IndiaPost.com - Revised guidelines allow Sikh turbans

SEATTLE, WA: In a victory for the Sikh community of Washington State, the Department of Licensing issued revised guidelines to its employees regarding religious headgear, late last month. United Sikhs and the Sikh community have applauded Governor Christine Gregoire's Office and the Department of Licensing for their swift action in rectifying this issue. Salwinder S. Atwal, Gurpreet Singh, and Kundan Singh have all received their licenses, including pictures with their turbans as they are normally worn.

Washington Department of Licensing originally issued Salwinder S. Atwal a license with the notation "Not Valid for Identification." After United Sikhs intervened, the Department of Licensing issued a new license that was valid for identification. In a letter addressed to United Sikhs, Mykel Gable, Assistant Director of the Department of Licensing in Washington stated, "In researching Mr. Atwal's experience, we found the language in our employee procedure manual may have confused our staff. We are taking this opportunity to clarify the language in the employee manual to avoid a similar incident in the future."

The newly issued amendments to the employee manual specify that headgear should be removed "unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons," and further clarified that religious garb cannot conceal facial features, such as the eyes, nose, or mouth. "We value the Governor's Office and Department of Licensing's cooperation in issuing clarifications and immediately implementing them state-wide to make sure that such types of discrimination do not occur in the future, against Sikhs or any others," said Harpreet Singh, Legal Director of United Sikhs. "We are continuing to monitor discrimination regarding photograph identification nationwide and hope that other incidents are handled as professionally and efficiently as the State of Washington handled this one."