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CA Workplace Religious Freedom Act passes Assembly vote

May 29, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

This afternoon, California’s proposed Workplace Religious Freedom Act (AB 1964 – mentioned previously here), introduced by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada, passed through the State Assembly: SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The state Assembly has approved a bill that would add more protections for religious freedom in the workplace, specifying that discrimination laws also apply to religious clothing and hairstyles. Lawmakers on Tuesday approved AB1964 by Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada. The Davis Democrat says she was upset to learn that Sikh and Muslim workers continue to face […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California, California State Assembly, Mariko Yamada, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act, WRFA

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CA Workplace Religious Freedom Act heading to Assembly vote

May 17, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The proposed Workplace Religious Freedom Act (AB1964) in California (discussed previously on this blog), sponsored by the Sikh Coalition, cleared its third milestone when it was approved by the California Assembly Appropriations Committee yesterday. AB1964 makes more clear the requirement of employers to accommodate the religious articles of faith of employees, and is meant to reduce discriminatory practices in the workplace. This issue has a direct bearing on Sikhs, who often face employment discrimination based on their articles of faith […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California, California State Assembly, Mariko Yamada, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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Washington, DC Police to accommodate observant Sikhs

May 16, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. will soon make an accommodation to allow observant Sikhs to serve: The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund says [D.C. Police Chief Cathy] Lanier will announce an executive order Wednesday that eases uniform and appearance rules for Sikhs. Observant Sikhs generally wear turbans and do not cut their hair, and a policy change will permit them to maintain their appearance. Despite the long history of Sikhs serving in military and law enforcement […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: "Washington, Cathy Lanier, D.C.", Jasjit Singh Jaggi, Metropolitan Police Department, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

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Jasmeet Kaur Ahuja, recipient of Soros Fellowship, talks about her motivations

May 16, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Her parents are orthodox Sikhs, she said. “But I never heard them saying anything bad about other faiths and traditions. I never forgot that I am a Sikh American with roots in Punjab. But I am an American, too and that is why I must serve America.” — Jasmeet Kaur Ahuja, a recipient of 2012 Soros Fellowship for New Americans award, talks about her motivations to pursue law and for her advocacy of Sikh American issues.

Categories: Civil Rights, Profiles • Tags: Jasmeet Ahuja, Jasmeet Kaur Ahuja, Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

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A look at America’s Sikh advocacy organizations

May 15, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent study called “Lobbying for the Faithful” from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life provided a survey of religious advocacy organizations in Washington, D.C.: The number of organizations engaged in religious lobbying or religion-related advocacy in Washington, D.C., has increased roughly fivefold in the past four decades, from fewer than 40 in 1970 to more than 200 today. These groups collectively employ at least 1,000 people in the greater Washington area and spend at least $350 million […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: "Washington, D.C.", Pew Forum, religious advocacy, SALDEF, SCORE, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, Sikh Council on Religion and Education, Washington DC

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MTA agrees to unbrand Sikh turbans

May 2, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

For the better part of the last decade, Sikhs and Muslims have been campaigning against a discriminatory policy by New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) that required followers of these religions to affix the MTA logo on religious articles of faith that were worn on the head, even though the MTA distributed headwear that did not carry the logo to other employees . For Sikhs, this meant that for the purposes of employment, they were required to attach an “MTA” […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: Metropolitan Transit Authority, MTA, Muslim, New York, Sikh, Turban, United States Department of Justice

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Sikh Coalition hits a home run with FlyRights app

May 1, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

By now, you have likely heard of the smartphone app (available for iPhone and Android devices) released by the Sikh Coalition called FlyRights, which was released yesterday (April 30), and is free of cost. The news of this app’s release has spread virally among news outlets and has been applauded by other civil rights organizations and the general public. FlyRights allows travelers (Sikh or otherwise) to now report complaints to the TSA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) if they […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Android, FlyRights, iconify, iPhone, Racial profiling, Sikh Coalition, smartphone app, Transportation Security Administration, TSA

CA Workplace Religious Freedom bill passes second committee

April 25, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The campaign to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (AB1964) in the State of California cleared another milestone yesterday when it was unanimously approved by the California State Assembly Judiciary Committee. From the Sikh Coalition: April 25, 2012 (Fremont, California) – Less than a week after receiving unanimous support in the Labor Committee in the California Assembly, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (AB1964) again received unanimous support and passed through the Judiciary Committee. The bill now moves forward to the […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California, California State Assembly, Employment Discrimination, Judiciary Committee, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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CA Sikhs join others to testify in support of Workplace Religious Freedom Act

April 19, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Yesterday, I attended the Labor and Employment Committee Hearing in California’s State Capitol in Sacramento, California, in which the “Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012” (also known as AB1964 and mentioned on this blog recently) was to be considered by that Committee. Members of the California Sikh community and those of other faiths and organizations joined to testify about their support of this legislation that would clarify existing law around accommodation of religious practices in the workplace – and specifically, […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: California, Sacramento, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Civil Rights

CA Workplace Religious Freedom Act passes Assembly vote

CA Workplace Religious Freedom Act heading to Assembly vote

Washington, DC Police to accommodate observant Sikhs

Jasmeet Kaur Ahuja, recipient of Soros Fellowship, talks about her motivations

A look at America’s Sikh advocacy organizations

MTA agrees to unbrand Sikh turbans

Sikh Coalition hits a home run with FlyRights app

CA Workplace Religious Freedom bill passes second committee

CA Sikhs join others to testify in support of Workplace Religious Freedom Act