Airport screening doesn't seem random

Every single time my family and I go through security screening in an airport, the story is the same. We get pulled aside. Each time they tell us that it’s a random search and we just happened to be picked. Again.

I am pretty sure it’s impossible to be randomly picked that many times.

Yes, we look different. We are Sikhs. I have long hair and so does everyone else in my family. My brother and father both wear turbans and my father has a beard. That doesn’t mean we are suddenly going to break out weapons and kill everyone.

Yet, they swipe my parents’ hands, checking for contact with drugs or guns. I can assure you, we’ve never had either. They then proceed to check my brother and father’s turbans. This doesn’t make sense. The only thing they ever hide in their turbans is hair.

They would never try sneaking something in both, because turbans are considered sacred and they already know everyone is watching them. They are extra careful to stay dissociated with such things.

There are over 175,000 turbaned Sikhs in America and you can be certain they are all “randomly picked” in airports.

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Airport screening doesn't seem random."