The Sikh Turban: Post-911 Challenges to This Article of Faith

similarly have provided several theories as to why the turban is an integral part of a
Sikh’s “religious and cultural personality.” 57
First, there is the practical justification that kes, one of the five Sikh articles of
faith, should be kept tidy and that the turban may guard the hair from the elements. 58
Second, the turban ensures a common, visible identity for all Sikhs. 59 Third, the turban
signifies equality. 60 It is not reserved for the aristocracy or social elite, as it had been
before. Fourth, as Sikhs may be identified on the basis of their turban, the turban makes
every member of the faith an ambassador of Sikhism. 61 Fifth, and relatedly, the easily
recognizable aspects of the turban and a Sikh’s distinct appearance serve as “helpful
deterrents against undesirable acts and behaviour [sic] and keep [Sikhs] on the right
path.” 62 It is a reminder to the Sikh that he is to act in accordance with the teachings of
the Gurus and that any transgressions may be easily noted by non-Sikhs who can quickly
57 Id. at 228.
58 W.H. McLeod, Sikhs and the Turban, in SIKH: FORMS AND SYMBOLS 95, 103-04
(Mohinder Singh ed., 2000). In addition to providing such protection, W.H. McLeod, a
preeminent British historian who studied the Sikhs during the British Empire, identifies a
number of reasons why the turban is desirable for Sikh men today. These include:
because the turban is hygienic, because it is comfortable in hot and cold weather, because
it is easy and inexpensive to learn, because it is firmly fixed on the head, and because it is
more suitable than the bare head for people dealing with food.
59 See Manvir Singh Khalsa, Who Are Sikhs?, Oxford Sikhs (Mar. 20, 2005), available at
http://www.oxfordsikhs.com/SikhAwareness/117.aspx (“The turban and unshorn hair is
part of the Sikh uniform.”).
60 See SikhCoalition.org, Sikh Theology: Why Sikhs Wear a Turban, The Sikh Coalition,
available at http://www.sikhcoalition.org/Sikhism11.asp [hereinafter Why Sikhs Wear a
Turban]. (“The Sikh Gurus . . . sought to uplift the downtrodden and make them the
equals of the highest of the high.”). See also Jeremy Waldron, One Law for All? The
Logic of Cultural Accommodation, 59 WASH. & LEE L. REV. 3, 7 (2002) (“[T]he Sikh’s
religious obligation is an obligation to present himself in public as a combination of saint
and warrior.”).
61 See Why Sikhs Wear a Turban, supra note 60, (“[T]here is a great deal of
responsibility accompanied by the turban. A person’s actions are no longer just tied to
him or her. Since Sikhs who wear the turban represent the Guru, their actions too reflect
on the Guru and the Sikh Nation.”).
62 Ganda Singh, Importance of Hair and Turban in SIKH: FORMS AND SYMBOLS, supra
note 58, at 39, 43.
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