United Sikhs – Sikhs Ask Canadian PM to Raise France’s Turban Ban at Meeting with French PM

Harper Should Raise France’s Turban Ban at Meeting with French Prime Minister: Canadian Liberal Leader

United Sikhs wrote recently to the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, requesting him to raise his objection to the French turban ban during his meeting this week with his counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Sikhs globally believe that a ban on the turban is a betrayal of France’s motto- Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

Canadian Liberal Leader Bob Rae said in a statement today, “If we are to be a defender of rights, we must defend them around the world, including in France. We would encourage Mr. Harper to have a frank and open discussion with his French counterpart on this issue”.

Canadian Sikhs have also asked all Canadian Members of National and Provincial Parliaments to release similar statements supporting a Sikh’s right to his turban, urging Mr. Harper to raise this issue with the French PM.

Toronto, Canada: United Sikhs wrote to the Canadian Prime Minister earlier this week asking him to raise his objection to the turban ban in France, during his meeting with his French counterpart, who is currently visiting Canada.

“It is not very often that the people of a nation write directly to their Prime Minister about the threat of their identity in another sovereign state,” United Sikhs’ director, Ranbir Singh, said in the letter to the Canadian Prime Minister.

“Unless France allows Sikhs to wear a turban in schools and on ID documents photographs, the Sikh turban would be deemed to be banned in France, which will be a betrayal of France’s motto – Liberté, égalité, fraternité,” the letter added.

“Globalization in the 21st century has made human rights a border-less right. It is now no longer acceptable to say that we cannot interfere with the ‘internal affairs’ of a sovereign state (France). The precedent was set in the previous century when the world joined the Blacks of South Africa to fight apartheid – an ‘internal affair’ of a sovereign state. Just as the Blacks of South Africa could not remove the color of their skin, Sikhs cannot remove their turban and strip themselves of their identity,” the letter said.

Liberal Leader Bob Rae made the following statement today on Stephen Harper’s meeting with French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault:

“France’s decision to ban the wearing of turbans and other religious symbols in identification photos, government schools and public spaces has received international criticism and flies in the face of religious freedom. As a result of this ban, many Sikhs are denied access to employment, public health care and social benefits that require a government identification card. It should be an issue of great concern to this Conservative government and all Canadians.

After the much-publicized launch of Canada’s new Office of Religious Freedoms, today’s meeting is an ideal opportunity for this government to come to the defense of minority rights and walk the walk on religious freedoms. If we are to be a defender of rights, we must defend them around the world, including in France. We would encourage Mr. Harper to have a frank and open discussion with his French counterpart on this issue.”

In 2008, United Sikhs’ attorneys filed three cases against the French turban ban in schools and ID photos before the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC).

Victory was achieved at the UNHRC in the cases of both, Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh. We await to hear the outcome of Shingara Singh’s case. If there was any doubt about the legality of France’s action, the eminent jurists of the UNHRC recently pronounced unequivocally that France had violated the human rights of both Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh by denying them their religious right to wear a turban.

However, France has not overturned their ban and continue to enforce it on Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh despite UNHRC’s decision. All Canadian Sikhs, United Sikhs’ team members and the global Sikh community urge and seek the support of the Canadian Government, Leaders of New Democratic Party, Liberal Party of Canada and all Members of the Parliaments to help raise this ban.

Sukhwinder Singh
Director, United Sikhs
Tel: 1-905-672-2245
Fax: 1-810-885-4264
unitedsikhs-canada@unitedsikhs.org

United Sikhs – Sikhs hold Peaceful Protest and Submit Memorandum to French President Hollande in Delhi

16 February 2013
6th Phagun (Samvat 544 Nanakshahi)

The memorandum says that if Sikhs in France are not allowed to wear a turban in schools and on ID document photos, then the turban is deemed to be banned in France, which will be a betrayal of France’s motto – Liberté, égalité, fraternité Minister-Counsellor at the French Embassy acknowledges the victories at the UN Human Rights Committee ( UNHRC) ; tries to justify French laws, but also assures the delegation that France is in dialogue with Sikh organisations/individuals to resolve the issue.

Prior to Mr Hollande’s visit, UNITED SIKHS representatives met the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Mrs. Preneet Kaur, to apprise her of the present situation, and seek the intervention of the Indian Prime Minister.

It will be an economical truth for your government to say that the turban is not banned in France when Sikh students cannot wear it at least 10 daylight hours a day when they travel and study at public schools. It is also banned at any time on the street when a Sikh is being asked to remove his turban to prove that he is the person on his ID photo,” said Mejindarpal Kaur, UNITED SIKHS Legal Director, in the memorandum to President Hollande.

15th February 2013, New Delhi: Sikhs held a peaceful protest outside the French Embassy in New Delhi yesterday against the ongoing French turban. This was followed by the submission of a memorandum on the Turban issue addressed to French President Francois Hollande, who was on a trade visit to India.

“If there was any doubt about the legality of France’s (turban ban) action, the eminent jurists of the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) recently pronounced that France had violated the human rights of both Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh by denying them their religious right to wear a turban….The global Sikh community says that France is able to reverse the turban ban for a photo ID because France has since adopted biometric ID documents, in compliance with EU regulations, which rely on facial features and fingerprints and do not require a bare head for the
photo on ID documents,” Mejindarpal Kaur, UNITED SIKHS legal director, stated in the memorandum, that as submitted by a delegation led by UNITED SIKHS, the Akali Dal (Delhi) and the Sikh Forum.

“Equally, the nub of our argument against the turban ban in schools is that when a Sikh schoolchild removes his turban, his joora (top knot), which denotes that he is a Sikh, is visible. Hence, the French law that purports to ban the ostensible display of religious signs in schools should not apply to the Sikhs because it does not serve its purpose as a Sikh’s religious sign (unshorn hair tied as a joora) will be ostensibly visible when the turban is removed, “ the memorandum stated. The memorandum may be read in full here.

Gurpreet Singh (UNITED SIKHS-India director), Manjit Singh GK and Onkar Singh Thapar (both of the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Delhi)), Daljeet Singh (Chairman Dharam Parchar Committee (Education & Youth Wing) Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Mangement Committee) and R S Chatwwal (the Sikh Forum) had discussions with Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet, Minister Counsellor at the French Embassy, after handing the memorandum.

“During our discussions, Mr. Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet, whilst accepting the UNHRC findings, tried to justify the French laws, indicating that these were not Sikh specific. However, he assured the Sikh delegation that France is in dialogue with Sikh organizations and individuals in trying to resolve the turban ban, “ said Gurpreet Singh.

You may read about the Right To Turban campaign in our previous press release here.

Mejindarpal Kaur, Legal Director
UNITED SIKHS
law@unitedsikhs.org
044 7709830442

The Tribune – SGPC flays beheading of Sikh in Pakistan

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 10. The SGPC has condemned the kidnapping and subsequent beheading of a Sikh, identified as Mohinder Singh, by militants in Pakistan, terming it as a “barbaric act.”. In a statement issued here today, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has urged the Pakistan Government to ensure the safety of minorities while seeking adequate compensation for the next of the kin of the deceased.

“This is not the first instance of attack on Sikhs in Pakistan and the government there should take all necessary measures for the security of Sikhs,” Makkar said.

The Dal Khalsa has also criticised the killing. Mohinder Singh was reportedly kidnapped by a militant group from his shop in Tabbai village of Khyber on November 20 last year. Expressing concern about the safety of Sikhs in Pakistan’s tribal areas, party general secretary Dr Manjinder Singh demanded that the Pakistan Government should bring the culprits to book.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130111/punjab.htm#9

US Sikhs seek stern action

Washington, January 10. Strongly condemning the murder of Sikh-Canadian woman Rajvinder Kaur Gill and the beheading of Mohinder Singh in Pakistan, the Sikh community in the US today demanded protection of minorities in that country.

In a statement, United Sikhs, a Sikh advocacy group, demanded that the Pakistan Government protect minorities and pay compensation to the families of the victims.

It also called on the Paklistan Government to secure the safety of all minorities. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130111/punjab.htm#10

United Sikhs Press Release – Sikhs Win School Turban Ban Case Against France in the UN

“The UN Human Rights Committee has made our nine year wait for justice worthwhile, since the French law was passed against religious signs in public schools in 2004. The UNHRC has once again proved to be the beacon of light for the freedom of thought, conscience and religion by upholding that the Article 18 right under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to manifest ones religion, cannot be overridden merely by pleading secularity without producing any evidence that the Sikh Turban would affect the right of other students or would affect order in the school,” said Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs Legal Director, who is in the fore-front of a legal campaign for French Sikhs’ right to wear their turban.

Paris, France, 14 Dec 2012 – The UN Human Rights Committee has ruled that France’s ban on the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in schools – introduced in a law adopted in March 2004 – violated a Sikh student’s right to manifest his religion, protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In a decision that was sent out this week to the UNITED SIKHS legal team, in relation to a complaint made by Bikramjit Singh in 2008, the Committee accepted that the wearing of a turban is regarded as a religious duty for a Sikh and is also tied in with his identity; and that France had not justified the prohibition on the wearing of the turban.

The Committee accepted that the France was entitled to uphold the principle of secularism (laïcité), a means by which a State party might seek to protect the religious freedom of all its population; it recognised that the adoption of the 2004 law had responded to actual incidents of interference with the religious freedom of pupils and sometimes even threats to their physical safety.

However, the Committee went on to express the opinion that this was not enough to justify the interference with religious rights that the law represented. France had “not furnished compelling evidence that by wearing his keski (small turban) [Bikramjit] would have posed a threat to the rights and freedoms of other pupils or to order at the school. The Committee also considered that the penalty of permanent exclusion had not been shown to be necessary; and that it had been imposed not because of any harmful conduct by Bikramjit, but because he belonged to a broad category of people by their religious conduct. In the Committee’s view, France had not shown “how the sacrifice of those persons’ rights is either necessary or proportionate to the benefits achieved”.  The views were adopted on 1st Nov 2012, at the 106th session of the Committee’s sitting.

Less than a year ago, the UNHRC had also concluded that France had violated the religious freedom of 76 year old Ranjit Singh when he was asked to remove his turban for his ID photograph. A UN decision is still awaited for Shingara Singh, whose passport has not been renewed by France because he refused to remove his turban for his ID photograph.

Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs International Legal Director told a media conference in Paris today: “Laicite or secularity is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end. The end that laicite must achieve is freedom, equality and fraternity. Likewise the Turban is a means to an end and Sikhs in France will continue to wear the turban so they may work towards a society that is free, fair and for the good of all mankind.”

“We now look to France to fulfil its treaty obligations under International law. It also has a moral duty to ensure that the freedom of religion and belief is upheld for everyone who lives within its territory,” she added.

Stephen Grosz of London solicitors Bindmans, who was instructed by United Sikhs to represent Bikramjit Singh, said: “The UN Human Rights Committee is the first international body examine the substantive merits of France’s ban on religious symbols and clothing in schools. In this significant ruling, it has made clear that the prohibition is unjustified. France must now prevent similar violations in future, and in particular, the Committee said that it should review the law of 2004 that imposed the ban. France must also provide Bikramjit Singh with a remedy, including appropriate compensation. France has 180 days to explain to the Committee how it proposes to give effect to the decision.

Bikramjit Singh, whose religious rights the UN decided had been violated, said, “I am very pleased with the UN’s decision and would like to reassure the French government that we are in favour of secularity, in its true sense. The Sikh turban stands for liberty, equality and fraternity because the right to wear a Turban is open to all – men and women, rich and poor.

“In fact, the Turban is a symbol of laicite- it does not discriminate. The Turban is not a sign of oppression. It’s a practice of freedom,” added Bikramjit Singh, who after being expelled from school, completed his education privately and is now a project engineer with an engineering firm in Paris.

President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Paramjit Singh said in a telephone interview: “Bikramjit Singh is an Indian national and it should have been the responsibility of the Indian government to protect his religious freedom abroad so that he and other Sikhs were not banned from wearing the turban in French public schools. Instead it took an NGO, United Sikhs, to take up and win this case at the UN. We are very proud of United Sikhs and congratulate the global Sikh community for the victory at the UN. I will personally ensure that this issue is raised at the Indian Parliament to ensure that France complies with the UN’s decision and reverses the ban on the turban in schools”.

“Religion and politics are two wheels that balance civil society. If one wheel comes off, society ceases to be stable. Laicite or secularity is the oil that ensures that the two wheels keep moving. Sikhs do not see laicite as the enemy. We see it as our friend to help us be good citizens.” Said Shingara Singh, United Sikhs-France Director.

“Our stand for the turban will not only benefit France but the whole world. It is not a coincidence that this battle of the turban is being fought in France – a country that lives by laicite. The Turban will show the world that the true meaning of laicite can only be achieved if its people are allowed to be free to practice their faith,” said Gurdial Singh of the Turban Action Committee of France, who has been defending campaign relentlessly.

Issued By :
Mejindarpal Kaur
Legal Director, International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA)
UNITED SIKHS
Tel: +33 625936599 / +44 8701993328
law@unitedsikhs.org

United Sikhs – USA; Another Gurdwara targeted, this time in Norcoss, GA.

Update received from community members that a white male scratched parked cars in the Gurdwara premises and when the kids raised an alarm, threw rocks on them. UNITED SIKHS requests all community members to stay vigilant and continue creating Sikh identity awareness.

Norcoss, GA, USA. Incident reported for this past Sunday, around 12:30 pm at another Gurdwara. A white male likely between the age of 17-22, entered the parking lot of the Norcross, GA Gurdwara situated at 1158 Rockbridge Road, and started scratching the parked cars with a very sharp object. When some kids and youth playing in the parking lot raised an alarm and tried to stop him, he started throwing rocks at them, injuring one in the process.

The alleged was able to escape the scene. Surprisingly, all expensive cars in the lot were targeted. A complaint was filed in this regard with the
Gwinnett county police. Officer CM Hall attended to the case and the case no. is 1473.

The estimated damage to the cars is around $10,000. This is what community leader Mr. Surinder Singh had to say “A white male entered our property and damaged a lot of cars during our prayer time. He has malafide intentions and we need to know whether this was done out of hate. I have a strong suspicion that hate, especially because of our distinct identity, was the reason behind this.”

This incident comes shortly after the massacre in Wisconsin and should not be taken lightly. The Sikh community demands justice be met and that law enforcement acknowledge these acts as hate crimes against Sikhs possibly due to their distinct identity.

How Can You Help ?

Stay Vigilant. It has been evident for a while now that these incidents are happening in public, surprisingly during rush hours. Two Sikh men were shot during a afternoon walk, a Sikh priest was stabbed at the airport and the Wisconsin massacre, all happened during day time.

Gurdwara management is encouraged to ensure that functional security cameras are installed on their premises.

Create Sikh Awareness – Please continue all efforts to provide Sikh awareness training in schools, at work places and to law enforcement agencies, TSA etc. It is of utmost importance that without having to change our image, we are able to change our image in society.

California has declared November 2012 as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. UNITED SIKHS has launched, “Your 3 minutes to Fame Contest”. We urge all California Sikh Youth from Grade 5-12 to submit a 5-8 minute Diversity Video about:

Who Sikhs Are
Your Experiences of Bullying
How You Stood Up to It/ Solutions
To apply and learn more, please visit unitedsikhs.org/antibi/.

UNITED SIKHS can help you by providing all resources you would need to conduct Sikh Awareness trainings and prepare you for them. If you would like a UNITED SIKHS representative to take lead, please let us know of that too. You can reach us at law-usa@unitedsikhs.org for further details.

We appreciate your ongoing support and commitment towards our work. We request you to double your donations for the end of the year so we can move forward into 2013 better armed with resources critically needed to ensure that the civil rights of our community are not oppressed.

Issued by: Manmeet Singh
Staff Attorney, International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA)
UNITED SIKHS
Tel: (646) 315-3909
law-usa@unitedsikhs.org

United Sikhs – Film of Sikhs serving Langar at Fauja Singh’s Olympics Torch relay in London

London, 21 July 2012. Serving langar and cheering Bhai Fauja Singh who carried the Olympic Torch in Newham, east London.

Watch http://youtu.be/6sxGiosnA1s in HD.

This report includes running of Bhai Fauja Singh with Olympic Torch and volunteers who prepared and served Roti Rolls during the London Olympics Torch Relay.

Fauja Singh – The greatest Sikh Sports Personality Alive and Puran Gursikh was carrier of the Olympic Torch through the streets of east London. Fauja Singh, who is 101-years-old, undertook the relay for the second time – he carried the torch in Athens eight years ago. He defied age to participate in several marathons, he was the star torch carrier of London 2012.

During this event, Sikhs served 20,000 vegetarian meals (Langar) in celebration of this momentous occasion to passers by and made an effort to spread the message of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism.  Fauja Singh is the oldest ever Olympic Torch bearer in the Olympics. He is a living legend who is an inspiration to all of us. We are honoured to have met and spent time with him.

The langar 2012 project was initiated by United Sikhs a UN-affiliated, international non-profit NGO, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organisation. Fifteen Gurdwaré participated in this event.

Sikhs Serving Langgar & Embracing Diversity.

United Sikhs
PO Box 43799
London W14 8SS
United Kingdom

http://unitedsikhs.org/index.php

This film is Directed and Produced by Pritpal Singh.

The Tribune – Sikh wins turban case in UN

Washington, January 13. The UN’s rights body has concluded that France had violated the religious freedom of a 76-year-old Sikh man when he was asked to remove his turban for his ID photograph, a US-based Sikh group has said.

United Sikh, a Sikh rights body, had filed a communication on behalf of Ranjit Singh to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in December 2008.

Ranjit Singh, despite his ill-health, has had no access to the public health-care system or to social benefits since 2005 because his residence card was refused due to his refusal to remove his turban.

In a statement, United Sikh said that the UNHRC observed that “even if the obligation to remove the turban for the identity photograph might be described as a one-time requirement, it would potentially interfere with the author’s (Ranjit Singh’s) freedom of religion on a continuing basis because he would always appear without his religious head covering in the identity photograph and could therefore be compelled to remove his turban during identity checks.”

According to United Sikhs, the UN rights body said that France had failed to explain how the Sikh turban hindered identification since the wearer’s face would be visible and he would be wearing the turban it at all times, therefore, the regulation constituted a violation of article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which was entered into force for France on 4 February 1981.

“I had faith that truth and justice would prevail and I patiently waited for this day. I pray that France will now fulfill its obligation and grant me a residence card bearing my photo without baring my head,” said Singh.

Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs legal director, said they are heartened by United Nations Human Rights Commission’s observations that France is under an obligation to provide Ranjit Singh with an effective remedy, including a reconsideration of his application for a renewal of his residence permit and a review of the relevant legislative framework and its application in practice.

“France, the Committee noted, is also under an obligation to take steps to prevent similar violations in the future,” she said. “We now look to France to fulfil its treaty obligations under International law and its moral duty to ensure that the freedom of religion and belief is upheld for everyone who lives within its territory,” she added. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120114/main4.htm

SGPC chief hails verdict

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 13. The Sikh community has hailed the victory of Ranjit Singh, who fought a case against France in the UNHRC for not being allowed to wear a turban for an ID photograph. Sikhs feel that the verdict will go a long way in helping the community in its fight for religious rights in countries like France.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said: “It is good that the UN has acknowledged the religious rights of Sikhs. It will send a clear message to other countries as well.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120114/main4.htm#1

United Sikhs – Sikhs win Turban Case Against France at the UN

“The UN Human Rights Committee has asked France to submit a report by March 15th on measures it is taking to remedy the violation of the religious freedom of 76 year old Ranjit Singh,who was asked to remove his turban for his ID photo” said Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs Legal Director, who is in the fore-front of a legal campaign for French Sikhs’ right to wear their turban.

Bobigny, France, 12 Jan 2012 – The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has concluded that France had violated the religious freedom of 76 year old Ranjit Singh when he was asked to remove his turban for his ID photograph. This was disclosed today at a media conference, in Bobigny (near Paris), by the UNITED SIKHS legal team, who had filed a communication on behalf of Ranjit Singh to the UNHRC in December 2008.

The media conference was told that the UNHRC observed that “even if the obligation to remove the turban for the identity photograph might be described as a one-time requirement, it would potentially interfere with the author’s (Ranjit Singh’s) freedom of religion on a continuing basis because he would always appear without his religious head covering in the identity photograph and could therefore be compelled to remove his turban during identity checks.”

The Committee said that France had failed to explain how the Sikh turban hindered identification since the wearer’s face would be visible and he would be wearing the turban it at all times, therefore, the regulation constituted a violation of article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which was entered into force for France on 4 February 1981. You may read the Committees views in full here. The views were adopted at the 102nd session of the Committee’s sitting.

“I had faith that truth and justice would prevail and I patiently waited for this day. I pray that France will now fulfil its obligation and grant me a residence card bearing my photo without baring my head,” said Ranjit Singh, who despite his ill-health has had no access to the public health-care system or to social benefits since 2005 because his residence card was refused due to his refusal to remove his turban.

“United Sikhs is heartened by the Committee’s observations that France is under an obligation to provide Ranjit Singh with an effective remedy, including a reconsideration of his application for a renewal of his residence permit and a review of the relevant legislative framework and its application in practice. France, the Committee noted, is also under an obligation to take steps to prevent similar violations in the future,” said Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs Legal Director, who addressed the media conference.

“We now look to France to fulfil its treaty obligations under International law and its moral duty to ensure that the freedom of religion and belief is upheld for everyone who lives within its territory,” she added.

“We are very pleased with the views that the Committee adopted and we welcome France’s compliance with these findings. We also look forward to a similar resolution for Shingara Singh, whose case is still pending before the Committee,” O’Melveny & Myers, a New York law firm engaged by United Sikhs, said in a statement through their attorneys who spoke during a telephone interview. A decision is still awaited for Shingara Singh, whose passport has not been renewed by France because he refused to remove his turban for his ID photograph.

Issued by:
Mejindarpal Kaur, Legal Director
International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy ( ICHRA)
United Sikhs law@unitedsikhs.org +33 605800605 +44 8701993328

www.unitedsikhs.org

United Sikhs – Sikh Man Stabbed at Fresno airport. Sikh Community in deep Shock

8th December 2011, Fresno, California: A 56 year old Sikh preacher, S. Anup Singh  was attacked by a 26-year-old white man named Mitchell Dufur at the Fresno airport earlier this week.  This terrifying incident has left the Sikh community in a shock.  According to the Fresno Police Department, a 56-year old Sikh man from India was seated near the Transportation Security Administration terminal waiting to board his plane when he was stabbed. There was no communication between the victim and the assailant. The Sikh traveller suffered a minor cut to his upper torso, and was treated at the airport prior to resuming his journey back to UK.

United Sikhs team spoke to a Fresno resident Bakhtawar Singh, an eyewitness to this fearsome incident who had gone to drop the victim, Anup Singh. Bhaktawar Singh said, “This young man came forward and lunged at Bhai Saheb, who donned an open flowing beard and hit him with a knife just below the collar bone.  Few minutes before the incident, I saw him going towards his bag and taking something out but I didn’t know that he was going to stab. I don’t sport a full flowing beard and don’t look like the images being flashed on TV screens and this  may be the reason that I was spared”.

Meanwhile, the medical doctors arrived and Anup Singh Ji was bandaged and he chose to travel to his country, the United Kingdom. According to sources, the assailant has not admitted to any charges and motives for this act as yet and has been charged with minor clauses 1. Carrying weapon at the airport and 2. Assault with weapon. This will allow him to elude from any major punishment for this very heinous crime.

United Sikhs has contacted the local authorities and also elevated this incident at the federal level and will work with them to make sure that justice prevails. Kashmir Singh, Director of United Sikhs, said, “We are in touch with  Anup Singh and understand that he was in a state of shock and thanks god who protected him from this not taking a turn that would have cost him his life.”

Anup Singh also said, “I saw hatred in the assailant’s eyes. I urge all Sikhs while travelling to or out of the United States to be careful and alert as this incident has literally shocked all of us. Clearly one can see as to why I was the prime target and no one else around me and it is primarily because of my appearance.  Donning our Kakkars (Sikh articles of faith) is our birth right. Its a shame that even today within the United States hatred and prejudice are still prevalent and their casualties are innocent people”

Earlier this year, two elderly Sikh men were gunned down in suburban Sacramento on March 4, Surinder Singh, 65, and Gurtej Atwal, 78 when they were walking through a neighbourhood in Elk Grove. Police are investigating the fatal shooting as a possible hate crime potentially linked to the men’s appearance. Both men wore turbans and long beards.

The incident has once again highlighted the issue of Sikhs being repeatedly targeted for their appearance and dress code. A lot of these incidents also go unreported and that does not help the cause either. Ensure to be cautious while travelling. If you suspect any possible threat which may bring harm to you or people around you, please don’t take it lightly and call 911 to report the incident. Victims of hate crimes and racial profiling are also advised to contact United Sikhs to advocate on their behalf.

You may report a hate/bias crime/incident to United Sikhs at
http://unitedsikhs.org/hatecrime/

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Issued by: Manvinder Singh Legal Advocate United Sikhs
law-usa@unitedsikhs.org
646-688-3525