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The Boy With Long Hair, by Pushpinder Kaur, is a coloring book published by the Sikh Foundation. (source: The Sikh Foundation)

SALDEF reports high rate of bullying of Sikh children in southern CA

February 21, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

67% of Sikh American children surveyed were bullied or harassed within the last school year and 31% have been threatened with physical violence or harm. These numbers are staggering compared to national averages and an indication of the serious challenges that our children continue to endure on a regular basis. — Jasjit Singh, Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), reports from a survey taken by SALDEF of Sikh American students in southern California. A […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: bullying, California, Jasjit Singh, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Southern California, The Boy With Long Hair

Sikh wins religious accommodation case against AZ Department of Corrections

February 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Sikh Coalition shared news today of a victory in a recent religious accommodation case in Arizona, in which a Sikh correctional officer employed by the Arizona Department of Corrections was threatened with dismissal unless he removed his articles of faith. According to the Sikh Coalition, after 10 years of employment with the Department, Ikhbinder Singh Bassin was told in December that he would be terminated unless he shaved his beard and removed his kara (steel bracelet) within 10 days, […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: Arizona, Arizona Department of Corrections, Balbir Singh Sodhi, California, Employment Discrimination, Ikhbinder Singh Bassin, Jan Brewer, Sikh Coalition, Trilochan Singh Oberoi, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Artwork by Khushboo Gulati for Ensaaf's Decade of Disappearances Art Contest (source: Ensaaf Facebook page)

2012 murder-suicide in Selma, CA, has origin in Kashmir human rights crimes

February 1, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

An article in Guernica by Shubh Mathur tells the story behind last year’s murder-suicide in Selma, California, of Avtar Singh, who murdered his wife and three sons before turning his weapon on himself. Prior to his murderous act, Avtar Singh was being confronted about his dubious past as a major in the Indian army: The story of his crimes and the manner in which he evaded justice for sixteen years is a grim chronicle of Indian crimes against humanity in […]

Categories: 1984, Art, Civil Rights • Tags: Avtar Singh, California, Decade of Disappearances, Ensaaf, impunity, Kashmir, Selma

Surveillance video capture of men robbing the donation box at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Livingston, California, early Sunday morning. (source: Merced Sun-Star)

Overnight armed robbery of Livingston, CA, Gurdwara

January 30, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“I was in Fresno when I got the call,” Samra said. “The first thing that flashed in my mind was Wisconsin, right away.” — Livingston, California’s Mayor Pro Tem Gurpal Samra comments on the overnight armed robbery at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Livingston, California. Three men entered the Gurdwara in the early hours of Sunday morning to steal money from the Gurdwara’s donation box. Worshippers were present in the Gurdwara but no one was reported hurt. Read more […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: armed robbery, California, Gurpal Samra, Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, Livingston, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

Picture of the Day: Lodi, CA, Sikhs collect blankets for the homeless

January 28, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikh Gurdwara of Los Angeles to host Sikh oral history event on Feb. 3

January 25, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On February 3, the Sikh Gurdwara of Los Angeles (otherwise known as the Lankershim Gurdwara) in North Hollywood, California, is holding a public event in which members of the local Sikh community will share their stories: Sikh American Stories—community, family and personal memories and narratives—will be presented in the Sikh Gurdwara of Los Angeles, North Hollywood, 7640 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood on February 3 at 1:30p.m. These stories were developed and collected in a three-month long oral history workshop conducted […]

Categories: Events • Tags: California, Henry Ong, Lankershim Gurdwara, Los Angeles, North Hollywood, oral history project, Sikh Gurdwara of Los Angeles

The Southern Poverty Law Center counted 1,018 active hate groups in the United States in 2011. (source: Southern Poverty Law Center)

The Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Map

January 22, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a “nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society,” counted 1,018 hate groups in the United States in 2011: This list was compiled using hate group publications and websites, citizen and law enforcement reports, field sources and news reports. Hate group activities can include criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing. Websites appearing to be merely the work of […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies, Resources • Tags: California, Elk Grove, Gurmej Atwal, hate crime, Hate Crime Statistics, hate groups, New Jersey, New York, Oak Creek, Sacramento, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Southern Poverty Law Center, Surinder Singh, Wisconsin

Registration now open for Sikholars conference, Feb. 16-17

January 17, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Registration is now open for the fourth annual Sikholars Graduate Student & Professionals Conference taking place from February 16 to 17 in Stanford, California. I have written often about this conference. Having attended the first three conferences, I have found the experiences to be enlightening and rewarding. I am looking forward to attending again this year and recommend to others about this gathering of minds to discuss topics related to Sikhs and the Sikh faith. The conference has grown each […]

Categories: Events • Tags: California, Sikholars, Stanford

"Harvinder Sahota (right), a cardiologist from Seal Beach, Calif., has donated funds to establish a Center for Sikh Studies program at Claremont Lincoln University, which will be inaugurated in Claremont, Calif., Feb. 1. Sahota is best known for inventing the Sahota Perfusion Balloon. At the left is Asha Sahota. (Harvinder Sahota photo)" (source: India West)

New Center for Sikh Studies coming to southern California

January 10, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On February 1, Claremont Lincoln University, a graduate school in southern California that focuses on multi-cultural and multi-religious education, will be inaugurating their new Center for Sikh Studies: The Center plans to establish courses in Sikh Studies, to construct online resources on Sikh history and practice, to develop close ties with Sikh communities across Southern California, and eventually to establish an accredited Sikh graduate program in Sikh Studies. It is both fitting and bittersweet that this historic new beginning is […]

Categories: Events, News Bits • Tags: California, Center for Sikh Studies, Claremont, Claremont Lincoln University, Harry Sidhu, Harvinder Sahota, Philip Clayton

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: California