Ottawa sources stated that security officials have apologized after a Sikh minister of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet was asked to remove his turban at a US airport before boarding a flight last year. Meanwhile the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains said the incident happened at Detroit Metro Airport on his way back to Canada in April 2017.
Media reports that Bains said the security guards asked him to undergo special screening because of his turban, despite passing through the metal detector, but the test malfunctioned. Moreover that is when a security official asked him to remove his turban for inspection. Further Bains said he pushed back and asked them to do the test again during the April 2017 incident. He said security agents at a Detroit airport were “very insistent and very difficult” when he told them he did not want to remove his turban.
Furthermore he said he was proud to represent the Sikh community. “As a
Sikh, wearing the turban is considered one of the most dutiful acts for a
person of faith, and he is proud to represent my community unfortunately these
types of incidents do occur from time to time, to minorities in particular.”
