SALDEF commends Gallup Organization and Lucky Strike Entertainment for their immediate efforts in addressing community’s concerns Washington D.C. — June 13, 2007: This past week, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) successfully resolved two incidents; one of denial of accommodation to a Sikh American male due to his religously mandated dastaar (turban) and the other of inaccurate representation in the media of Sikhs. SALDEF worked cooperatively with Lucky Strike Entertainment, an international business based in Los Angeles, CA, and The Gallup World Poll, a subsidiary of the Gallup Organization, to quickly remedy misunderstandings with the Sikh American community and set a model example of how businesses can react when situations occur around confusion with the Sikh American community and identity. In the first incident, a Sikh American man, Dr. Gauravjit Singh of Los Angeles, was denied access at the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley in Hollywood, CA, due to their “no hats policy”. Upon hearing of the incident and being contacted by SALDEF, Lucky Strike President Dolf Berle formally apologized for the unfortunate incident in person to Dr. Singh and in a e-mail to SALDEF stated, “I have reaffirmed our policy of inclusion and the exemption of religious headgear to our headgear policy with our staff. I trust Dr. Singh and all Sikhs will feel welcome in coming to Lucky Strike Entertainment facilities across North America.” “I am so thankful that as Sikhs we have an organization like SALDEF to advocate on our behalf”, said Dr. Singh. “This was a truly unfortunate incident that occurred, especially in such a diverse place as Los Angeles, but it is commendable that Lucky Strike acknowledged their mistake and changed their policy. I am very appreciative of the effort and follow-through that SALDEF showed in resolving this matter successfully. Their efforts in ensuring that we as Sikhs in America can practice our faith freely needs to be recognized and supported by all Sikhs across the country.” In another incident, Gallup World Poll published a video report titled “Islamic Identity” describing attitudes about Muslim integration in Europe. This video was posted on the Gallup Website as well as the popular video website YouTube.com. During the presentation, they used an image of several turbaned Sikh men, mistakenly identifying them as Muslims. Upon reviewing this error, SALDEF notified them of this error, and Gallup immediately took corrective action and edited the video. “We are very aware of the differences between Muslims and Sikhs, and sincerely apologize for any offense this might have caused,” said Bronson Lee, Director, Global Client Education, Gallup World Poll. “Gallup and Lucky Strike Entertainment have demonstrated responsibility and sensitivity cooperation in correcting these unfortunate errors”, said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “Lucky Strike has reinforced it’s commitment to serving all Americans, regardless of faith. The Gallup World Poll quickly corrected their misrepresentation of Sikhs to ensure that inaccurate information is not reported. They both serve as ideal examples of the positive relationships that can be formed in a multicultural community and how responsible organizations should handle such incidents.”
