Washington D.C. – February 14, 2012: Last week, SALDEF met with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director, Robert S. Mueller III to discuss community concerns and encourage outreach to the Sikh American community. The meeting was convened by the FBI as part of their outreach to communities who have faced post 9/11 challenges. Leaders of prominent civil rights groups including Interfaith Alliance, Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Anti-Arab Discrimination Committee were also in attendance. Jasjit Singh, SALDEF Associate Executive Director, spoke to Director Mueller specifically about the importance of creating a unique category to specifically identify hate crimes against Sikhs, improving training efforts for the FBI and increasing dialogue with the Bureau. Additionally, Mr. Singh cited concern over a story from Des Moines, Iowa where a Sikh immigrant was used as an informant at Muslim mosques for seven years. “Our relationship with the Bureau has historically been positive, but it is fragile and tactics like this jeopardize our partnership, ” Mr. Singh said at the meeting. SALDEF also proposed the adoption and formalization of Sikh American Cultural Awareness and Protocol Training for each of their new recruits at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA and through local field offices across the country, through SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program. “The benefits of incorporating SALDEF’s cultural competency training in the FBI’s training program will empower their new recruits and current agents with the appropriate information about Sikh Americans in an effort to better utilize FBI resources,” stated SALDEF Chairman and Co-Founder Manjit Singh. “Such training will help in eliminating an incorrect, though, common perception of Sikh Americans as suspicious solely based on misunderstandings of their physical identity as a Sikh.” SALDEF will continue to engage with the Director’s office regarding the issues raised and encourage increased dialogue with the Bureau.
