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Coalitions Efforts in New York City
The Sikh Coalition headquarters sits in downtown New York City, just minutes from City Hall and the site of the World Trade Center. As the symbol of so many things, our location reminds us of how the universal traits we share must overcome that which attempts to divide us. Many of the programs the Coalition wishes to rollout across the country first begin through pilot programs in the New York City area.
Backlash Mitigation and Religious Headdress Bills
Council Member Weprin and Coalition Legal Director Amardeep Singh Announce the Bills |
City Hall (November 17, 2005) – Council Member David I. Weprin (D-Hollis), Chair of the Council Finance Committee, hosted a press conference today with the Sikh Coalition and many other organizations. The press conference took place prior to the first hearing on Int. 577, the Uniformed Agency Anti-Discrimination bill.
The bill, drafted by the Sikh Coalition , seeks to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to precluding all uniformed city agencies from mandating that their employees comply with a uniform code that would require such person to violate or forego a practice of his or her creed or religion [View the JointPress Release From Weprin and the Sikh Coalition ]
Why the Bills Are Needed
 The aftermath of September 11, 2001, saw a marked increase of acts of intolerance and discrimination against Arabs and Muslims in New York City, in addition to those perceived to be Arab or Muslim, such as Sikhs and South Asians. Our communities saw unprecedented levels of hate crimes, employment discrimination and other forms of bias directed against us. Immigrants within our communities in particular were most affected.
The level of bias was especially intense after September, 11, 2001, but it had precedent. Past public emergencies or war in the Middle East saw statistically and anecdotally marked increases in bias against our communities. Such past incidents that led to increases in discrimination against our communities included the aftermath of the Iran hostage crisis, first was in the Persian Gulf, Oklahoma City bombing, and the first World Trade Center attack. After each of these incidents, innocent members of our communities endured the brunt of discrimination and bias.
Over the past three months (beginning August 2004) a coalition of New York City’s prominent interfaith, immigrant rights, civil rights, Arab, Muslim, and South Asian organizations have been meeting at the offices of the Sikh Coalition to strategize and develop bills that would address the discrimination in our immigrant, religious and ethnic communities. Collectively, our organizations developed two bills that attempt to proactively address the issues our communities have faced over the past years.
The first bill would ban discrimination in the city agencies on the basis of religious headdress, which in effect would make the results of the NYPD litigation city law for all its agencies. The second bill would require New York City to create a plan to mitigate hate-motivated backlash against vulnerable communities in the wake of a large scale public disaster like 9/11.
The bills were introduced in the City Council on February 16, 2005.
Click here to view the latest update on the dastaar bill’s cosponsors.
Click here to view the latest update on the backlash mitigation bill’s cosponsors.
Supporting Materials
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The Bills
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Sample of Backlash Articles
- “Arab Community a Wary Target of Anger,” Daily News, September 12, 2001
- "Arabs Under Siege Here – New Yorks Vent Rage at Innocents," – New York Post, September 13, 2001
- “Arab Americans, Mosques Targeted in Bias Attacks,” Daily News, September 15, 2001
Sample of Articles on Religous Discrimination
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