India Herald Apologizes to Sikh Community for Offensive Cartoon

Washington, DC: June 30, 2009 – Following the publication of an offensive comic strip earlier this month by India Herald, SALDEF and the Texas Sikh community have secured a formal apology from the newspaper’s editor.
In the June 3, 2009 edition of India Herald, – a newspaper based out of Houston, TX – a comic strip was published showing an aide to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh giving an excuse as to why he was not able to answer the phone.  Responding to the caller asking about the Prime Minister’s whereabouts, the aide said “Ummm…he’s getting a haircut and shave.”
Writing to India Herald on June 15, 2009, SALDEF noted that “the cartoon demonstrates bad taste and disrespect toward members of the Sikh faith, who are required to maintain uncut hair as a matter of religious obligation,” and called upon the newspaper to issue an immediate apology.

The written apology from the editor appeared in the June 17th edition of the newspaper and read as follows:

“On behalf of India Herald and its management we would like to offer our sincere apologies and regrets to the Sikh American community of North America for the grievance caused by a recent cartoon in the paper.  We would like to reiterate that India Herald does not in any way promote racial stereotyping in its content and is fully committed to celebrating diversity, equality and respect for all religions and communities.”

“We appreciate the prompt response and apology from Mr. Rajiv Gadgil, the Editor of India Herald,” said SALDEF Associate Executive Director, Jasjit Singh. “This experience highlights the need for Sikh Americans to be vigilant against media bias and insensitivity toward our community.”

SALDEF would like to thank the Sikh American community of Houston, and specifically Mr. Jasbir Singh Sethi, for their swift action in notifying SALDEF and contacting the newspaper editor regarding this matter.  We encourage all of our constituents to keep a close eye on all forms of media and report  incidents of media bias and insensitivity to SALDEF immediately via email at mediawatch@saldef.orgor at (202) 393-2700.

June 15, 2009 (Washington, DC) – Late last week, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) received confirmation that observant Sikhs are still welcome to join the Yuba City Police Department in Yuba City, California. On January 23, 2007, former Yuba City Police Chief Richard Doscher corresponded with SALDEF in the context of an employment matter and wrote: “We have no policy which precludes an employee of the Sikh faith from wearing a turban or beard (or possession of a kirpan) during their employment with us.” According to current Yuba City Police Chief Robert D. Landon, “[o]ur policy has not changed and we continue to respect the customs of the Sikh faith[.]” SALDEF is grateful to Chief Landon and the Yuba City Police Department for their leadership in the cause of promoting equal employment opportunities for observant Sikh Americans who aspire to serve as law enforcement officers.  SALDEF will continue to work with police departments nationwide to strengthen relations between law enforcement agencies and the Sikh American community under the auspices of SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program.

June 10, 2009 (Washington, DC) – Yesterday, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) called upon Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to modify a legal opinion that endangers the religious freedom of observant Sikh Americans and members of other religious groups. The legal opinion in question—94 OAG 81—was issued on May 27, 2009 in response to a law enforcement officer’s inquiry about the right of individuals to remain “veiled or masked” for religious reasons upon entering a courthouse.  Notwithstanding the narrow focus of the officer’s inquiry, 94 OAG 81 makes conspicuous reference to religious “headgear” in its title; is laced with overbroad references to “head” coverings; and can be misinterpreted to mean that deputy sheriffs can require individuals entering a courthouse to remove religious headgear for security purposes. In a letter to Mr. Gansler, SALDEF expressed concern that 94 OAG 81 would create needless confusion among security officers at courthouses throughout Maryland and potential legal liability for the State of Maryland.  For these reasons, SALDEF has urged the Maryland Attorney General to modify the opinion and collaborate with SALDEF on Sikh American cultural awareness trainings for security officers through SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program. LEARN MORE Read more about SALDEF’s work on religious accommodation issues at courthouses: Dallas County Agrees to Adopt SALDEF Guidelines in Settlement of Lawsuit (Link no longer available) Georgia Court Apologizes to Sikh American Denied Entry Into Court House Due to His Turban (Link no longer available) Georgia Court Apologizes for Denying Sikh American Man Entrance to Court (Link no longer available) SALDEF is grateful to volunteer attorney Dawinder Singh Sidhu for bringing this matter to its attention.  If you or your children ever experience discrimination, threats, or violence because of your Sikh identity, please contact SALDEF by email at legal@saldef.org or by phone at (202) 393-2700 Ext 131.

1. SALDEF Honors Leaders at Civil Rights Awards Gala 2. SALDEF Speaks at Columbia Union College 3. SALDEF Delivers Training Lecture at Johns Hopkins University 4. SALDEF Speaks at South Asian Summit in Washington, DC 5. California High School Invites SALDEF to Give Presentation 6. Maryland Church Invites SALDEF to Interfaith Dialogue

Dr. I.J. SinghThe Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) and more than 400 members of the Sikh American community of Southern California joined together on May 2, 2009 to honor civic and community leaders for their contributions to the causes of civil rights and community empowerment.  Distinguished Sikh American author Dr. I.J. Singh provided the keynote address.  Highlights of the evening included artistic performances by local Sikh youth; a thoughtful presentation by local attorney and philanthropist Mr. Navneet Singh Chugh; an art auction organized by community leader Mr. Bicky Singh; and a stand-up comedy performance by Mr. Bali Bhan.  A dedicated team of volunteers coordinated the organization of the event. Click here to read more details about the event.

SALDEF Speaks at Columbia Union College On March 25, 2009 , SALDEF’s Director of Law and Policy, Rajdeep Singh Jolly, spoke to undergraduates at a human rights class atColumbia Union College in Maryland .  Students were introduced to the Sikh religion and post-9/11 challenges faced by Sikh Americans and engaged in a lively question and answer session.  Students participated in a case study exercise to discuss public policy issues that are often considered in the context of religious freedom issues.  SALDEF is grateful to Mr. Kevin Gurubatham from Columbia Union College and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church for facilitating the discussion. If you would like SALDEF to speak at your college, university, or law school, please contact us at info@saldef.org.  Recent speaking engagements have included Yale Law School , William & Mary Law School , UC Berkeley, American University Law School , and George Mason University .

On May 15, 2009, SALDEF’s Chairman and Co-Founder Manjit Singh spoke to a group of more than 20 public safety professionals at Johns Hopkins University about Sikh religious and cultural practices in the context of law enforcement.  After viewing the presentation, at least one student (a master’s degree candidate) decided to write a full-length research paper examining the issue of religious accommodations for firefighters.  SALDEF is grateful to Prof. Teresa Chambers at Johns Hopkins University for inviting SALDEF to deliver a presentation. If you would like to learn more about SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program (LEPP), through which more than 100,000 state and federal law enforcement officials have been trained on Sikh American religious and cultural awareness, please contact us at info@saldef.org.

On April 25, 2009, SALDEF participated in a panel discussion at the 2009 South Asian Summit organized by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national consortium of South Asian advocacy groups, in Washington, DC. The topic of the discussion was post-9/11 challenges facing the Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian American communities, particularly racial and ethnic profiling. Participants included representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Council of Peoples Organization, and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

In March 2009, SALDEF’s Western Regional Director, Kavneet Singh, conducted two one-hour workshops for students at Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley , CA .
The first workshop introduced students to Sikh culture and the history of Sikhs in the United States and was followed by a question and answer session.
The second workshop discussed specific civil rights issues faced by Sikh Americans.  Students also watched a demonstration of how a dastaar(Sikh turban) is tied and received copies ofSALDEF’s 2009 Pocket Calendars and Who are the Sikhs educational brochures.
If you would like a SALDEF volunteer or staff member to conduct an anti-bullying and cultural awareness presentation for students at your children’s school, please contact SALDEF by email at info@saldef.org.

Maryland Church Invites SALDEF to Interfaith Dialogue On April 25, 2009, SALDEF volunteer Sartaj Singh Dhami delivered a presentation about the Sikh religion to a group of church youth at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Potomac, Maryland.  The presentation covered Sikh beliefs and traditions in the global context and also addressed the history of Sikhs in the United States, including post-9/11 challenges facing the Sikh American community.  Mr. Dhami received excellent feedback about his presentation, as evidenced by the following remarks in a thank-you card that he received from church youth: “Thanks for your insight and inspiration.” – Audrey “Be the best darn Sikh you can be.” – Noah
“Thanks alot for your great talk on Sikhism.  You were really cool.” – Johnny SALDEF is grateful to Sartaj Singh Dhami; Scott Romey (Youth Director of Geneva Presbyterian Church); and participating members of the Geneva Presbyterian Church for promoting interfaith dialogue and solidarity.
SALDEF Meets National Intelligence Director In March 2009, SALDEF met with Admiral Dennis Blair, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, as part of SALDEF’s ongoing effort to develop greater partnerships with national security agencies.  Since the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence by former President George W. Bush, SALDEF has met with two National Intelligence Directors to discuss the need to recruit Sikh Americans into the U.S. Armed Forces and national security agencies.
Contact your United States Senator Today about the Hate Crimes Bill Rep. Jared Polis of ColoradoOn May 15, 2009, at SALDEF’s request, Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado added the Sikh American perspective to the Congressional Record in connection with the groundbreaking Hate Crimes Bill.  Rep. Polis specifically addressed “the very real evil of hate crimes against Sikh Americans” and lamented the fact that “a particular group of loyal, patriotic Americans is targeted for attack and ridicule because of the peaceful observance of their faith.”  He concluded his statement with a call to action: “We must not ignore the problem.  We must confront it, call it what it is, and work to make sure these kinds of attacks never happen again.”
Click Here to Read the Full Statement by Rep. Jared Polis SALDEF is grateful to Rep. Polis for his leadership and urges you to heed his call by supporting the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909), a legislative measure that aims to increase the power of the federal government to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.  A similar version of the bill (H.R. 1913) passed the U.S. House of Representatives in late April by a 249-175 vote.  Now it is time for the U.S. Senate to consider this historic proposal. Click Here to Call or Email Your Senator 1. Tell your Senator to support the Hate Crimes Bill 2. Tell your Senator that Sikh Americans are still subjected to hate crimes 3. Tell your Senator to speak out on behalf of Sikh Americans in the Senate
SALDEF and several other Sikh organizations have partnered with the Jakara Movement to distribute copies of the educational publication 1984 Sikhs’ Kristallnacht: 25 Years On at no cost to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike.
This concise but comprehensive account of various anti-Sikh massacres that took place throughout India in 1984 and beyond invokes the name of the Kristallnacht(“Night of Broken Glass”), the anti-Jewish pogroms which swept through Germany in November 1938. Please contact SALDEF at info@saldef.org if you would like more information about obtaining free copies of this important publication.