Opinion The empty-headed twenty per cent

One aspect of the planning for President Obama’s trip to India is downright depressing — and there’s no weighty issue to blame,just the ignorance of a surprisingly large group of Americans. White House organisers are reportedly considering taking the city of Amritsar off the itinerary. The reason? Amritsar is home to the Sikh Golden Temple,which is more or less a mandatory stop for a head of state visiting the city,but those who enter it are required to cover their heads.

Something like 20 per cent of Americans still falsely believe Obama to be Muslim. Sikhs aren’t Muslims,but Obama’s staffers are worried that any picture of him wearing religious headgear (Golden Temple officials have said baseball caps and the like aren’t acceptable substitutes) would spread like wildfire among the paranoid minority who remain unconvinced of Obama’s faith. It’s a reasonable fear,given the crazed intensity of some of Obama’s critics,but the White House shouldn’t give in to it. If it fits his itinerary,he should go to Amritsar and visit the temple,wearing headgear.

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Heads of state routinely dress in an appropriate manner when visiting religious sites,including covering their heads… Those who would object to what Obama dons on his head may be lacking something in their own.

From a leader in ‘The Boston Globe’