Dhillon was questioned for his appearance.
By: AB Wire
Neelamjit Dhillon, a well-known American-Sikh musician who had an experience of racial profiling while eating lunch at a restaurant in Florida earlier this month, said that he had felt a sense of ‘frustration’ while being investigated for his appearance.
Dhillon has now thrown a challenge to those people with concerns about the appearance of others.
In a phone conversation with The Times of India, Dhillon said, he challenges “those who called the police to learn about other communities and educate themselves about the beautiful differences that make our nation great”.
Dhillon was questioned because somebody reported him for being “suspicious” when he was eating lunch at a Chili’s restaurant in Orlando, Florida.
Dhillon — who moved to the Orlando area from Los Angeles to work on Disney’s Animal Kingdom show, “Jungle Book Alive,” as a performer and Indian music director — was having a late lunch at a local Chili’s restaurant with a friend, when a police officer walked towards him and said that a concerned citizen had called the police to investigate about his suspicious container.
The musician had carried some flutes made of bamboo in a container. The officer apologized and left him for the trouble when he showed the flutes.
This was not the first instance where Dhillon was looked at with suspicion. He has experienced comments like ‘Don’t blow anything up’ and ‘That beard is awesome’ many times.
According to Dhillon, as a society, everyone must try to understand each other. “I was very fortunate that the police officer could see that I was just like any other patron in the restaurant. The person who called the police acted out of irrational fear. We as a society need to be more trusting and open to starting conversations in an attempt to understand one another,” he said.
Sikh-Americans face racial profiling only because of their appearance. “Sikh-Americans, we wear these articles of faith to represent justice, equality, and tolerance for all, and these are also American values. After the tragedy in Orlando, all I know is that more that bigotry and hate will never be the solution,” Dhillon said of his experience.