# Coworker alarmed by a man in a turban **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434 "2016-03-09T18:15:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/1 "2016-03-09T18:15:46Z")
A coworker just gave us the heads-up that a guy has been sitting on the bridge next to our office for a couple of hours. He’s not fishing; just sitting there looking around. And he’s wearing a turban. Being at a port, security is an issue; so she asked our receptionist to ask our landlord to send someone out to check him out. I looked out her window and said immediately, ‘He’s a Sikh.’ Nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/2 "2016-03-09T18:23:43Z")
OK, but what’s he doing there? Is he a jumper? Headgear doesn’t make someone a person of interest, but neither does it make them uninteresting either. If sitting on that bridge for 2 hours is abnormal, someone should check it out no matter what he looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/3 "2016-03-09T18:31:38Z")
Why the landlord? 😕 Who do you call for a fire? The cable company? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/4 "2016-03-09T18:38:38Z")
Interestingly, this story just showed up in yesterday’s Huffington Post: > **[Why Are Airports Still So Clueless About Respecting The Rights of Sikhs?](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sikh-discrimination-airports_n_56cf8199e4b0871f60eaca42?utm_hp_ref=sikhism)** > > "For Sikh-Americans, humiliation is a prerequisite for air travel." > [@](#): > > Why Are Airports Still So Clueless About Respecting Sikhs? > > “For Sikh-Americans, humiliation is a prerequisite for air travel.” > Last month, two high profile Sikh men were detained at airports and told to remove their turbans for “security” inspections: actor, model, and designer Waris Ahluwalia in Mexico City, and Canadian comedian Jasmeet Singh, known as JusReign, in San Francisco. The incidents returned the issue of Sikh discrimination at airports to the spotlight. > > The U.S. Transportation Security Administration passed regulations back in 2007 that allow Sikh men to keep their turbans on at airports, but this is not always enforced – not just abroad, as was the case with Ahluwalia, but even in the continental U.S., as with JusReign, who complied with a removal request. I suspect your average American wouldn’t realize a person wearing a turban is likely to be a Sikh. We don’t have enough of them around. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/5 "2016-03-09T18:41:13Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > OK, but what’s he doing there? Is he a jumper? Headgear doesn’t make someone a person of interest, but neither does it make them uninteresting either. If sitting on that bridge for 2 hours is abnormal, someone should check it out no matter what he looks like. It’s not that high a bridge, even at low tide. Nothing wrong with sitting in a bus stop-like shelter on a fishing bridge, even if you’re not fishing. The coworker only got nervous because of the turban. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > Why the landlord? 😕 > > Who do you call for a fire? The cable company? The landlord is in charge of security for the facility where we rent our space. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/6 "2016-03-09T18:42:23Z")
And it’s part of their religion that their turban is the source of their pride and honor. Every time we ask them to remove it we are basically dishonoring them. I wonder what the hubbub would be if we asked Jews to remove their yarmulkes all the time, or Christians to remove their crosses? But because they are brown, it’s okey-dokey! I too wonder why a man might be sitting on the bridge for two hours but I wouldn’t jump to terrorism, if only because a) I know what a fucking turban is, and b) what a slow and lazy terrorist! Of course I speak fluent Punjabi so I might just idle down there and say Sat-Shri- Akal! (Hello!) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/7 "2016-03-09T18:44:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I suspect your average American wouldn’t realize a person wearing a turban is likely to be a Sikh. We don’t have enough of them around. Lots of Sikhs up here. (The office is in Seattle.) There’s even a temple (‘baba’-something) in the rural area where I live up at the top of the state. Not to mention the Sikhs who come down from Canada to shop. When I lived in L.A. I saw Sikhs around all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/8 "2016-03-09T18:58:50Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I too wonder why a man might be sitting on the bridge for two hours but I wouldn’t jump to terrorism,… Perhaps he was seeking something? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/9 "2016-03-09T19:04:43Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I wonder what the hubbub would be if we asked Jews to remove their yarmulkes all the time, or Christians to remove their crosses? Oh come one. You can hide a bomb under a yarmulke but not behind a tiny little cross on a necklace. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/10 "2016-03-09T19:05:16Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Perhaps he was seeking something? > > 😃 You have a [Sikh sense of humour](http://i.imgur.com/qNxIvAU.jpg). The guy is no longer sitting out there. I reckon he was just sitting on a dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away. Just sitting on a dock of the bay, wasting time. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/11 "2016-03-09T19:07:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I looked out her window and said immediately, ‘He’s a Sikh.’ Nothing to worry about. [Air India flight 182](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_India_Flight_182). ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/12 "2016-03-09T19:12:18Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I too wonder why a man might be sitting on the bridge for two hours but I wouldn’t jump to terrorism, if only because a) I know what a fucking turban is, and b) what a slow and lazy terrorist! I know what a Sikh turban looks like too. However sitting there that long is potentially getting recon for something in the future. Interestingly, if he had a camera I would have probably written it off as a boat/ship spotter. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/13 "2016-03-09T20:01:03Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > And it’s part of their religion that their turban is the source of their pride and honor. Every time we ask them to remove it we are basically dishonoring them. I wonder what the hubbub would be if we asked Jews to remove their yarmulkes all the time, or Christians to remove their crosses? Do you seriously believe that wearing crosses is any sort of requirement for Christians? As for Jews and yarmulkes, [they have been required to remove them in certain circumstances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kippah#Wear_by_non-Jews). Since you didn’t even realize this, I guess the hubbub wasn’t too big. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/14 "2016-03-09T20:10:29Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I know what a Sikh turban looks like too. However sitting there that long is potentially getting recon for something in the future. Interestingly, if he had a camera I would have probably written it off as a boat/ship spotter. So if he doesn’t have a camera but just hangs out he’s a potential terrorist, but with a camera and he’s just a tourist? Seriously? I think if I were a terrorist planning an attack on a port facility I’d take a few pictures. Might, you know, help me plan my terrorism. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/15 "2016-03-09T20:44:50Z")
On the way out to get some lunch (a variety of yummy raw fishes) I noticed a lot across the river with many trucks in it. I’m guessing that he was a truck driver who was waiting for a ship to dock or waiting because he was too early to get into the port for another reason. My coworker disagrees because she said a truck driver would just sleep in his truck instead of sitting outside in the cold. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/16 "2016-03-09T20:48:46Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Oh come one. You can hide a bomb under a yarmulke but not behind a tiny little cross on a necklace. Obviously I exaggerate a little. > [@TBG](#): > > Do you seriously believe that wearing crosses is any sort of requirement for Christians? > > As for Jews and yarmulkes, [they have been required to remove them in certain circumstances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kippah#Wear_by_non-Jews). Since you didn’t even realize this, I guess the hubbub wasn’t too big. I actually had heard of this. I think it all stems from the same source of paranoia. I remember being out with some colleagues and we heard sirens, and they looked at each other and one said “I hope it’s not another terrorist attack”. For her to jump straight to that conclusion…I had a hard time not rolling my eyes. Seriously? It couldn’t just be some asshole lifting a car? And the Sikh on the bridge, probably watching the world go by. God knows I’ve done that. I’m waiting in my car for a meeting right now. I must be a terrorist! I don’t know what the solution is. I just know that " man in turban" is not equivalent to “terrorist”. Neither is yarmulke! ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/17 "2016-03-09T20:55:20Z")
**Lemur866** , I agree, & maybe I should have used “Paradoxically” instead. IF I was going to do something nefarious, I’d want good pix & intel. OTOH, I know of train & plane spotters who, given the choice, would rather see a new/rare model or a new airline/paint scheme over having sex & will spend countless hours along the tracks/off the end of the runway in search of their elusive photo. You can find countless YouTube hits on _their_ good fortune. I presume this applies to boat spotters, too. Not my cup of tea, but I understand it & it raises less suspicion than someone there w/o a camera. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/18 "2016-03-10T15:54:48Z")
The issue I see in the OP is that people see a turban and immediately think OMG a Mooslim! Not that Sikhs are more or less likely than anyone else to commit the criminal mischief of loitering, but that their headgear is panic-inducing because of an entirely specious connection. Loads of Sikhs, and Muslims, and brown people in general here just on the other side of the border from **Johnny L.A.**. I see turbans every day. And now more Syrians! If the co-worker is inclined to freak out at any of this, I hope he / she avoids the Bellingham Costco in the future… A lot of the border guards going north are Sikh, as well. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/19 "2016-03-10T17:32:36Z")
Hmmm, a person predisposed to see terrorists spots something unexpected and thinks terrorist? I wonder if there’s some homily about this type of thing? Something like “look and you will discover” or “search and you will uncover” ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434/20 "2016-03-10T17:39:10Z")
So… Next Tuesday is **Turban Tuesday** at your place of work, right? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coworker-alarmed-by-a-man-in-a-turban/748434.md?page=2)