2007 Diversity Essay Competition Results

The Sikh Coalition is proud to announce the winners of the Diversity Essay Competition for the year 2007. Nearly 500 submissions were submitted from all over the world in the Third Annual Sikh Coalition Diversity Essay Competition. An independent jury was appointed to choose the best essays on the basis of originality, understanding of the issues involved, and relevance to the theme of the essay.

This year we invited young people of all backgrounds to share their views on the following topic:

The Role of Freedom of Religion in the context of Contemporary Society

Students were asked to take one of the following two sides on the French Parliament’s ban on conspicuous "religious" articles of faith from public schools:

• If you favor the ban: While engaging with issues faced by communities impacted by the ban, please discuss how France’s conception of secularism (laïcité) can be used to shed light on the ban.

• If you oppose the ban: What makes you oppose it? Please outline a strategy through which the international community may be mobilized to force France to repeal the ban.

Final Awards
As always, judging such excellent essays that provided such a diversity of view points was an onerous task for the judges. It was not just about the number of essays but also what the young people shared from their lives and from the lives of those around them. The judges have awarded special awards besides the first three submissions to recognize those who were no less deserving.

The winners of the Sikh Coalition's 2007 Diversity Essay Competition are:

First Place ($1,000)
	"Although Article 10 of the high-minded Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen states explicitly, “No one should be disturbed on account of his opinions, even religious,” and although the Constitution of the Fifth French Republic recognizes the Déclaration as fundamental law (“La Déclaration”), France today finds itself uncomfortably pulled in every possible direction by the forces of religion, popular will, secularism, and natural right." Read Essay
Casey Friedman (Alameda, CA)

Second Place ($500)
	"Ultimately, banning religious clothing serves no legitimate educational function, as religious articles of clothing in no way obstruct the ability of teachers to instruct effectively or fairly. Rather, the ban’s vague definition of what constitutes religious articles of clothing as ostentatious has resulted in arbitrary judgment by teachers and has inhibited France’s policy of laïceté by being religiously discriminatory." Read Essay
Larissa Klitzke (San Ramon, CA)

Third Place ($250)
	"European governments are currently attempting to integrate disaffected Muslims into mainstream society. Fearing the instability and security threats associated with radical Islam, Europeans have recently tried to develop healthy relations among various religious and ethnic groups. But the 2004 French law forbidding students to wear religious articles—including the Sikh turban and the headscarf worn by observant Muslim girls—in public schools is a misguided approach to managing multiculturalism." Read Essay
Aaron Kiersh (Wesport, CT)

	"According to immigration expert Patrick Weil, “When faced with diversity, [The French Republic] tends to first forget, or even violate, its own principles, and then apply them in the worst conditions” (Giry). In 2004, France, in the name of laïcité, the concept of the secular state, passed a law forbidding students to wear conspicuous religious symbols in schools. While this law theoretically affects all religions, very few Christians wear large enough crosses to be affected by the policy. The majority of the law’s victims are minorities, and in particular, Muslim girls." Read Essay
Ashley Parcells (Sammamish, WA)

	"Countries that endorse religious toleration, such as many European or North American countries, need to become aware of this ban. They need to see that it does not promote a laïcte environment for learning, but stifles religious expression. Students learn from one another as much as they learn from the textbooks and teachers, but if the government strips those with different perspectives of their right to practice their religions, the student population becomes homogenous. As comfortable as it may sound, education is not about learning and interacting with people who share all the same beliefs as you, but about experiencing and appreciating the differences." Read Essay
YueYue Guo (Cumberland, RI)

	"Increased contact and confrontation of different religions is the inevitable result of a world globalized. With its recent surge in immigration, France has become the theatre of much of this confrontation and has certainly seen its share of ethnic conflict, clashes of ideals that often result in violence. Adamantly secular since the Revolution— during which it purged its first religious symbol, the clergy—the nation has long embraced the absence of religious difference as effective prevention for the conflicts that result." Read Essay
Hatty Liu (Bellevue, WA)

	Essay unvailable.
Faris Alikhan (Los Angles, CA)

Both the staff and all the judges involved were very impressed with the caliber of work turned in by students and as always were surprised by the maturity level and insight of youth today. One of the judges, Jasmit Singh remarked “This year’s contest entries were unmatched to the preceding two years. The thoughtful responses truly demonstrate the maturity level of this generation’s youth. They managed to maintain their values and beliefs and share their true opinions while handling a very controversial topic with great poise.”, further proving how extraordinary the essays from this year’s contest were.

The Sikh Coalition would like to thank the following individuals and distinguished judges who worked tirelessly to evaluate the essays and come up with the final results – Tom Boland, Paul Gamble, Heather Kaur, Dr. Molina Kaur, Dr. Sorena Kaur, Hardeep Singh, Dr. I J Singh, and Reshma Singh. Their continued dedication and support is much appreciated.

The Sikh Coalition Diversity Essay Competition is open to the youth, regardless of their ethnicity, race, religion or cultural background, with an interest in religion, liberty, and a just society of free and responsible individuals.