American Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia barred from US-bound flight over turban row
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Version 0 of 1. A Indian-American actor and designer has been barred from boarding an Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York because he refused to remove his turban. “This morning in Mexico City I was told I could not board my @aeromexico flight to NYC because of my turban,” Waris Ahluwalia wrote on his Instagram account. The 41-year-old actor posted a picture of himself holding up his boarding pass and another in front of an Aeromexico customer service desk. Ahluwalia, who runs the House of Waris, was heading to New York’s fashion week. “Dear NYC fashion week. I may be a little late as @aeromexico won’t let me fly with a turban. Don’t start the show without me,” he added. 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.” He reportedly asked for a private screening room in which to remove the turban, but staff refused. The Mexican airline issued a statement late Monday saying that it was obligated to follow “federal requirements in terms of security determined by the US Transportation Security Administration to review passengers.” The airline said it “regrets the inconvenience that any passenger may perceive from the application of these procedures” and it vowed to transport all passengers regardless of their religious beliefs. On Monday, Ahluwalia remained in Mexico City awaiting a flight to New York with another carrier. As an actor, Ahluwalia appeared in the Oscar-nominated film The Grand Budapest Hotel and the US television series The Carrie Diaries. He also became the first Sikh man to model for Gap. |