Sir, you have to remove your turban. This is the United States of America.

[stinkynuts]

Igorance and intolerance at its finest...

http://digg.com/arts_culture/Sir_you_have_to_take_your_turban_off_This_is_America

Roanoke Rapids charity rebuffs turban-wearing donor


Posted: Nov. 20, 2008
Updated: Today at 7:05 a.m.

ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — A Halifax County man was turned away from a local mission when he refused to remove his turban while trying to make a donation.

When Gary Khera, went with his wife to the Union Mission on Roanoke Avenue to make a donation, a staffer asked him to remove his turban.

"She said, 'Sir, you have to take your turban off. This is the United States,'" Khera recounted. "That made me a little upset. I am a United States citizen."

Khera, citing his religious beliefs, declined. He is a Sikh with dual U.S. and Indian citizenship. Followers of Sikhism do not cut their hair, and men commonly wear long beards and turbans.

Florence Williams, the mission's in-take director, countered with the facility's policy that requires that men remove head coverings indoors. Rev. Ron Weeks, executive director of the mission, seconded her argument.

“He wanted to become argumentative, and I asked him to please leave,” Weeks said.

Offended, Khera left and took his money with him. He said that he and his wife have given to the mission in years past, always by mailing a check. This year, he wanted to see where his donation was going.

The mission building contains a chapel, and employees consider the entire building "the Lord's house," Weeks said. A sign in the lobby outlines the policy against hats or other headwear inside.

"We have policy, and he didn't want to abide by it," said Weeks. "He gave the receptionist a bad time and decided to do a vengeance thing because he didn't get his own way. This was nothing to do with the turban, nothing to do with his faith."

Weeks said the mission would welcome Khera's donation if he mailed it or had his wife bring it in.

Khera denied that he was disruptive or argumentative. He asserts that he calmly tried to explain that he was there to give a donation.

Now he'll take his money elsewhere.

"They should not turn away a donation for the needy, because they misunderstood someone else's religion," he added.

Weeks said he may consider changing the policy because of the incident.

 

[LancsLad]

Try walking into a mosque ( training facility) with your shoes on and a drink in your hand.




See how 'tolerant' the terrorists would be, then compare.




.

 

[Esco!]

Try walking into a mosque ( training facility) with your shoes on and a drink in your hand.

See how 'tolerant' the terrorists would be, then compare

LOL.....good point though.

Of course you'll now be viewed as racist for posting that little gem

 

[Never Compromised]

Try walking into a mosque ( training facility) with your shoes on and a drink in your hand.




See how 'tolerant' the terrorists would be, then compare.

Your point would have been much stronger if you had not bothered to put "(training facility)" or "terrorists" in your message.

 

[stinkynuts]

Or if weren't so blatantly racist.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Try walking into a mosque ( training facility) with your shoes on and a drink in your hand.

See how 'tolerant' the terrorists would be, then compare.

.

Apples and oranges. And a poor comparison at that.

Shoes and a drink aren't part of your religion.

Really, this has gotta be the most clear cut case of racism imaginable (assuming the story is factually correct). If you think a Sikh should have to remove his turban to make a donation at a mission, I'd be willing to bet big money that you're a racist (either consciously or subconsciously).

We're not talking about wearing a hard hat on a construction site or worrying that someone's religious garb is going to get caught in machinery. This is a simple case of, "We don't want Indian-looking guys coming into our building."

 

[Esco!]

We're not talking about wearing a hard hat on a construction site or worrying that someone's religious garb is going to get caught in machinery. This is a simple case of, "We don't want Indian-looking guys coming into our building."

Not necessarily.
It might be their policy to have all people remove headgear before entering their building.

Ever go to a Legion for drinks??? They make everybody remove their hats, its standard policy and
done out of respect for all veterans

 

[dreamblade]

Apples and oranges. And a poor comparison at that.

Shoes and a drink aren't part of your religion.

Really, this has gotta be the most clear cut case of racism imaginable (assuming the story is factually correct). If you think a Sikh should have to remove his turban to make a donation at a mission, I'd be willing to bet big money that you're a racist (either consciously or subconsciously).

We're not talking about wearing a hard hat on a construction site or worrying that someone's religious garb is going to get caught in machinery. This is a simple case of, "We don't want Indian-looking guys coming into our building."

Or just plain uneducated. The long hair and the turban that keeps it in place is a fundamental part of Sikhism. One of the 5 K's

 

[capncrunch]

Really, this has gotta be the most clear cut case of racism imaginable (assuming the story is factually correct).

Indeed. I wonder if they read the part in the bible where says, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" (Mat 7:12).

That said, there's no point in trying to reason with folks like that. Bigotry wasn't reasoned into them, so it can't be reasoned out of them.

 

[y2kmark]

The tip-off being ...

Really, this has gotta be the most clear cut case of racism imaginable (assuming the story is factually correct). If you think a Sikh should have to remove his turban to make a donation at a mission, I'd be willing to bet big money that you're a racist (either consciously or subconsciously).

We're not talking about wearing a hard hat on a construction site or worrying that someone's religious garb is going to get caught in machinery. This is a simple case of, "We don't want Indian-looking guys coming into our building."

That while the action was defended on religious grounds, the original comment was "take that off, this is AMERIKKKA!"

 

[Mencken]

Not necessarily.
It might be their policy to have all people remove headgear before entering their building.

Ever go to a Legion for drinks??? They make everybody remove their hats, its standard policy and
done out of respect for all veterans

I believe this has been changed. If not it is overdue. Turbans are allowed in Legions in Canada to the best of my knowledge.

I would like to be there if you told a Sikh officer of a British army Gurkha unit to remove his turban.

 

[Questor]

Your point would have been much stronger if you had not bothered to put "(training facility)" or "terrorists" in your message.

or if islam actually had something do with the article since the guy is sikh.

Or if weren't so blatantly racist.

Apples and oranges. And a poor comparison at that.

Shoes and a drink aren't part of your religion.

Really, this has gotta be the most clear cut case of racism imaginable (assuming the story is factually correct). If you think a Sikh should have to remove his turban to make a donation at a mission, I'd be willing to bet big money that you're a racist (either consciously or subconsciously).

We're not talking about wearing a hard hat on a construction site or worrying that someone's religious garb is going to get caught in machinery. This is a simple case of, "We don't want Indian-looking guys coming into our building."

Thanks for stepping in, guys. Don't mind Lancs. He's just a bitter old man that likes to bait people with racist remarks. He's toned down his act lately because he has been warned repeatedly by the mods, but in this case, that venom just couldn't be surpressed and it slipped out.

That while the action was defended on religious grounds, the original comment was "take that off, this is AMERIKKKA!"

Well said y2k but I do cross myself every time I open up a new bottle of whiskey. Doesn't that make it part of my religion? LOL

 

[y2kmark]

I can't think of a religion like that ...

I do cross myself every time I open up a new bottle of whiskey. Doesn't that make it part of my religion? LOL

but you ought to be able to start one!

 

[LancsLad]

Thanks for stepping in, guys. Don't mind Lancs. He's just a bitter old man that likes to bait people with racist remarks. He's toned down his act lately because he has been warned repeatedly by the mods, but in this case, that venom just couldn't be surpressed and it slipped out.
Well said y2k but I do cross myself every time I open up a new bottle of whiskey. Doesn't that make it part of my religion? LOL

Really.

We let people get away with all kinds of stuff here because we are PC'ed into being "senstive" wimps , yet if we go to their country we are required to follow their rules. typical double standard.




.

 

[dreamblade]

Really.

We let people get away with all kinds of stuff here because we are PC'ed into being "senstive" wimps , yet if we go to their country we are required to follow their rules. typical double standard.
.

For the sole reason that we try, on this continent, to aspire to a more enlightened society. Yes, there are countries where there's no separation of Church and State (most Arab countries), others where there's little regard for the right to privacy (Russia, UK), but I choose not to even visit there. In Canada, we live in a cultural mosaic, which means we can Polish, Arab, Latino and still be Canadians.

Some will try to take advantage of Canadian generosity and try to impose their values on other, and that's when we step in, but your argument of "This is how they treat you there, so let's treat them badly here" can only lead to greater animosity, not less.

 

[Mongrel4u]

Lets just do away with religion completely and we wont have these silly tiffs...not here...not in the middle east...nowhere

 

[Mongrel4u]

For the sole reason that we try, on this continent, to aspire to a more enlightened society. Yes, there are countries where there's no separation of Church and State (most Arab countries), others where there's little regard for the right to privacy (Russia, UK), but I choose not to even visit there. In Canada, we live in a cultural mosaic, which means we can Polish, Arab, Latino and still be Canadians.

Some will try to take advantage of Canadian generosity and try to impose their values on other, and that's when we step in, but your argument of "This is how they treat you there, so let's treat them badly here" can only lead to greater animosity, not less.

yeah... the whole idea is for us to take the "higher road".


Look at it this way Lancs.... its that same behaviour and philosophy we have that makes us different from jackasses that strap bombs to 12 yr olds and detonate them in crowded civilian areas; now you dont want to be like that fodder now do you?

Our civilian damage is collateral and not intentional

 

[LancsLad]

Try going into an orthodox church as a female without a scarf oon your head

Try going into a christian church as a woman wearing pants

try going into a catholic church with a devil painte don your arm...


Your a moron if you belive the yellow discharge coming out of your mouth.

A little testes are you???



I'm proud of what we as a Western society have accomplished and make NO apologies for any of it.

if you don't like it, then please feel free to go to one of the ROW's rat infested sh*tholes and enjoy the poverty.



.

 

[CapitalGuy]

Its all Obama's fault.

 

[Aardvark154]

A few perhaps obvious points:

This is the boundary between religious freedom and privacy rights. His right to wear a turban the mission's right to say no head coverings allowed. The tension between the two explains some of the comments.

There is a certain amount of resentment because to some this seems a one way street. That may or may not be true, but the belief is fairly common.

This particular case has nothing to do with security which is a different matter altogether.