Sikh asylum detainee sues US prison authorities over turban

BBC reports that a Sikh who has been held in a California prison for eight years awaiting an assylum application decision. Harpal Singh Cheema has only been allowed to wear his turban while in bed.

Many Sihks elect to be initiated, or baptized, into the Khalsa, which entails a solemn ceremony and a series of vows including a commitment to always display the five physical articles of faith, including wearing a turban.

This is reminiscent of the controversy over Sikh turbans in Canadian Legion halls and, of course, French legislation outlawing the display of overt religious symbols in schools.