| BY PAIGE MUDD TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER | Nov 26, 2006 |
Sikh businessman turned away from restaurant in dispute over head covering A Sikh software executive visiting family in the Richmond area was denied entry Friday night to a popular Shockoe Slip restaurant because he refused to remove his turban. Hansdip Singh Bindra, 37, was shocked when management at Richbrau Brewing Co. told him he had to remove his “hat.” “It was incredibly embarrassing. It’s not a hat. When I wear a turban, it’s a part of my body. It’s a gift from God,” said Bindra, who lives in Long Valley, N.J. “It’s like asking a Jewish person to take off his yarmulke.” Richbrau owner Mike Byrne said yesterday that the restaurant’s policy forbids head coverings. “We have a policy where no bandanas or headgear is allowed, and we enforce it,” he said. “I think the issue is he’s quite clear on what our policy is. It’s not a discrimination policy. It’s simply no headgear.” Bindra was out with his two male cousins who live in Chester and a male friend, all of whom are Sikh but do not wear turbans. The turban is a religious symbol for many Sikh men, who cover their long hair in public. Sikh men also wear beards. Bindra, who was born in India but is a permanent U.S. resident, said he was allowed into every other downtown Richmond bar he went to Friday night — Tiki Bob’s Cantina and Have a Nice Day Café in Shockoe Bottom and The Tobacco Company in Shockoe Slip. He has never visited the Richmond area before. He never goes out in public without his turban. Byrne said the no-headgear policy is meant to keep Richbrau safe. “We don’t tell you how to groom. We’re not trying to make a social statement,” he said. “Most of our policies are regulated toward having a safe environment and having people feel safe. Certainly, religion or race has nothing to do with policy.” Restaurant owners are allowed to set a dress code, but federal law prohibits them from discriminating on the basis of race or ethnicity. Bindra is executive vice president of Innov8 Computer Solutions, a New Jersey-based company that specializes in business software and consulting. He graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., and earned a master’s degree in information systems from Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. Yesterday, he contacted the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, based in Washington, about the incident. Manjit Singh, who founded the group 10 years ago, said this is the first recent incident of alleged discrimination reported in Virginia. The organization investigates about 50 complaints nationwide each year. “It’s unfortunate that in this day and age, discrimination still occurs,” he said. “Wearing a turban is not like wearing a baseball cap. It’s a mandatory part of the Sikh faith.” The Sikh religion has 24 million followers worldwide, with half a million Sikh men, women and children in the United States. The largest populations are concentrated in New York, New Jersey and the area around San Francisco Bay. The religion originated in modern India, Singh said, adding that most people in the United States who wear turbans are Sikh. He added that people of the Sikh faith are often confused with Muslims. In 2003, Bindra made headlines when he sued Delta Air Lines. He claimed a flight attendant mistakenly referred to him as a Middle Eastern Muslim when she saw his turban, and she flagged him as a potential security risk on a 2002 flight from Cincinnati to Dayton, Ohio. He settled his case in 2004 for an undisclosed amount of money. Richmond’s Sikh population is growing, Singh said, with two gurdwaras Sikh places of worship — in the Richmond area. The Washington area has about 12,000 Sikhs. Singh said his group will investigate Bindra’s complaint and possibly ask Richbrau to explain and change its headwear policy, as well as offer Bindra an apology. The group is currently investigating a recent incident in San Francisco in which two Sikh men were reportedly denied entry to a bar because they wouldn’t take off their turbans. “This is 2006, for God’s sake,” Bindra said. “The other pubs in Richmond were OK with me. This was one bad apple. We’re all Americans. We might look different, but we’re all Americans. I’m proud of who I am.” Contact staff writer Paige Mudd at pmudd@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6671. Richmond Times Dispatch