Sikh comedian forced to remove turban at US airport

An Indo-Canadian Sikh comedian was forced to take off his turban in San Francisco during a security check, weeks after a Sikh-American actor was barred from boarding a flight in Mexico for refusing to take off his turban.

Jasmeet Singh, who's known on the internet as "JusReign," posted about the incident on Twitter, the New York Daily reported.         

"So the (agents) made me take off my turban in extra screening or they said I wouldn't be able to be let through to catch my flight," he tweeted.

"After finding absolutely nothing wrong because a turban is just cloth and the whole thing is stupid I ask for a mirror to tie it back again.

"The agent tells me there are no mirrors and that I can just walk down the terminal to the nearest restroom without my turban on," Singh tweeted.

Turbans are mandatory in public for Sikh men, and are worn to protect the hair, as well as to convey a sense of identity.

On February 9, Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh-American actor, model and designer was barred from boarding Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York after he refused to remove his turban during a security check, drawing swift condemnation from the fashion community.

Later, Mexico's flag carrier apologised to the 41-year-old actor saying it "recognises and is proud of the diversity of its passengers".

"We apologise to Mr Waris Ahluwalia for the bad experience he went through with one of our security personnel," Aeromexico had said in a statement. 

IMAGE: Jasmeet Singh was forced to take off his turban in San Francisco. Photograph: Jasmeet Singh/ Twitter