Sapreet Kaur, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition, became the first Sikh to offer prayer at an Inaugural Prayer Service. (source: The Sikh Coalition)

The Sikh News Network published an article today about some of the Sikh spectators during the public Inauguration ceremony in the nation’s capital yesterday:

“It’s exciting to be here because this president means a lot to me because of what he’s done over the years,” [California Democratic Party Delegate Harpreet Singh Sandhu] said. “(It is) what I’ve been affected directly in terms of healthcare for my kids, education, for them, and also for my mother who now is under disability, and what it provides for that. And moving forward, there are things that need to happen… But today we’re very excited about celebrating this beautiful event.”

Today, in Washington, D.C., Sapreet Kaur, the Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition, today became the first Sikh to offer a prayer at the interfaith Inaugural Prayer Service at the National Cathedral. The service included prayers and remarks from a variety of faith representatives.

The entire service can be viewed online at C-SPAN. Sapreet Kaur’s prayer can be viewed here.

Similar to Ishwar Singh offering an invocation during the Republican National Convention last fall, this is a noteworthy event that demonstrates the increasing recognition and engagement of Sikhs in the American political process.