AIRLINE PASSENGER POSTS RACIST SNAPCHAT IMAGES OF SIKH MAN

AIRLINE PASSENGER POSTS RACIST SNAPCHAT IMAGES OF SIKH MAN



Social media users were outraged when a series of racist Snapchat posts by an airline passenger who mistakenly believed a Sikh man was a terrorist went viral.

The Snapchat user posted a number of pictures of himself on an airplane sitting not far from another passenger in a turban.

'Never mind I might not make it to Indy,' the Snapchat user writes in the caption which was superimposed on a photograph of the Sikh man.

In another Snapchat post, he took a photograph of the Sikh passenger as he sat behind him.

'Update I'm still alive,' the caption reads. He added an emoji indicating that he was relieved.

In another Snapchat picture, the Sikh man is seen falling asleep.

'Please god just let the man sleep,' the caption reads.

Another photo shows the Snapchat user taking a selfie.

The caption reads: 'OK he just walk to the back of the Plane then to the front then to his seat.'

The caption ends with a number of emojis indicating fear or alarm. It is believed the pictures were posted on Snapchat earlier this week



Screen grabs of the Snapchat posts were posted on Twitter by Simram Jeet Singh.

Singh is a Sikh academic who teaches religion at Trinity University. He has been quoted often in the news media when speaking about xenophobia.

The post went viral, generating over 6,800 retweets and over 8,200 likes and 740 comments.

'This series of snaps should give you a sense of what it's like for anyone who appears to be Muslim to travel by plane,' Singh tweeted.

He said that he has been frequently met with 'uncomfortable stares and misguided fears' whenever he travels.

'I try to live my life by the Sikh maxim, "Fear none, frighten none". I think about this teaching often when I travel.

'How do I retain my confidence and dignity on an airplane while also being thoughtful not to strike fear in the hearts of others?

'I think twice about getting up to use the restroom. I feel self-conscious when opening the overhead bin to take something out of my luggage.

'I look forward to the day when our kids can travel freely, without having to worry about what others might be thinking or saying about them.'



Singh ended his thread with the hashtag #FlyingWhileBrown.

Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Sikhs have been targeted in the United States because their appearance – usually one that includes a turban and a long beard - mistakenly gives the impression that they are Muslim.

According to the Sikh Coalition, there were over 300 cases of violence and discrimination against Sikhs in the US in the first month after 9/11.

In the 15 years that have followed 9/11, Sikhs remain hundreds of times more likely to be targeted in cases of profiling, bigotry, and backlash than the average American, according to the organization.

In 2012, an Army veteran known to have far-right views walked into a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and shot six people dead.

Four others were wounded.

Last October, a Sikh man was brutally beaten by a group of men in California who threw a beer can at him, before knocking off his turban and cutting off a fistful of his hair.

The Sikhs are a religious group that numbers 27million followers. The faith originated on the Indian subcontinent.

There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs living in the US.