Saturday, June 4, 2011

Sikhs will no longer have to remove turbans in Italy

NEW DELHI: Sikhs travelling to Italy will no longer have to remove their turbans at the airport during security screening. This was officially announced by the Italian interior ministry after bilateral discussions between foreign minister SM Krishna and his Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini, in Rome on Friday. 

The turban will be accepted as a symbol of religion when Sikhs are photographed for identification cards at local police stations in Italy. Official sources said this was a "big achievement" for Indian diplomacy. 

Krishna, who is in Rome to participate in the 150-year celebrations of Italian unification, made a strong case for Sikhs to be treated more respectfully. He told Frattini that even theEuropean Union accepts Sikh turbans as a religious symbol, so Italy should not discriminate against them either. He pointed out better practices in the UK which had started a more equitable system -- let a man touch his own turban and run it through an explosives check. 


A decree by the Italian interior ministry later said there would be no more checks of Sikh turbans at airports, except if they set off any "alarms". The decree said there would be "respect of privacy protection and fundamental freedoms including those related to the expression of religious beliefs''. The new instructions have been issued after the talks with Krishna.

with thanks : Times of India : Link above for detailed news. MUST READ

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