SALDEF News

Wash. Post: Sikhism’s message is one of inclusion

As an advocate for the Sikh American community, I appreciate your coverage of a challenging and troubling time for one of our community members in Sterling [“Words and action,” Metro, March 26]. However, the article made two assertions

CNN: 10 years after Sikh murder over 9/11, community continues to blend in and stand out

By Jose G. Santos, CNN
View the video here.
Fairfax Station, Virginia (CNN)– Ten years ago, Balbir Singh Sodhi was gunned down, apparently because he looked Muslim or Arab.
He was neither.
Sodhi was a Sikh. Members of the religious tradition say he was

Police seek better understanding of Arabs, Muslims and Sikhs.

ANDREA RANE/Missourian
Cody Abram, of the Department of Justice in Kansas City, has a Sikh turban wrapped around his head. He attended a cultural training session for public safety officers at MU on Thursday.
By UTHAYLA ABDULLAH
June 1, 2007 | 12:00 a.m.

Sikh Activists Upset Over Inmate’s Haircut

ACLU Considering Legal Action Against Sheriff’s Office
Sikh groups are decrying the treatment of a Florida inmate who was forced into the cutting of his hair, a revered symbol of piety.
The Sikh community is protesting the forced haircut and shave of

Post-9/11 discrimination plagues Detroit area Sikhs

Shawn D. Lewis / The Detroit News
Troy — Metro Detroit Sikhs say they have cause for concern today as they, too, reflect on the tragedy of 9/11.
Sikhs, who wear turbans as part of their religion, say they are frequently assumed

3 States Still Ban Religious Clothing for Teachers

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 2, 2009

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A law backed by the Ku Klux Klan nearly a century ago to keep Catholics out of public schools is still on the books in Oregon, one of the last

Sikh student says Thirsty Turtle discriminated against his religion

A Sikh graduate student says Thirsty Turtle denied him service two weeks ago because of the turban that he’s religiously obligated to wear.
Ramik Chopra, 26, a master’s of business administration student who lives in College Park, wears his turban to

Sikhs protest school exemption in Oregon religious freedom bill

A bill passed by the Oregon Legislature that broadens religious freedom in the workplace has prompted protests by some faith leaders because it exempts schools.
The bill requires employers to allow workers to wear certain clothing, grow beards and take certain

Anti-Scarf Bill Draws Concern

OKLAHOMA CITY — A national organization is asking the state Senate to defeat a bill that would prohibit Oklahomans from wearing head scarves or other coverings in driver’s license photographs. Another group says it will challenge the bill’s constitutionality.
“It is

Officers testify in trial of man claiming discrimination

By BRIAN STANLEY Click here to email
JOLIET — The trial of a Sikh who claims he was beaten by a Joliet police officer during an arrest two years ago began Monday.
Kuldip Nag, 51, is facing charges of aggravated battery to

Sensitivity Training At Bradley Focuses On Muslims, Sikhs

By SHAWN R. BEALS | The Hartford Courant
NAVJEET SINGH of Shrewsbury, Mass., a Sikh, talks Wednesday to a group of federal Transportation Security Administration workers at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. Singh was a speaker

S. Asian Groups Offer Civil Rights Recommendations

By SUNITA SOHRABJI

Three prominent South Asian organizations have made policy recommendations on civil rights and immigration to members of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team.
The organizations include South Asian Americans Leading Together, which made policy recommendations on behalf of

Sheriff-elect reaches out to Harris County Sikhs

He promises diversity training and investigation into allegations of misconduct by deputies responding to a burglary at a family’s home
By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Sheriff-elect Adrian Garcia gets help adjusting a head covering he wore while addressing Sikh followers at

Garcia, Sikhs to meet

Sheriff-elect to listen about alleged abuse by deputies
By LINDSAY WISE
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Dec. 12, 2008, 11:23PM
//
Sheriff-elect Adrian Garcia will meet with members of the local Sikh community on Sunday to listen to their concerns about allegations that

Apology from Union Mission

Lance Martin, Herald Senior Staff Writer

ROANOKE RAPIDS—  The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund along with several other interfaith organizations are demanding an apology from the Roanoke Rapids Union Mission to a man whose donation was turned down because

Kids, Seniors Benefit from Mission’s Loss

ROANOKE RAPIDS — Gary Khera found a place to welcome his donation.
Khera, a Sikh whose attempt to help the Union Mission was turned down because he refused to take off his turban, will be cooking for a Dec. 18 foster

Sikhs want action on Carteret bias attacks

By ALYSSA GIACHINO • Staff Writer • November 6, 2008
CARTERET —The Sikh community is seeking a comprehensive response to two violent attacks against their members last month, and the mayor’s office convened a meeting Wednesday to begin to address their

Carteret police investigating 2 attacks as possible bias crimes

by Sharon Adarlo and Tom Haydon/The Star-Ledger
Police in Carteret say they are investigating two attacks this month against members of the borough’s Sikh community as possible bias incidents.
One of the incidents involved a 10-year-old boy who had his turban

Carteret police say two attacks being investigated as bias crimes

Mr. Ajit Singh Chima, 69, was attacked in what authorities say is a hate crime.
(Photo courtesy of the Chima family)
By Alyssa Giachino • Staff Writer • October 30, 2008
CARTERET —In two separate incidents this month, a child and a senior

Dallas County changes policy to settle turban case

DALLAS — Dallas County has revised its security screening procedures to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of a Sikh man who was ordered out of a courtroom for refusing to remove his turban, a civil rights group said Wednesday.
The

Sikh American Gunned Down in Phoenix, Arizona

SALDEF urges swift police response and community vigilance
Washington, DC – August 10, 2008: On August 4, 2008, SALDEF was alerted to the vicious murder of 62-year-old Mr. Inderjit Singh Jassal, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Last Monday, Mr. Jassal was working at a

US Congress Approves Higher Education Bill

Reauthorization includes increased hate crime data collection provisions
Washington, DC – August 1, 2008: The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the oldest and largest Sikh American civil rights organization in the United States, applauds the United States Congress

Dangerous weapon charges dropped against Sikh with ceremonial dagger

A charge of carrying a dangerous weapon was dismissed against a Sikh man arrested in Kern County with a ceremonial dagger in his possession.
Sahadur Singh, a Utah truck driver, was traveling through Kern County on Dec. 30 when he was

Law enforcement seminar strips away cultural stereotypes

Removing a Sikh’s turban in public is the same as a strip search. Not all Arabs are Muslim. A kirpan is not a concealed weapon.
Those lessons and others were delivered Wednesday to about 75 Pennsylvania law enforcement officers during a

Sikh’s complaint says clubs kept him out because of his turban

By Michael Burge
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 25, 2007
CARLSBAD – A religious civil rights organization has complained to the U.S. Justice Department after a member of the Sikh religion was denied entry into two Carlsbad Village nightclubs because he was wearing a

Owner says club didn’t mean to single out Sikh

The owner of an upscale Salt Lake City private club is apologizing for turning away a Sikh man because his turban violated its no-hats policy.
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund wrote a letter to Club Habits complaining that

Valley feels like home for Sikhs

LIVINGSTON — Hardeep Rai’s turban-wrapped head bobbed as the 40-year-old ambled along Peach Street beneath the shadows of the pointed golden bulbs of the Sikh Temple.
With rich brown farm fields behind him and the garlic clove-shaped domes of the house

Sacramento County Files Hate Crime Charges in case of Slain Sikh American

Satendar Singh’s alleged murderer flees the United States
Washington, DC – August 14, 2007 – The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest and largest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, commends the Sacramento County

Death Raises Questions

Police are investigating the “suspicious” death of a local student.
By David Schultz
August 13, 2007
The death of a 21-year-old college student on the side of an Arlington highway earlier this month has caused controversy in a local Sikh community and has caused

Agency reaches to youth leaders

A recent initiative by the Department of Homeland Security would expand communication between its agencies and Arab, South Asian and Muslim youth in America.
A conference on the issue, called “Roundtable on Security and Liberty: Perspectives of Young Leaders Post 9-11,”

Asian Americans Remain Vigilant Against Hate Crimes

Editor’s Note: Twenty-five years after Vincent Chin was beaten to death because of his race, hate crimes against Asian Americans continue unabated, reports NAM contributor Julia Kitlinski-Hong. She is a student at Emmanuel College.

On July 1, 2007, Satendar Singh,

Illinois Cop Assaults Sikh American Veteran

JOLIET, Ill. — Illinois’ Joliet Police Department is in hot water for the recent assault of a Sikh American by one of its police officers.
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund is seeking an immediate probe into the attack,

Man: Officer beat me and yelled slurs

GROUP SEEKS PROBE
April 13, 2007
By BRIAN STANLEY Staff Writer
JOLIET — A man says a police officer used excessive force and racial epithets while arresting him last month.
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) e-mailed a press release Thursday

Sikhs take to L.A. streets on holy day

Participants turn out to celebrate their religion and bring awareness to recent hate crimes.
By Jia-Rui Chong, Times Staff Writer
April 9, 2007
With gold- and orange-fringed parade floats and the sound of harmoniums playing traditional hymns, more than 10,000 members of the

Sikh Police Cadet Ordered To Shave Off Beard

(CBS13) YUBA CITY, Calif. If you want to be a police cadet you must shave your beard. That’s what one Sikh man was told in Yuba City.
“They said the beard would not be allowed, no ifs and or buts,” said

Poster urges screeners to respect Sikh sword

More than two dozen followers have been arrested for carrying article of faith
By Matthew Artz, STAFF WRITER, The Argus
For observant Sikhs, car keys and loose change aren’t the only things to worry about when walking through metal detectors.
Their religion requires

Partnerships with U.S. Muslim, Sikh Leaders Boost Law Enforcement

Security agencies and communities cooperate to protect civil rights, leaders say
“Our country is more secure today because law enforcement and America’s Arab, Muslim, Sikh and South Asian communities are working more closely together,” according to Homeland Security’s Daniel W. Sutherland.
“We

Reaching Out Across Cultures

Local FBI and Muslim Leaders Try to Establish Better Ties
By Sari Horwitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 21, 2006; Page A23
Don’t let an FBI investigation be the reason for your first visit to an Arab home, a U.S. Muslim leader told

Forum attendees share experience with hate: Speakers focus on establishing common ground for discussion, University student organizations collaborate to organize forum

Calisha Myers, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
The South Asian Leadership Society, the NAACP Student Chapter and the Sikh Students Association co-sponsored a forum yesterday evening entitled “AMERICAN HATRED: are YOU part of it?” reflecting on recent University concerns of minority animosity.
The

Racial tolerance promoted at forum: Crowd hears Lockyer, students and other anti-hate speakers

By Scott Wong, STAFF WRITER, The Daily Review
FREMONT — Almost no one had heard of Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said Homaira Hosseini, an Irvington High School senior whose family emigrated from the war-torn country when she was

Legal groups lobby for arson charges

CONCORD – A network of legal advocacy groups launched a public-pressure campaign this week urging prosecutors to charge a man with the September arson of a Sikh family’s home.
“We believe race was a motivating factor. To what degree, it’s hard

South Asian Hate Crimes Highlighted on Capitol Hill

The congressional offices of Representatives Joe Crowley and Joe Wilson, Co-Chairs of the Caucus on India and Indian Americans, will sponsor a briefing on Violence Against South Asians since 9-11. The briefing will discuss the brutality and frequency of hate

Movie makes Sikhs wary of prejudices

These days, when Mehar Mehal ties his turban to go out of the house, his thoughts are of a former Bay Area taxi driver, Balbir Singh Sodhi . . . and a new movie, “DisFunktional Family.”
“I think when you tie

Sikh Sues Fleet Bank Over Discriminatory Practice

Sikh Civil Rights Group Threatens Nationwide Economic Boycott of Fleet Bank
WASHINGTON, May 31 /U.S. Newswire/ — A Sikh businessman filed a lawsuit last week against Fleet Bank, alleging that its Carteret, N.J., branch discriminated against him in refusing to

TIA Promotes DOT/FAA Air Travel Guidelines During Holiday

The Interfaith Alliance Promotes DOT/FAA Air Travel Guidelines
During Holiday Season
To: National Desk
Contact: Kim Baldwin or Jenny Davis, 202-639-6370
or 202-271-5695 (cell), both of The Interfaith Alliance
Sumeet Kaur of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task
Force, 877-917-4547
Samuel Kaplan of the Sikh Council on

African-American lawmaker slams airport staff for targeting turbaned Sikhs

Sikh Americans harassed at the nation’s airports in the wake of the September 11 attacks because they wear turbans and beards, have received support from an unexpected, and powerful, quarter.
Congressman Edolphus Towns, the New York Democrat and ranking member of

200 Call for Solidarity, End to Hate-Motivated Violence

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ — “We will not allow the
brutal attacks of September 11 to divide our nation with hate and
bigotry,” was the message delivered at a lunchtime rally at The
National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in an event
organized

Non-profits Rededicate Themselves to Upholding Shared Values

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 /U.S. Newswire/ — As the nation recovers from the devastating events of Sept. 11, the country has witnessed an outpouring of goodwill from millions of people who have volunteered their time, donated their money or given their