Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 7. Terming him as a “friend of the Sikhs”, the Sikh community in India as well as in the US has hailed the victory of Barack Obama in the US presidential elections today.
Talking to The Tribune, US-based Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) chairman Dr Rajwant Singh said, “We are pleased with the results. This is especially great for the Sikhs because Obama has demonstrated in the last four years that he has deep respect for the Sikh faith.
“He has strong commitment to protect the civil rights of the Sikhs in the US and has gone an extra mile to stand by the community in the aftermath of the Wisconsin gurdwara shootout.”
Obama was the first US President to host the celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary at the White House. He had also lowered the US flags, an unprecedented step, to convey the message of solidarity and sympathy of the entire nation for the Wisconsin Sikh victims, he added.
The American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) said that Obama is the “one who understands the concerns of the Sikhs and minorities in the US”.
“We are extremely happy over Obama’s win. He is friend of the Sikhs,” said AGPC president J S Hothi and coordinator Dr Pritpal Singh in a joint statement issued here today.
The US Sikh leaders said that Obama was always receptive to the Sikhs’ demands and understood their concerns.
Back home, the SGPC greeted President Obama on his victory. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said Obama understood the problems being faced by the Sikh community in the US and has also made sincere efforts to address them.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121108/us-elections-special.htm#5
