Yesterday, Representative Tom McClintock, of California’s 4th Congressional District, formally acknowledged in the Congressional Record the centennial of the Gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) in Stockton, California:

In his statement, Rep Tom McClintock (R-Granite Bay) compared members of the world’s fifth-largest religion to the Pilgrims who crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower in 1620 “seeking a better future in a free land for their descendants.

“It is the very same story of pilgrims like Baba Vasakha Singh and Baba Jawala Singh Thathian who founded the Stockton Gurdwara Sahib a century ago, and all those who have followed since,” the statement said.

…His statement read Tuesday into the Congressional Record says there is “no religion more attuned to the principles of the American Declaration of Independence than the Sikh religion.”

Considered the oldest in the United States, the Stockton Gurdwara Sahib celebrated its 100-year anniversary last month (see previous posts here). Rep. McClintock’s statement in the Congressional Record follows that of Rep. Jerry McNerney of California’s 9th Congressional District (in which Stockton Gurdwara Sahib is located) in October.

Interestingly, Tom McClintock (a Republican) has a history of openly supporting Sikh Americans. In addition to personally attending the Stockton Gurdwara Sahib Centennial celebrations to offer his congratulations, he also made a lengthy statement in support of the Sikh American community after the shooting at the Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in August.