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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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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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Ricky Gill and Nikky Haley (photo: Ricky Gill press release November 9, 2011)

Ricky Gill, from the Nikki Haley school of politics

April 9, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Ricky Gill – as mentioned on this blog recently – is a Republican candidate seeking to represent California’s 9th District, who seems to be taking a page out of Nikki Haley’s school of campaiging (via @sepiamutiny): [Ricky] Gill is the son of two doctors of Punjabi descent, Param and Jasbir Gill, and grew up immersed in Sikh traditions. On the campaign trail, he does not dwell on his heritage, preferring instead to call himself “a nontraditional candidate” and emphasizing his […]

Categories: Politics • Tags: California, Nikki Haley, Ricky Gill

Ridiculous Question of the Day: Does Nikki Haley give Sikh cab drivers bigger tips?

April 5, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

One wonders if TIME reporter Belinda Luscombe would ask such a question to a Christian politician about Christian cab drivers as she did to South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley: “In New York City, which you’re visiting for a couple of days, a lot of our taxi drivers are Sikhs,” Luscombe observed. “If you get one, are you going to give them a slightly bigger tip?” Haley nervously laughed, and shot down whether she would give special treatment to people of […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Belinda Luscombe, New York City, Nikki Haley, South Carolina, taxicab

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South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, on converting to Christianity

April 3, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last night, my family gathered around the television to watch Nikki Haley be interviewed by Stephen Colbert (click for full interview) on The Colbert Report. The Governor of South Carolina has been doing a book tour to promote her memoir Can’t Is Not an Option, and has been appearing on many talk shows in New York. As she comes from an immigrant Sikh family, many American Sikhs have a curiosity around Haley (she has been written about on this blog […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Christianity, Colbert Report, New York Times, Nikki Haley, South Carolina, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report

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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

More Sikhs seeking public office in 2012

March 23, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs in this country are still seeking greater involvement in public politics. It is a different journey than that of our Sikh neighbors to the north in Canada, who have been able to leverage their greater proportion of the population and size of their Sikh communities to garner seats at provincial and federal levels. However, whereas in Canada, Sikh candidates can quite often contest on a platform espousing Sikh-specific issues (and political parties of all stripes court that vote), this […]

Categories: Politics • Tags: 2012 elections, Canada, Dalip Singh Saund, Jack Uppal, United States Congress, United States House of Representatives, US Congress, US House Representative

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Category Archives: Politics

CA Workplace Religious Freedom bill passes second committee

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

US Congresswoman testifies about racial profiling

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

Ricky Gill, from the Nikki Haley school of politics

Ridiculous Question of the Day: Does Nikki Haley give Sikh cab drivers bigger tips?

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, on converting to Christianity

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

More Sikhs seeking public office in 2012