U.S
relations," he said.Bains said he cleared the metal detectors without any issue, but was then subjected to additional security measures
because of his turban, according to CNN.In 2007, the U.S
Transportation and Security Administration revised its screening process for people who travel with headwear, such as turbans
Under the new regulations, travelers are allowed to keep their headwear on while going through airport security, the Associated Press
reported.Bains said his screening process hit a bump when "there was some challenge and issue with the swab machine." Swabs are taken to see
if a person has come into contact with explosive materials, according to Fox News
The samples are run through a machine that tests for bomb or explosive residue or traces of drugs
When the machine emitted a warning sound, the officer asked Bains to remove his turban as part of a secondary search."I told him it was the
machine that was not working well," he told La Presse
"I asked him to repeat the sampling test again
And if there is a problem, we can consider other options because I think it's an intrusion into my private life."A second test revealed
Bains' turban to be free of any prohibited substances, and the minister was able to make it to his gate.But that wasn't the end of his
travel saga.After arriving at his gate, Bains said another TSA agent approached him and requested that he return to the security check point
and his remove his turban, saying proper security protocol had not been followed
It was then finally that Bains did the one thing he knew would convince U.S
authorities he was not a threat
He showed them his diplomatic passport."Ultimately I was allowed to fly, but it was because of who I was and that should not be the case,"
In the interview with La Presse, Bains explained that he intentionally hides that he is a government official when traveling because he
wants to "understand better what ordinary people" experience."It doesn't matter what your status is, what your position is," he said in the
"It's really about making sure people are not discriminated against, that people are treated fairly and with respect."Bains said he was
fortunate his position allowed him to bring up what had happened to him with U.S
officials.In an interview Thursday, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said "Canada's perspective" was expressed to the U.S
She said conversations happened "official to official.""We heard about the difficulties that Minister Bain encountered at the border,"
"I thought that was important for us to support Minister Bains and frankly, to support all Canadians traveling across the border."The TSA
also released a statement addressing the incident, CNN reported."We regret the screening experience did not meet the expectations of Mr
Bains," TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy said in the statement
"Upon review of airport closed-circuit video, we determined that the officer conducting the screening did not follow standard operating
procedures and therefore received additional training."The statement went on to say that "all persons wearing head coverings may be subject
to additional security screening, which may include an officer-conducted or self-conducted pat-down
TSA does this to ensure that prohibited items or weapons are not concealed beneath any type of clothing and brought onto an aircraft
This policy covers all headwear and is not directed at any one particular item or group."Although Bains said he understands the importance
of security, he added that it is critical to focus on understanding people of diverse backgrounds and different faiths
Discrimination, he said, is something that he's seen "far too often
with so many people of so many different backgrounds.""My hope is now that I'm talking about this, now that this has come to public light,
