“The Sikh belief in universal equality is a powerful counterpoint to religious exclusivity and foreshadowed the movements for civil rights and women’s rights by several centuries. For Sikhs, the turban distinguishes its wearer as an ambassador of his or her faith and serves as a constant reminder to abide by the core values of the Sikh religion, including the importance of standing up for anyone who is oppressed.”

— excerpt from an essay by Rajdeep Singh (of the Sikh Coalition) that was published in the Washington Post.  Check out the interview of Rajdeep Singh at this link as well.

A scan of the comments on that article are interesting.  People lost the point of the article in favor of  pursuit of the allegations that Obama is a Muslim.   The mere coming out of the allegation that he would have appeared Muslim distracts away from the education opportunities that his visit to the Sikh’s central shrine would have provided.  This is why I believe the benefits gained by his visit to Amritsar would have been somewhat undermined.