New focus on Sikh turbans as illegal Afghan immigrant scam uncovered

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Hundreds of Afghan migrants sneak into UK disguised as Sikhs because of turbans on ID


HUNDREDS of Afghan asylum seekers snuck into the UK using the genuine passports of British Sikhs because of the turbans on their identification photographs.

Border officials are said to have difficulty distinguishing between illegal immigrants and genuine passport holders because Sikh men are allowed to wear turbans in their ID documents.

Three Sikh men, Daljit Kapoor, 41, Harmit Kapoor, 40, and Davinder Chawla, 42, have admitted running a scam providing Sikhs from the war-torn country with passports of family members who most looked like them so they could pass themselves off as British citizens.

Around 30 people from the same Afghan Sikh community are said to have successfully claimed asylum after paying the trio £12,000 per family to enter the UK.

But immigration authorities believe there may be hundreds more as the scam is thought to have gone on for a number of years undetected.

The three will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court later this month for their part in the people-smuggling racket.

A gang member would drive to Paris with genuine passports of family members and hand them over to men, women and children so they could get through airport security.

Once in the country the gang retrieved the passports and reused them with new groups and families.

The gang is also understood to have operated from Thailand.

It was not until easyJet staff noticed something was wrong and alerted French authorities that the conspiracy was unearthed.

In June 2014 Chawla drove to France and boarded a flight with around 11 Afghan Sikhs, making up three families, but were stopped when they entered the UK.

Edward Aydin, prosecuting at an earlier hearing at Camberwell Magistrates' Court, said: "We say these three men are the facilitators in this organisation, this organised crime, where they are using genuine British passport holders within the Sikh community.

"It's a Sikh conspiracy and it's occurring because it's very difficult for the authorities at the border control to distinguish who's who on the passports."

Both Kapoors, of Hounslow, who are cousins, and Chawla, of Isleworth, who is also a member of the same extended family, appeared at Inner London Crown Court and sat in the dock alongside two interpreters.

As their trial was about to start, three of the defendants pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to help asylum seekers to enter the UK illegally between May and June 2014.

Harmit Kapoor also admitted booking flights between June 8 and June 21, 2014, for the asylum seekers to get to Britain.

Chawla admitted hiring a vehicle to facilitate their entry into the country when he drove to Paris.

A fourth suspect, Joginder Dawan, 41, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to help asylum seekers enter the UK and one charge of assisting the offence by allowing his passport to be used to book flights and travel.

Not guilty verdicts were recorded for both counts and he was discharged.

In February 2011 Chawla, along with four other men was jailed for five years for also helping illegal immigrants enter the country as part of an identical conspiracy.

The gang was given a total of 26 years between them.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/779248/Afghan-migrants-Sikhs-smuggled-UK-passport-scam

I actually met some Sikhs from Afghanistan who had arrived in Britain following the launch of the western war on Afghanistan, they had nothing but good words about Kabul which is where they were from. My impression even then was that they were not war refugees at all but opportunistic immigrants making the most of the situation.

But the wider question remains, will this now bring turbans under scrutiny in the same manner as hijabs and burkas as a barrier to identifying people in courts, airports and other sensitive locations? Thoughts?

 

[Slog]

I actually met some Sikhs from Afghanistan who had arrived in Britain following the launch of the western war on Afghanistan, they had nothing but good words about Kabul which is where they were from. My impression even then was that they were not war refugees at all but opportunistic immigrants making the most of the situation.

But the wider question remains, will this now bring turbans under scrutiny in the same manner as hijabs and burkas as a barrier to identifying people in courts, airports and other sensitive locations? Thoughts?

Sounds same as the oceans of economic migrants sweeping into Europe then...

As for turbans, Sikhs already face discrimination because of it. However it is true that its usually due to ignorance about what it is rather than specifically because of the garment as in the case of burka. And I expect it to remain that way.

People in burkas who are busted normally are genuinely out to cause terror whereas in this particular instance its just a scam case and the turban is being used to run this scam. Turban is being used to run a scam and in itself isn't an indicator of anything. Any item can be used for running a scam. On the other the burka can be an indicator of the wearer potentially being of an extremist mindset so it is a false equivalence on your part.

There is a difference between corruption and terrorism. Hence I dont think your wish will be granted

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Sounds same as the oceans of economic migrants sweeping into Europe then...

As for turbans, Sikhs already face discrimination because of it. However it is true that its usually due to ignorance about what it is rather than specifically because of the garment as in the case of burka. And I expect it to remain that way.

People in burkas who are busted normally are genuinely out to cause terror whereas in this particular instance its just a scam case and the turban is being used to run this scam. Turban is being used to run a scam and in itself isn't an indicator of anything. Any item can be used for running a scam. On the other the burka can be an indicator of the wearer potentially being of an extremist mindset so it is a false equivalence on your part.

There is a difference between corruption and terrorism. Hence I dont think your wish will be granted

How many people in burkas have actually been busted for terrorism offences? Perhaps it's different where you live, but over here in the UK, the opposition to burkas is not related to terrorism but on the hiding of identity, thus the call for burkas to be banned from courtrooms as expressions can't be read on a woman's face if she is hiding behind a burka. In America you aren't even allowed to wear a hat in a passport photo, I presume that is again to do with identification, which is exactly what we are talking about here, where the use of turbans and beards combined have made it very easy to con airport security when it comes to identifying illegal immigrants.

If you think this isn't a matter which the British public takes seriously I suggest you try reading some of the hundreds of comments in the linked article posted by ordinary English citizens who are outraged by the scam.

 

[Madplayer]

Sounds same as the oceans of economic migrants sweeping into Europe then...

As for turbans, Sikhs already face discrimination because of it. However it is true that its usually due to ignorance about what it is rather than specifically because of the garment as in the case of burka. And I expect it to remain that way.

People in burkas who are busted normally are genuinely out to cause terror whereas in this particular instance its just a scam case and the turban is being used to run this scam. Turban is being used to run a scam and in itself isn't an indicator of anything. Any item can be used for running a scam. On the other the burka can be an indicator of the wearer potentially being of an extremist mindset so it is a false equivalence on your part.

There is a difference between corruption and terrorism. Hence I dont think your wish will be granted

I disagree.

What makes you think a terrorist wont try to use a sikh disguise to sneak into a country? If they think a hijab or a burkha would prevent them from identifying a person, same rules should be applied to turbans.

Recently EU court allowed employers to ban hijab from workplace citing reasons that it openly points towards the religion of a person (which is ridiculous imo) so the same rules should be applied to people of all religion be it muslims, sikhs or christians. Otherwise its nothing but singling out people of one religion and discriminating against them.

 

[JaDed]

Aren't turbans in scrutiny in France already? Also isn't burqa a complete cover of face and body which can easily be mistaken unlike hijab.

Imo Hijab is equivalent to turban and if that is considered a threat or vice versa then the argument can be made for the either.

 

[Madplayer]

Aren't turbans in scrutiny in France already? Also isn't burqa a complete cover of face and body which can easily be mistaken unlike hijab.

Imo Hijab is equivalent to turban and if that is considered a threat or vice versa then the argument can be made for the either.

Bukha covers the entire body and face. Abaya covers the body and head without face but a veil can be used there too. Hijab essentially means wearing modest clothes by both men and women (in Islamic terms clothes which dont reveal the body form) but in modern world hijab's meaning has been restricted to a head scarf. So yeah , these days hijab is just the head scarf for women.

 

[JaDed]

Bukha covers the entire body and face. Abaya covers the body and head without face but a veil can be used there too. Hijab essentially means wearing modest clothes by both men and women (in Islamic terms clothes which dont reveal the body form) but in modern world hijab's meaning has been restricted to a head scarf. So yeah , these days hijab is just the head scarf for women.

Thanks,hijab is very trendy right now hence the confusion what i mean in general is anything that doesnt cover face shouldn't be an issue for freedom loving Democratic countries.