Sikh Organization Mentioned Prominently during Consideration Washington, DC – During the floor consideration of a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives condemning bigotry and violence against Sikh Americans and other groups affected by post-9/11 backlash, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) was commended for its work on hate crimes education and prevention. In his address on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, Representative Joseph Crowley (D-NY), stated, “During July, I held a Congressional briefing as the Co-Chair of the Caucus on India and Indian Americans about the rise of hate crimes against South Asians. A representative of Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) attended this briefing and spoke with Members of Congress on the importance of educating people so they understand the culture and will be less likely to participate in a hate crime. I commend SMART’s efforts to work not only the Sikh community but with all communities affected by hate crimes.” Furthermore, SMART’s President, Manjit Singh, met with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi yesterday to discuss issues affecting the Sikh American and other South Asian communities. He discussed the continued problem of hate crimes and employment related discrimination against Sikh Americans, along with Americans from and perceived to be from the Middle-East, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack. For instance, in the 15 months between September 11th and December 11, 2002, the EEOC received 705 complaints. Mr. Singh also brought attention to the increasing reports of racial profiling of Sikhs and other minorities by law enforcement under the guise of “national security” using the USA PATRIOT Act. He urged the House Democratic leadership to address these issues by supporting the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, designed to ensure that employers will accommodate the religious practices of their employees, and the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act. In response to the House passing the resolution H.234, condemning bigotry and violence against Sikh Americans and other groups, Singh stated, “This resolution strongly condemns hate-motivated violence and will inform all Americans about these insidious acts of violence. We now call upon Congress to take the next step and enact the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act. This legislation, now pending before both houses of Congress, would enable the U.S. Department of Justice to assist local investigation and prosecution of bias-motivated incidents in certain cases.” SMART extends its gratitude to Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), the sponsor of this House resolution, and thanks Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) for their statements of support urging their colleagues to pass the resolution. In July, SMART wrote to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, urging him to schedule floor action on the measure. SMART worked with Senators and their constituents to pass a similar resolution by the US Senate in May.
