The Sikh Coalition Newsletter

Justice for All - The Weekly Newsletter
Harh 11, Nanakshahi Samvat 534
June 25, 2002
Volume 10

NEW KIRPAN CASE: URGENT ACTION NEEDED
A major corporation in the United States has barred its Sikh employee from wearing the kirpan. The Sikh Coalition is working to defend the Sikh's right to wear this article of faith. Your help is urgently needed in this matter. If you wear the kirpan and your employer is aware of it, please contact us immediately by e-mailing info@sikhcoalition.org. We would like to present the corporation with a list of supporting references in order to help resolve this issue quickly.

THE SIKH COALITION CHALLENGES THE NYPD
On June 10, 2002, The Sikh Coalition filed a federal charge of employment discrimination on behalf of Amric Singh with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the New York Police Department (NYPD). Amric Singh was fired from the NYPD for refusing to remove his turban and trim his beard. The Complaint, which was released to the public at a press briefing outside of One Police Plaza in Manhattan, detailed the manner in which Amric Singh was mistreated and harassed by his supervisors in their repeated attempts to pressure him into removing his turban. Amric Singh, the Coalition’s Director of Community Relations, Harpreet Singh, and the Coalition's attorney representing Amric Singh, Ravinder Singh (Bhalla), were among those present. Many prominent media outlets attended the briefing, including Fox 5 news, NBC, CBS, and the New York Times.

For the Sikh Coalition Press Release on the briefing, Click Here.

To read Amric Singh’s statement on Sikhe.com, Click Here.

Links to other media coverage of the case include:

New York Times:
Sikh Man Sues NYC Police Dept.
Manhattan: Police Accused of Religious Bias (scroll down for article)

New York Daily News:
NYPD Sued in Sikh Firing

New York Newsday:
Police Department Should Rethink Policy on Turbans
Sikh Files Bias Suit Against NYPD
Sikh Eyes NYPD Suit
Why Shouldn’t Sikhs Be Welcome in the NYPD?
Sikh Wants to End Turban Ban

Reuters:
Fired Sikh Cop Sues Over ‘Bias’

Richmond Hill Times:
Fired Sikh Officer Files Charge Against NYPD
Borough Sikhs fight NYPD Dress Code

Fox/WWOR TV NYC (streaming video news link):
Turban Trouble

The Tribune:
Sikh Cop Keeps Faith, Loses Job

Hindustan Times:
Bearded Sikhs Can Join Police in US

Rediff.com:
Sikh Officer Charges NYPD with Discrimination

Other Foreign News:
RP-Online (German news journal)
Utusan Malaysia Online (Malaysian news source)

COALITION SPONSORS SEATTLE MEMORIAL
The Coalition sponsored a candle light vigil in Seattle on June 19, 2002. The memorial was in remembrance of Vincent Chin, who died 20 years ago from a hate crime, Balbir Singh Sodhi, who died from a hate crime on September 17, 2001, and others who have been victimized in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy. The vigil was followed by a gathering and refreshments at the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle. Balbir Singh Sodhi’s family and members of the Sikh and other communities were present. The memorial was part one of a two-part series on hate crimes.

Part two, which will take place on Monday, July 1st, 2002, will include a panel discussion and film screening of "Raising Our Voices: South Asian Americans Address Hate." The documentary, produced by the South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT), addresses hate crimes against South Asians in the U.S. both before and after September 11th. The discussion following the video will be moderated by Amelia Derr of the Hate Free Zone and Ratnesh Nagda of the UW School of Social Work. Panelists will include Jasmit Singh Kochhar from the Sikh Coalition; Issa Qandeel, member of Idris Mosque; and speakers from the East African and Jewish communities.

The above two programs are co-sponsored by Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington; Indian American Political Advocacy Council; Japanese American Citizens League-Seattle Chapter; Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program of the Graduate School at UW; UW Office of Minority Affairs; UW Ethnic Cultural Center; UW School of Social Work; and UW Women's Information Center. They are endorsed by International Examiner and UW MOSAIC. Major funding has been provided by the Washington Commission for the Humanities.

RALLY AGAINST INJUSTICE IN INDIA HELD IN CHICAGO ON JUNE 8
On June 8, 2002, the Sikh Religious Society of Chicago sponsored an interfaith rally at Grant Park in downtown Chicago. The rally commemorated all innocent people who have suffered injustice in India. It featured speakers from the Sikh, Muslim, Christian, and Dalit communities, followed by a reading of testimonies and a prayer vigil. The program concluded with an interfaith prayer and a community meal. Members from all four religious communities were present in solidarity. For more information please email chicagorally@sikhcoalition.org or visit http://www.sikhcoalition.org/chicagorally.

SIKH NETWORK GURMAT RETREAT HELD FROM JUNE 13 TO 16
The Sikh Network Gurmat Retreat was held at Lohgarh Campsite in Chambersburg, PA from June 13th to June 16th, 2002. The theme of this summer's retreat was built around Internal and External Challenges facing the Sikh Panth. The retreat was attended by over 50 participants and included interactive and discussion-oriented workshops, presentations, discussion segments, morning and evening divaans, as well as social and sports activities. More information is available at http://www.sikh.org/snet.

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