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".
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/OMHKQQT2ZQMTKXOUBEX5OLEHCU.jpg)
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.
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/6ISGPEFCYGFRVKHP27GC4FYVMI.jpg)
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.
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/3W332ISNSSQ2YYTXZAVWYWHWP4.jpg)
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.
Some users on Twitter said they were "utterly disgusted" and "embarrassed" by the incident.
The Sikhs are a religious group that have become increasingly targeted as victims of hate crimes since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The religion was founded in northern India in the 15th century and is distinct from Islam and Hinduism.
