The Sikh Coalition Newsletter

Justice for All - The Weekly Newsletter
Harh 30, Nanakshahi Samvat 534
July 14, 2002
Volume 11

URGENT ACTION NEEDED
Kirpan bans, in which employers are prohibiting their Sikh employees from wearing the kirpan, are occurring at an increasing rate throughout the country. In order to effectively combat these and future cases, The Sikh Coalition urgently needs your help. If you wear the kirpan and your employer is aware of it, please contact us immediately by e-mailing info@sikhcoalition.org or writing to the address below. The Coalition would like to thank those who have responded to the urgent action request and have been added to The Coalition’s list of supporting references. The Coalition is working so that ultimately, the kirpan and the other Sikh articles of faith will be recognized in the U.S. through official legislation.

COALITION COMBATS KIRPAN BAN WITH IBM
Recently a Sikh employee at IBM, a multinational technology corporation, challenged the corporation’s discriminatory position on the kirpan. IBM bars the kirpan under its “no weapons” policy. There are approximately 25 kirpan-bearing Sikhs working in one manufacturing facility at IBM, where they must pass through metal detectors. The employee seeking to make the change in IBM’s corporate policy was threatened with termination if she continues to wear the kirpan in her workplace. The Sikh Coalition is working with Sikh executives across the country in an effort to change IBM’s discriminatory policy. The Coalition urges Sikhs who work or know any Sikhs who work for IBM, whether they do or do not wear the kirpan, to notify The Coalition by emailing info@sikhcoalition.org. The identity of those wearing the kirpan will be shielded from IBM by The Coalition until the matter is resolved satisfactorily. The Sikh Coalition is confident that with the efforts of the collective Sikh community, IBM will agree to recognize the kirpan.

COALITION RESOLVES KIRPAN CONFLICT WITH ACCENTURE
Gurpreet Singh, a Sikh employee working in the New York office of the major global consulting corporation Accenture, recently fell into dispute with the company over his right to wear the kirpan in the workplace. When made aware of the situation, The Sikh Coalition immediately intervened with Accenture on behalf of Gurpreet Singh. Accenture ultimately agreed to acknowledge the kirpan. However, Gurpreet Singh was told he must wear it with the tip dulled while in the workplace. He agreed to the compromise and is continuing to work for the company while wearing the kirpan.

The Coalition would like to thank the following individuals for their unconditional support in this case: Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa (Sikhnet), Ron Singh Warner (GE Global Research Center), Sant Singh (Ontario Power Generation Inc.), Kamal-Neil Singh (University Hospital), Meena Kaur (Framingham High School), Kulvir S. Gill (Mercer Management Consulting), Narindar S. Kang (Kang and Company), Ranjit Singh Sandhu (Singapore), Sher Singh (SCORE) and Kirpal Singh Nijher (Dresser-Rand Company).

COALITION TO PARTICIPATE IN AGPC MEETING
The American Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee (AGPC) is convening a meeting of all gurudwara management committees in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, and CT) in order to discuss and solve common problems facing gurudwaras in North America. The topics for discussion are: management of gurudwaras; role of Sikh youth in the gurudwara; everyday relations between gurudwara management and preachers; and ways to create relations with non-Sikh communities. The Sikh Coalition has been invited to lead the discussion on the role of Sikh youth and present strategies to foster active participation by youth in gurudwaras. The meeting will take place at Glenrock Gurudwara, NJ on July 20, 2002 from 11:30 AM – 4:30 PM. Members of the Tri-State area sangat are encouraged to attend.

COALITION PARTICIPATES IN MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE MEETING
The Sikh Coalition was invited to participate in a meeting of the Migration Policy Institute on July 10, 2002. The meeting analyzed the extent to which government groups such as the FBI, INS, and police forces have relied on ethnicity, race, and national origin to target and detain individuals in their post-September 11 investigations. Sikh Coalition Director of Community Relations Harpreet Singh and Of Counsel to The Coalition Ravinder Singh (Bhalla) presented the Sikh community’s experience at the event, which included leaders from national civil rights and community-based organizations, detainees, their families, and attorneys representing detainees from the Muslim, South Asian and Middle Eastern communities. The Migration Policy Institute will use the information presented at the meeting in its upcoming report, which will evaluate post-9/11 law enforcement practices and provide Congress and the public with recommendations for ensuring national security and the protection of civil rights in the U.S.

COALITION SPONSORS SAALT's HATE CRIME DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGS
The Sikh Coalition is sponsoring film screenings of "Raising Our Voices: South Asian Americans Address Hate" across the United States. 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 screenings are accompanied by panel discussions with leaders from minority communities and civil rights organizations. Screenings scheduled for the month of July are detailed below.

Seattle
On July 1st, 2002, The Coalition sponsored a screening and panel discussion in Seattle. The discussion following the video was moderated by Amelia Derr of the Hate Free Zone and Ratnesh Nagda of the UW School of Social Work. Panelists included Sikh Coalition Director of Education, Dr. Jasmit Singh; Issa Qandeel, member of Idris Mosque; and speakers from the East African and Jewish communities. The event, which constituted part two of a two-part series on hate crimes, was cosponsored by Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington, Indian American Political Advocacy Council, Japanese American Citizens League, and several departments at the University of Washington. It was endorsed by the International Examiner and UW MOSAIC, and was largely funded by the Washington Commission for the Humanities.

The Coalition would especially like to thank Charlene Mano, Director of Education for Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle, and others from the organization who have helped put this event together.

Pennsylvania
On July 21, 2002, The Coalition will sponsor a showing of “Raising Our Voices” in Pennsylvania. The screening will take place at an interfaith event. The Coalition would like to thank Neena Kaur (PA) for her tremendous efforts in planning this event.

California
SAALT, The Coalition, Bay Area Sikhs, a constituent member of The Coalition, and the Sikh Students Association of San Jose State University, will sponsor three documentary screenings and panel discussions in the San Francisco Bay Area. The events will be held on:

July 26 at San Jose State University,
July 27 at the University of California Berkeley,
July 28 in Mission District, San Francisco.
For more information, email info@sikhcoalition.org or saaltcampaign@saalt.org.


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