SMART Meets With Department of Justice

Washington, DC – The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a Sikh American civil rights advocacy group, alongside leaders from the Arab American Institute and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), met with attorneys from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the Department of Justice Community Relations Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Ralph Boyd, Assistant Attorney General for Civil rights Tuesday, September 18, 2001. Attorney Amardeep Singh Bhalla, from SMART’s Legal Department, presented the current vulnerable status of Sikh Americans through a discussion about the Sikh identity and its resemblance to the prime suspect, Osama Bin Laden, in September 11 attacks. Bhalla brought to their attention the hate crimes that had taken place since Tuesday’s terrorist attacks including the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi in Arizona, attack against Attar Singh in New York City, and the firebomb attempt on the Cleveland Gurdwara.At the meeting Bhalla conveyed SMART’s efforts, alongside local Sikh organizations across the nation, in documenting and alerting the public to these hate crimes. He stressed the importance of classifying the Sodhi case as a hate crime, the relevance and importance of the ‘kirpan’, and issues surrounding racial profiling. “I told them that Sikh Americans are concerned that there is not enough information out there about who we are,” Bhalla commented this morning. “ I referenced Sher Singh’s arrest as a direct result of this lack of knowledge.” As a result of this meeting the civil rights division will begin investigating and prosecuting these crimes. The community relations service, through SMART, will be sending out information to Sikh Americans about what the federal government is doing about attacks or violence against Sikh Americans and information about identifying and classifying hate crimes. The FBI will be providing information to its 56 field offices to educate their agents about Sikhism and Sikh Americans. SMART also requested some immediate response. Bhalla asked that President Bush, Attorney General Ashcroft or Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Ralph Boyd, with some Sikh Americans along side, make a public statement that the government is aware of this problem and will prosecute such hate crimes to the full extent of the law. Sumeet Kaur, SMART’s Associate Director said, “This meeting shows that Sikh Americans are prepared to work directly with U.S. government agencies at a very high level. With continued support from the Sikh community, our efforts to reach out to the government, the media, and our allies, will put a damper on the scourge of violence against Sikhs.”