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The Sikh Coalition Newsletter
Justice for All - The Weekly Newsletter
Maghar 20, 534 NanakShahi
December 3, 2002
Volume 18
Coalition Presents to High School Students,
Teachers, and Administrators
The Sikh Coalition conducted a series of workshops within
the "Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All"
program at Sussex High School in Sussex, WI. Over 300 high
school students and teachers participated in the interactive
workshops. Each workshop presented information on Sikhism
while also highlighting stereotypes and bias faced before
and after September 11th by Sikhs and those who look "different".
Students and teachers, moved by the sessions, remarked that
they better understood the unique challenges faced by Sikhs
in America and that the workshops broadened their perspective.
Teachers and administrators noted the effectiveness of the
presentation and hope to expand the program into other schools
and potentially into the standard curriculum.
Coalition Attends ACLU 9/11 Hate Crimes
Report News Conference
Meeta Kaur, Director of Women’s Empowerment Programming
for The Sikh Coalition, represented The Coalition at the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 9/11 Hate Crimes Report
News Conference. The conference, held on November 13 in
San Francisco, marked the release of the ACLU 9/11 Hate
Crimes Report to the public for review. The report narrates
the lives of Balbir Singh and Sukhpal Singh (Sodhi) with
sensitivity and accuracy. Please see http://www.aclunc.org/911/backlash/
for the full detailed report.
In addition to the Hate Crimes Report narratives, the ACLU
News Conference focused on additional hate crime stories
revealing the violation of civil rights and privacy citizens
continue to experience in everyday life. Meeta Kaur fielded
questions from local NBC affiliates regarding the impact
the U.S. call to war with Iraq will have on the Sikh American
community.
Columbia University Sikhs Sponsor Gujarat
Documentary Screening and Discussion
Columbia University Sikhs sponsored a screening of “Evil
Stabs the Land” and “Hey Ram,” provocative
documentaries that show the extent and brutality of the
recent violence against Muslims in Gujarat, India. The documentaries
take viewers inside refugee camps and destroyed towns while
conducting moving eyewitness interviews with surviving victims.
The videos present evidence that the pogroms were pre-planned
and orchestrated by the Gujarat state government and carried
out with the support of local police authorities. The documentaries
also show Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, and Christian Indian
citizens protesting the violence.
The hour-long screening, held on November 20 at Columbia
University, was followed by refreshments and an interactive
discussion. The discussion was moderated by Sanjay Ruparelia,
Assistant Director of the Southern Asian Institute of Columbia
University.
The event was held in conjunction with the Southern Asian
Institute of Columbia University, and was co-sponsored by
The Sikh Coalition and the following Columbia University
student groups: Hindu Students Organization, Ahimsa, Club
Bangla, and the Organization of Pakistani Students.
To obtain a copy of the documentaries, or for more information
on how you can arrange a screening in your area, please
email supreet.kaur@sikhcoalition.org.
[Human Rights
Watch Report on Gujarat Violence]
[The
Sikh Coalition’s Human Rights Program]
Volunteer or Intern with The Coalition
The Sikh Coalition is looking for motivated individuals
to help with several projects. Volunteering is a great way
to perform much-needed service for the Sikh community.
Exciting project and seva opportunities are available in
several areas, including:
- Projects for Women's Empowerment Programming
- A project that will acquaint you with media entities
within our Media team
- A project exploring the Sikh community’s involvement
in the American democratic process with our Community
Relations team
- Projects involving Youth Outreach
- Projects involving translation of materials into Punjabi
The internships are open to all U.S. and Canadian residents
18 years of age and older. The only requirements are access
to a computer and the internet and a desire to help the
Sikh community!
Volunteering details:
- Projects vary in time commitment from 15 – 100
hours
- Start and end dates of the project duration are determined
around your schedule
- You can chose your project, and will only work on something
that interests you
- Each volunteer will work closely with a Coalition Director
from the beginning to the completion of the project
- Volunteers will be able to see how their work will directly
be used for the service of the Sikh community
Volunteering is a great way for students to spend some
time over their winter break proactively helping their community
while at the same time building their resumes and network!
If you are interested, send an email to volunteer@sikhcoalition.org
including the following information:
Seeking Equal Opportunity for Sikh Women
in Panthic Seva
The Coalition calls for members of the Sikh community to
sign a petition expressing support for Sikh women to be
granted equal opportunity in panthic seva.
The Sikh Gurus unequivicolly 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 oppurtunity 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]
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