Civil Rights | | Page 21

US Congresswoman testifies about racial profiling

April 19, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“Congresswoman Chu testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights entitled “Ending Racial Profiling in America.”” US House Representative Judy Chu testified yesterday on the racial profiling of Muslims, Sikhs, and South Asians in support of the End Racial Profiling Act (mentioned previously on this blog). Her full remarks are available on her website, in which she states: “I am here today to speak up against racial profiling wherever and […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: End Racial Profiling Act, Judy Chu, Racial profiling, Sikh Coalition, United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution Civil Rights and Human Rights

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Sikh Americans campaign to end racial profiling and protect workplace religious freedom

April 17, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Two Sikh American organizations are currently engaged in campaigns to help protect the religious freedoms of Sikhs and other minorities in this country from discriminatory practices: SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund) is working for the passage of the federal End Racial Profiling Act. The Sikh Coalition is undertaking a campaign to have the Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 passed in California. Both of these organizations are seeking public support to help pass these laws.

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California, End Racial Profiling Act, HR3618, Labor and Employment Committee, Mariko Yamada, S1670, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act, WRFA

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The Story of the Turban in Britain

April 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

British broadcaster BBC recently aired a documentary called “The Story of the Turban“: In September 2011, Sikhs from all over Britain gathered in Parliament Square to protest. The focus of their concern was the turban. Since the terrorist attacks of the 21st century Sikhs believe their turbans have singled them out for discrimination. In a case of mistaken identity the Sikhs claim they’ve been wrongly regarded as religious terrorists and subjected to increased airport security searches. This documentary traces the […]

Categories: Civil Rights, TV/Movies • Tags: BBC, Britain, The Story of the Turban, Turban, United Kingdom

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Picture of the Day: CA Assemblywoman Yamada announces workplace religious freedom bill

April 12, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

California Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada held a press conference yesterday at the Gurdwara in West Sacramento, California, alongside representatives of the Sikh Coalition, the Council of American-Islamic Relations – Sacramento Valley, and the local Sikh community to speak about the Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 (also known as AB1964) – the legislation she introduced to the California State Legislature to bolster the protection of workplace religious freedom in California.

Categories: Civil Rights, Picture of the Day • Tags: AB1964, CAIR, California, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Mariko Yamada, Rosa Parks, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act, WRFA

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United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2012 Annual Report

April 3, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom lists India on their Watch List in their Annual Report 2012: India: Progress in achieving justice for victims of past large-scale incidents of communal violence in India continued to be slow and ineffective. In addition, intimidation, harassment, and occasional small-scale violence against members of religious minority groups continued, particularly against Christians in states with anti-conversion laws. While there has been no large-scale communal violence against religious minorities since 2008, and despite the […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana, Gujarat anti-Muslim riots, Orissa anti-Christian attacks, religious rights, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

AutoZone, Inc. settles for $75,000 in Sikh discrimination case

April 2, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

You may recall the case of automobile parts manufacturer AutoZone, who was sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for employment discrimination directed towards Frank MahoneyBurroughs, a recent convert to Sikhism: According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Massachusetts in Boston (Civil Action No. 1:10-cv-11648), AutoZone managers at its Everett, Mass., location harassed MahoneyBurroughs by disparaging his religion, asking if he had joined Al-Qaeda and whether he was a terrorist. AutoZone also […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: AutoZone, EEOC, Employment Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Frank MahoneyBurroughs, Massachusetts

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Dear FBI: Track hate crimes against Sikhs

March 7, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Reports of hate crimes (or suspected hate crimes) against Sikhs in the United States have been frequent in recent months. Some of the more recent incidents include a Sikh stabbed in California, a Gurdwara vandalized in Michigan, and death threats targeting a Sikh family in Virginia, but these are not in isolation. The FBI tracks hate crimes and publishes these statistics in their Hate Crimes Database each year. However, while Sikhs are often the specific targets of hate crimes and […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, hate crime, Sikh Coalition

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Bringing WRFA to California

February 28, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As discussed often on this blog, employment discrimination is still a challenge for many religious and visible minorities (such as Sikhs, who fall under both categories). According to the Sikh Coalition (a US-based Sikh advocacy organization): Sikhs suffer high levels of workplace discrimination because of their Sikh identity. Many are told to shave their beards; others are told to remove their turbans; some are told that they can only work out of public view. If enacted, WRFA would make it […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: 1964 Civil Rights Act, California, John Kerry, Mariko Yamada, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, Title VII, Workplace Religious Freedom Act, WRFA

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Propelling the American theocracy

February 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is well-known for his Christian worldview that forms the basis of his platform, and his recent rhetoric about President Obama and his “different theology” has earned Santorum well-deserved criticism from a variety of faith groups, including Sikhism: There is a point, however, where an emphasis on religion in a political campaign becomes inappropriate and even unsettling in a religiously diverse society such as ours. Appealing to voters along religious lines is divisive. It is contrary […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: Barack Obama, European Union, Rick Santorum, Simon Critchley, United States

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Civil Rights

US Congresswoman testifies about racial profiling

Sikh Americans campaign to end racial profiling and protect workplace religious freedom

The Story of the Turban in Britain

Picture of the Day: CA Assemblywoman Yamada announces workplace religious freedom bill

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2012 Annual Report

AutoZone, Inc. settles for $75,000 in Sikh discrimination case

Dear FBI: Track hate crimes against Sikhs

Bringing WRFA to California

Propelling the American theocracy