The Sikh Coalition Newsletter

Justice for All - The e-Newsletter
Chet 14, 535 NanakShahi
March 26, 2003
Volume 21

Coalition Meets With Governor Locke of Washington State

The Sikh Coalition, along with fellow members of the National Consortium of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), met with Governor Gary Locke of Washington State on February 22, 2003. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss current issues facing Asian Pacific Americans and South Asian Americans and to identify ways that Governor Locke and the Democratic leadership can help our respective communities. Governor Locke, who delivered the Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union address in January, has been a champion of minority issues and a friend to the nearly 40,000 Sikhs of Washington for many years. In addition to a discussion of more general issues facing the Asian community as a whole, the Coalition reiterated the most pressing concerns of Sikhs and all minorities, including continued racial, ethnic, and religious bias and discrimination

Coalition Assists Sikh Student Denied Admission in AZ

Prabhjost Singh was denied admission to the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Phoenix, AZ because he refused to remove his turban, which fell under the "no hats" policy that UTI enforces as a part of its dress code. After being informed of the situation by Prabhjost Singh, the Sikh Coalition contacted UTI and provided documentation about the significance of the turban as an article of faith.

After a series of dialogues, UTI amended its policy and will gladly accept qualified Sikhs wearing turbans into its classes. Mr. Shirrell Smith, UTI Vice President, thanked the Coalition for providing the information the institute needed to make an informed decision. He added, "This was a learning process for all of us."

If you have suffered discrimination, please contact us at info@sikhcoalition.org.

[Information on Why Sikhs Wear a Turban]

Coalition Rallies the Sikh Community on APIC's Legislative Day, 3/16/03

Over 2,500 Asian Pacific Americans participated in APA Legislative Day on March 16, 2003, with over 100 endorsing organizations representing communities that spoke over 20 different languages. APIC's legislative day was born out of a deep concern for those vulnerable residents of the state of Washington who must rely on help from the state for medical care, mental health services, nursing home care and income assistance. APIC also called on the Governor and Legislature to oppose anti-terrorism provisions that are too broad and punitive and that infringe on the civil rights and civil liberties of suspected persons. The Coalition met with Governor Locke, Senate and House Leadership to show solidarity with the issues raised by the broader coalition. About 25 members of Sikh community lobbied their senators and representatives on issues such as Education, Health Care for the elderly and children and help for recent immigrants.

Sikh Orgs meet with head of Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Last, week, the Sikh Coalition, SMART, and SCORE met with leading officials of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the organization in charge of airport security measures in the U.S. The Sikh organizations discussed measures to continue to improve security while respecting the rights of Sikhs and all air passengers. Admiral James Loy, the head of the TSA, committed to an open dialogue with Sikhs and other minorities to ensure security and personal freedoms were protected.

Through the establishment of guidelines detailing the rights of Sikh passengers, incidents of profiling and turban searches have declined substantially. Documents protecting turbaned Sikhs from undue harassment and profiling can be downloaded and taken with you to the airport. These documents are available at: http://www.sikhcoalition.org/LegalAirTravel.asp. If you or anyone you know is profiled or asked to remove his or her turban, please notify us at info@sikhcoalition.org.

[Airport Travel Documents for Sikhs]

Coalition Publishes Correction in NJ Law Journal Editorial

A recent article in the New Jersey Law Journal incorrectly labeled Sikhism as a "sect". The Coalition subsequently sent a letter to the editor clarifying the mistake. The letter was published on March 3, 2003. .

Dear Editor,
I would like to thank you for running the story, "Turban Triumph," in the Feb. 10 Law Journal [171 NJLJ 491]. The story was much appreciated by the Sikh-American community for celebrating a committed lawyer and activist, Ravinder Singh Bhalla, for his determination and courage in defending civil liberties.
The story, however, incorrectly labeled Sikhism as a "sect." Twenty-six million adherents make Sikhism the world's fifth largest religion. As recognized by the U.S. Congress last year through a formal resolution, "the Sikh faith is a distinct and ethnic identity that has its own places of worship and a distinct holy text and religions tenets."
Sikhism cannot be characterized as a sect because it is an autonomous, independent religion with its validity inhering in its own revelations and proclamations such as are repeatedly made in the Sikh scriptures, its pious literature and its historical movement.

The Sikh Coalition

Coalition Joins Amnesty International in Solidarity with Punjab Human Rights Victims

The Sikh Coalition joins Amnesty International (AI) in Expressing Solidarity with the thousands of Sikh families in Punjab whose loved ones were illegally killed by Indian government authorities. In a recent statement, Amnesty expressed concerns "that thousands of families are still waiting to know the fate of their relatives who were 'disappeared' in police custody…It is with this in mind that Amnesty International members during February and March 2003 will be sending cards to the families of people who were illegally cremated, to show international solidarity for their pursuit of justice."

In its recent 2003 report on Punjab, Amnesty declared that human rights violations and torture continue to take place regularly even today. The report stated, "Torture and custodial violence continue to be regularly reported in Punjab, despite the end of the militancy period in the state in the mid-1990s."

[AI's Statement of Solidarity with Families of Disappeared Victims]
[AI's 2003 Report on Human Rights Violations in Punjab]
[The Coalition's Human Rights Program]

Coalition Applauds Human Rights Watch Research on Nationalism in India

The Coalition attended a meeting on "India: The Rise of Hindu Nationalism" at Human Rights Watch (HWR) on February 26. In April of 2002, HRW released a 75-page report detailing Indian state's complicity in attacks orchestrated against Muslims that claimed at least 2,000 lives. In January 2003, HRW's Smita Narula returned to Gujarat to investigate developments in the areas of justice and rehabilitation. According to HRW, "There have been no convictions and little in the way of promised relief. In December 2002, the BJP secured a landslide victory in state assembly elections. Employing an anti-Muslim and anti-terrorism strategy, the BJP gained the most seats in areas that had been affected by communal violence. Soon after, BJP officials declared that the strategy used in Gujarat would be repeated all over India, raising concerns that violence would be deployed as a political strategy."

Sam Zia-Zarifi of HRW described his group's field work on saffronization of education in India. According to HRW, "The same Hindu nationalist organizations responsible for the violence in Gujarat are taking control of India's educational system, both nationally and in the states where the BJP is in power. In approximately 26,000 schools nationwide, hundreds of thousands of children are indoctrinated in religious intolerance and taught that non-Hindus are inferior. Students are recruited into militant organizations and trained in the use of weapons, including guns and trishuls (daggers associated with Hindu mythology). Administrators of these schools work in partnership with BJP-led state governments. They receive government funds, use government buildings, take control of state schools, train state teachers, and exert considerable influence over state education boards. These schools are expanding rapidly across India as part of a broader strategy to promote the creation of a Hindu state.

[Human Rights Watch's 2002 Report on Gujarat]
[Amnesty International: Gujarat - Credibility of India's Criminal Justice System is at Stake]
[The Coalition's Human Rights Program]

Seeking Equal Opportunity for Sikh Women in Panthic Seva

The Sikh Gurus unequivocally taught equality of women and men and put these tenets into practice by encouraging women to take leadership roles in all aspects of panthic life. However, today we have strayed from these teachings in many respects, and women are denied equal opportunity to perform seva at the Sikh capital in Amritsar, Darbar Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple).

Although a resolution was passed in 1966 by the Jathedars of four Takhats and the Shiromani Parbhandak Committee recognizing Sikh women’s equal right to perform Seva at Darbar Sahib, women are still not allowed to partake in early morning seva there, and no Sikh woman has yet been given the opportunity to perform kirtan at Darbar Sahib.

A petition has been started as an initial effort to reverse this situation. The petition states, “It is urgent and imperative that this denial of Seva to women be immediately rectified.” It calls for the enforcement of equal rights for women to participate in seva at Darbar Sahib and equal opportunity for women to be appointed as Granthis and leaders. These requirements are consistent with Sikhism and exemplify the teachings and practices of the Sikh Gurus.

The Sikh Coalition highly commends the efforts of the organizers of the petition. It is imperative that we show commitment to upholding the equality of women as a unified community. We therefore call upon all Sikhs to sign the petition.

To endorse the petition as an organization, or to find out how you can help, please email sevapetition@yahoo.ca.

More information on The Coalition’s Women’s Program
Further Reading on Darbar Sahib:The Golden Temple: Its Theo-political Status