For US Sikhs, it was hoped that an Obama visit to our central shrine in Amritsar (commonly known as “the Golden Temple“) would have brought us some attention here in America and in doing so help educate our fellow citizens about us.   However, had he reconsidered and actually visited the Golden Temple, Obama’s patronage of the site was already tarnished by the allegations that the White House feared it would make him look like a Muslim.  The potential good of his visit was already infused with negativity. The story would have been more about his visit than about who the Sikhs are.

That Simran Lamba’s story is showing up prominently in mainstream news outlets – accompanied by articles about who Sikhs are – is very promising.  It does more for Sikhs in this country than any US Presidential visit to Amritsar would have, and is just more evidence that we ourselves have the power to educate and represent ourselves – right down to each individual Sikh.