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A Sikh’s reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden: one year later

May 3, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

This time last year, I reflected on the circumstances in which I heard the news of the assassination of Osama bin Laden by US Navy SEALs in Pakistan: As the evening progressed, we watched the images of people gathering in Washington, D.C., and at Ground Zero in New York, waving American flags, singing the national anthem, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The outpouring of patriotism, in the manner of what might resemble a frat party, caused me some apprehension. It […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections, Reports/Studies • Tags: hate crimes, Osama bin Laden, Post-9/11, Sikh Coalition, Sikh Presenter's Course

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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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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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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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Sikh Coalition speaks on Rajoana protests

April 6, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Twenty years ago, the Sikh Coalition did not exist, many of our supporters were not yet born, and an even larger portion is too young to remember that part of our history. Yet it was the most formative set of events for an entire generation of Sikhs. During that dark period, our community’s history was marked by extra-judicial executions, faked police encounters, disappearances, and torture. — Excerpt from the Sikh Coalition’s Lessons of History and a Responsibility to Never Forget […]

Categories: 1984, News Bits • Tags: Balwant Singh Rajoana, Sikh Coalition, United States

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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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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Sikh Coalition

A Sikh’s reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden: one year later

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

US Congresswoman testifies about racial profiling

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

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

Sikh Coalition speaks on Rajoana protests

Dear FBI: Track hate crimes against Sikhs