Users have slammed the series of posts as "racist". Photo / Twitter/SikhProf
Users have slammed the series of posts as "racist". Photo / Twitter/SikhProf
A series of racist pictures of an airline passenger who was mistakenly believed to be a terrorist have gone viral, infuriating social media users.
The Snapchat user posted a string of captioned photos when he was seated in front of a passenger wearing a turban.
In the pictures, believed to have been shared earlier this week, the man singles out the Sikh passenger, writing: "Never mind I might not make it to Indy".
There has been outrage after racist social media pictures were shared on Snapchat. Photo / Twitter/SikhProf
In another post, the man took a photograph of the sleeping Sikh passenger as he sat behind him.
"Update I'm still alive," the caption reads. He included an emoji suggesting he was relieved.
The posts have infuriated social media users. Photo / Twitter/SikhProf
When the passenger left his seat, the man posted a selfie, writing: "OK he just walk to the back of the plane then to the front then to his seat".
The caption ended with a string of emojis suggesting he was alarmed by the development.
The posts have gone viral on social media. Photo / Twitter/SikhProf
The alarming pictures were shared on Twitter by Simran Jeet Singh, who is an assistant professor in the department of religion at Trinity University and a senior religion fellow for the Sikh Coalition.
"This series of snaps should give you a sense of what it's like for anyone who appears to be Muslim to travel by plane," Mr Singh wrote on Twitter, referring to the Snapchat incident.
The post has since been retweeted more than 7000 times, generating more than 8400 likes and 760 comments.
Mr Singh has written on issues such as xenophobia, racial profiling and hate violence.
He shared his own experience with other social media users, confessing he had also been subjected to "misguided fears".
"As a Sikh who flies frequently, I'm no stranger to the uncomfortable stares and misguided fears people have of me," he wrote.
"I try to live my life by the Sikh maxim, 'Fear none, frighten none.' I think about this teaching often when I travel.
"I look forward to the day when our kids can travel freely, without having to worry about what others might be thinking or saying about them."
Mr Singh said he often felt "self-conscious" when removing luggage from the overhead compartment or using the rest room during a flight.
I think twice about getting up to use the restroom. I feel self-conscious when opening the overhead bin to take something out of my luggage.
