Workplace Religious Freedom Act |

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

California Governor Jerry Brown (seated) signs AB1964 and SB1540 into law at a rally at the California State Capitol last Saturday. Assembly Member Mariko Yamada (standing left of the Governor), Dr. Onkar Bindra (standing right of the Governor) and Sikh Coalition Advocacy Manager Simran Kaur (far right) joined the Governor. (source: Instagram user i2theb)

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2012: Victories in employment equality

January 9, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In 2012, there were two significant achievements for Sikh Americans in the realm of employment discrimination on each side of the country: the decision by Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department to accept observant Sikhs as full police officers, and the signing of a workplace religious freedom act in California. Both achievements have the potential to act as precedents for further success in dealing with employment discrimination that Sikhs have faced in the United States due to lack of accommodation of […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections • Tags: AB1964, California, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Employment Discrimination, Jerry Brown, Mariko Yamada, Metropolitan Police Department, SALDEF, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition, Top 5 Sikh American Stories, Washington DC, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

US DoJ investigating CA Department of Corrections over beard ban

November 8, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Earlier last year, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reached a settlement with Trilochan Singh Oberoi in his employment discrimination case against their refusal to hire him as a correctional officer unless he shaved his uncut beard, a Sikh article of faith. Despite reaching a settlement and offering Trilochan Singh a position elsewhere in the organization, the CDCR still would not change its policy. Where the discrimination lies is in that the CDCR had made medical exemptions for […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CDCR, DOJ, Harmeet Kaur Dhillon, Jerry Brown, Mariko Yamada, Trilochan Singh Oberoi, United States Justice Department, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Stockton, CA Gurdwara Centennial Celebration concludes this weekend

October 11, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

WHEREAS, The faithful service of the Sikh American community to this state and country merits appreciation as an integral thread in the fabric of American plurality; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes October 13, 2012, as the 100-year anniversary of the Sikh American community, and calls upon the people of California to commemorate the day with appropriate celebrations; — excerpt from the State of California […]

Categories: Events, Politics • Tags: AB1964, ACR 97, California, History-Social Science Framework, Proclamation, SB1540, SCR 104, Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month, Sikh Centennial, Stockton, Stockton Gurdwara Centennial Celebration, Stockton Gurdwara Sahib, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Is the US becoming more hostile with respect to religion?

September 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Released this week, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s 2010 update of its Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion report ranks religious restrictions and “social hostility” involving religion among countries around the globe: Among the world’s 25 most populous countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Burma (Myanmar), Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria stand out as having the most restrictions on religion as of mid-2010 when government restrictions and social hostilities both are taken into account. Brazil, Japan, Italy, […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Reports/Studies • Tags: California, New York, Pew Research Center, Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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California’s Workplace Religion Freedom Act rights the wrongs faced by our parents

September 19, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

When my Sikh father immigrated to America in 1970 to practice architecture, employers told him that he could have a job only if he removed his turban and shaved his beard. He refused to abandon his faith and took his first job as an office boy, sharpening pencils and making coffee for his fellow architects. For decades, Sikh fathers like mine and countless religious minorities around the nation have been offered a similarly false choice between religious freedom and self-fulfillment […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections • Tags: AB1964, California, National Public Radio, NPR, Rajdeep Singh, Sikh Coalition, StoryCorps, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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Is a “man in a turban” unpatriotic?

September 13, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Satinder Singh Malhi, a member of the staff of California State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, talks about his experience growing up as a turban-wearing Sikh and how ignorance continues to impact him even today (via @sepiamutiny): After he appeared on DeSaulnier’s behalf at a Memorial Day ceremony this year, an angry mother of an Iraq War veteran emailed the senator, denouncing Malhi’s presence. She wrote that a man in a turban “is a poor choice to represent you” at a patriotic event. […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, Profiles • Tags: AB1964, California, California State Senate, Mark DeSaulnier, Oak Creek, Satinder Singh Malhi, Wisconsin, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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Picture of the Day: A new day for California’s Sikhs

September 11, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

At a rally at the California State Capitol on Saturday, Governor Jerry Brown signed two bills that would help combat discrimination particularly faced by Sikhs: the California Workplace Religious Freedom Act (AB1964) and the History-Social Science Framework (SB1540). Joined by Assembly Member Mariko Yamada, who introduced AB1964, and Dr. Onkar Bindra, who championed SB1540, the Governor ushered in a new day for Sikh Californians, and set a precedent for such legislation across the country. Both laws take effect on January […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Picture of the Day, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California, Dr. Onkar Bindra, History-Social Science Framework, Jerry Brown, Mariko Yamada, Sacramento, SB1540, Sikh Coalition, Simran Kaur, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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Ask CA Governor Jerry Brown to sign laws that impact Sikhs

August 30, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On blog The Langar Hall, Sundari describes two important bills currently on the desk of California Governor Jerry Brown. These proposals are of direct importance to California’s Sikh community. Public support is needed to convince him enact the bills into law by the end of September: AB1964 – Workplace Religious Freedom Act: SIGN THE PETITION If this bill moves forward and becomes law, it will sharply reduce job discrimination against Sikhs and other religious minorities and guarantee equal employment opportunity […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California, Jerry Brown, SB1540, Sikh Coalition, Social science, The Langar Hall, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Sikh wins religious accommodation case against AZ Department of Corrections

The Top 5 Sikh American Stories of 2012: Victories in employment equality

US DoJ investigating CA Department of Corrections over beard ban

Is the US becoming more hostile with respect to religion?

California’s Workplace Religion Freedom Act rights the wrongs faced by our parents

Is a “man in a turban” unpatriotic?