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

Introduction
Ten to twenty feet of cloth, neatly folded and wrapped around one’s head until it
completely covers one’s hair. This particular headdress has been worn for hundreds of
years and for a variety of reasons—from protection against the weather to signifying
royal status.
For members of the Sikh religion, however, the turban is not a fashion trend or
indicia of social standing—it is an essential part of their faith. Sikhs are required to wear
turbans pursuant to religious mandate. They consider it to be an outward manifestation of
their devotion to God and solemn adherence to the strictures of their religion. It has been
this way ever since the Sikh religion was formally established in the Punjab region of
South Asia in 1699.
Over three hundred years later, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, the turban has been assigned a different meaning. In contemporary
post-9/11 America, the perceived similarity of Sikhs with turbans to Osama bin Laden
has made the turbaned Sikhs, already one of the most visible minority groups in the
United States, a superficial and accessible proxy for the elusive bin Laden and his distant
al-Qaeda regime. 3
As a result, some Americans have directed their post-9/11 rage towards Sikhs. In
particular, Sikhs with turbans in the United States have been murdered, stabbed,
assaulted, verbally harassed, discriminated against in the workplace, and refused service
in places of public accommodation, among other things.
At the same time, turbaned Sikh-Americans have also faced a broader attack on
their identity, leading them to question whether and to what extent their faith is
compatible with Western society. In several democratic nations, conspicuous religious
clothing, especially the Muslim veil, are considered marks of separation and
demonstrative proof of a stubborn refusal to assimilate into mainstream society. This
largely European debate concerning the proper balance between multiculturalism and
integration has necessarily placed visible articles of faith, including the Sikh turban,
under intense scrutiny in the United States as well.
These tangible and intellectual challenges to the Sikh turban 4 have resulted in
serious consequences for turbaned Sikhs in America. More than physical violence, Sikhs
3 See Leti Volpp, The Citizen and the Terrorist, 49 UCLA L. REV. 1575, 1590 (2002)
(“Sikh men, who are religiously mandated to wear turbans, have been conflated with
Osama Bin Laden and have suffered significant violence[.]”).
4 As used in this Article, the “tangible” challenge is characteristically direct in nature, is
generally carried out by ordinary citizens, and its immediate impact is local, that is to the
victims and to members of the Sikh community in that region, though the long-term
aggregate effects may be broader. The “intellectual” challenge is, by contrast, more
abstract in nature, is generally engaged in by government agents or influential media
outlets, and is, at a minimum, national in terms of impact, due to the question of whether
individuals who wear certain religious clothing should be permitted to wear those articles
of faith in a particular society.
1