Donate Now to Ensure Continued Support for Sikh Advocacy

Repealing an 87-year old law is hard work.  There are countless hours spent understanding the issue, defining strategy, building partnerships, engaging the media and of course, writing letters and calling lawmakers.

The repeal of this Law represents one of the first contributions Sikh Americans have made to the broader civil rights community.  The achievement marks progress for our community, as we have begun to advance the broader agenda of inclusion and diversity in America. As we celebrate this Vaisakhi day, we ask you to make a real difference this year, by helping us spread awareness about Sikhs and stem the ignorance driven attacks on our community. Together we can turn the tide of ignorance and foster an American society aware of the Sikh identity. Your tax deductible contribution will ensure SALDEF can build on its tradition of pioneering successes. Your valued support will help to create a fostering environment for We could not have done this work without your support, and we cannot continue to do it unless we receive your financial support.  On this Vaisakhi day, please take a moment and DONATE to us today – you will be ensuring that all Sikhs, especially future generations of Sikh Americans, can practice their faith openly and are not denied employment opportunities. Sign-up for a monthly contribution, to help ensure that SALDEF has the resources to continue to defend your civil and religious rights.

Welcome to our new website!  In the coming weeks we will be putting out new features and resources for you to use.  But for the moment take some time to explore the new website and let us know what you think. One of the new features on this site is this blog.  It will be a place you can come to learn about things going on the civil rights community.  Through the blog we want to give you a window into the world that the SALDEF staff works in — from the events we take part in, the people we work with, and some of the issues we work on.  We will also be sharing items of interest  from around the community or that may affect the Sikh American and civil rights communities. Let us know what you you want to see on the blog and any suggestions you may have! –SALDEF Staff

New design allows the community to inform their neighbors about Sikh Americans

Washington, DC: December 28, 2009 – As 2010 nears, now is the time to for the new and improved Sikh Awareness Pocket Calendars. The calendars are a popular and easy-to-use tool to increase awareness about Sikhs and Sikhi in your local community.

2010 Pocket Calendar Front

In their seventh year of production, the 2010 calendars have been fully redesigned to include updated full-color images of Sikh Americans, along with more examples of core Sikh values and facts about Sikhs in the United States. On the back, the calendars have a 2010 calendar in a small, handy, easy-to-use design.

The calendars are available in packages of 100 for $10 plus shipping and handling fees.

The pocket calendars are a great way to introduce myself to my customers. They are a must have for all Sikh businesses.”
An Oregon Small
Business Owner

Get Your Calendars
Before the New
Year Begins!

To help you reach out more effectively to your community, friends, and neighbors, Spanish language versions of the 2010 pocket calendars are also available.

The calendars are perfect for distribution at your workplace, schools, convenience stores, gas stations, senior citizens centers, or public libraries. Sikhs across the nation have shared them with their friends, neighbors, customers, and local officials.

SALDEF commends the Sikh American community for taking the initiative to inform their friends, co-workers, customers, and acquaintances about their culture and faith.

To order the calendars and other SALDEF publications, please click here or email SALDEF

ANDREA RANE/Missourian Cody Abram, of the Department of Justice in Kansas City, has a Sikh turban wrapped around his head. He attended a cultural training session for public safety officers at MU on Thursday. By UTHAYLA ABDULLAH June 1, 2007 | 12:00 a.m. CST It was a consciousness-raising game of free association. The question: “What do you think when you see a Muslim?” Among the answers by a group of mostly police, airport security and corrections officers: “terrorist,” “prayer,” “monotheism,” “mystique” and “unknown.” The exercise was part of a cultural training session Thursday morning at MU for local and state public safety officials to help increase awareness and understanding of Arab, Muslim and Sikh cultures. The objective of the training, organized by the Department of Justice, was to “dispel misconceptions, to build relationships with the community,” said Aftab Ahmad, a trainer from St. Louis who talked about Arab and Muslim cultures. How should law enforcement respond to a complaint about a Muslim praying in public? Most practicing Muslims pray five times a day, so public prayer happens. Law enforcement officers should just wait for the prayer to be over. Then, if a question is necessary, ask away, Ahmad told the group. The group of about 70 people learned the basic tenets of Muslim and Sikh faiths and how to approach Muslims and Sikhs in non-crisis situations. Presentations included sensitivity videos about Arab-Americans and Sikhs, a clip from the Canadian sitcom, “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and role-playing exercises. Ahmad and Maysa Al-Barcha, another presenter from St. Louis, talked about the importance of understanding differences, like the significance of eye contact. During a role-playing exercise with a Kansas City detective, Al-Barcha showed how Arabs, Muslims and Sikhs avoid prolonged eye contact, especially with authority figures, because it is seen as disrespectful and confrontational. “We tend to think that people who avoid eye contact have something to hide,” Columbia Police Chief Randy Boehm said. About 12 Columbia police officers attended the training. Rajbir Datta, the Pittsburgh-born director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, talked about how Sikh men are easily identified by the turban their faith requires them to wear. “The turban now signifies terrorism or Muslim or Arab or worse,” Datta said. Cody Abram, from the Department of Justice in Kansas City, got to experience part of Datta’s morning routine: wrapping an 18-foot to 24-foot piece of cotton around his head. A slightly reluctant volunteer, Abram held the end of the cloth while Datta wrapped and the class snapped pictures. “This isn’t something you can take off and put on easily”, said Datta, as he lifted the turban off Abram’s head in front of the group, an action no Sikh would ever perform in front of anyone except close family members. Hence, the need for privacy when searching a Sikh. For Datta, it boils down to this: “Law enforcement can do their job better by knowing the community they serve.” The training, which was sponsored by a coalition that included the Department of Justice, MU Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative, MU Extension, Missouri Police Chiefs Association and the Columbia Police Department, was held at the Reynold’s Alumni Center at MU. Columbia Missourian

(Washington DC) January 6, 2010 – The Oregon state legislature is likely to take action in the next month to repeal ORS 342.650, an Oregon law that effectively forbids turbaned Sikhs from working as public school teachers. In the Summer of 2009, SALDEF initiated a campaign to overturn this discriminatory legislation and has since been working to publicize and repeal ORS 342.650. Historical Background – From the KKK to Today KKK CartoonORS 342.650 originated in the 1920s as an anti-Catholic measure and was supported by the Ku Klux Klan at a time of overt hostility toward racial and religious minorities. Other laws enacted by the Oregon legislature during this period included the Compulsory Education Act (a measure designed to close parochial schools) and the Alien Property Act of 1923 (a law that prohibited Japanese immigrants from purchasing or leasing land in Oregon). Although these two bigoted laws have since been repealed, ORS 342.650 is still enforced against religious minorities, and Oregon is one of only three states in the country that continue to impose such discriminatory restrictions on public school teachers. In 2009, a diverse coalition of interfaith groups spearheaded an effort to overturn the law, and the Oregon legislature has a historic opportunity to do so in February 2010. Impact on Sikhs A Sikh American University ProfessorORS 342.650 resembles laws in France that forbid Sikhs from working as public school teachers. At a time when Sikhs are struggling to overcome the challenges of hate crimes, workplace discrimination, and school bullying, Sikhs are being segregated from serving in an important public service profession. It is a thin line between excluding Sikhs from teaching and excluding Sikhs from any government employment in the state of Oregon.

TAKE ACTION IN OREGON If you live in Oregon, please click here to write to your Oregon state representative. TAKE ACTION NATIONWIDE If you live outside of Oregon, please click here to write to key members of the Oregon legislature.

October 16, 2009 (Washington, DC) – Today, the civil rights concerns of the Sikh American community were featured on RT–an international English-language news channel broadcast to more than 200 million viewers in 100 countries on five continents throughout the world. Earlier this week, SALDEF was present at the White House when President Obama signed an Executive Order restoring the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, an interagency task force charged with addressing social and economic concerns of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. In his remarks, President Obama acknowledged the problem of post-9/11 hate crimes and noted that they are “driven by ignorance and prejudice that are an affront to everything that this nation stands for.” After the ceremony, SALDEF submitted a memorandum to White House aides. Addressed to President Obama–and co-written by SALDEF and the Sikh Coalition–the memorandum urges President Obama to secure the right of Sikh Americans to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and safeguard the right of Sikh Americans to wear religious headcoverings in driver’s license photographs under the PASS ID Act of 2009. In a videotaped Diwali message that coincided with the signing, President Obama noted that Sikhs mark the occasion as Bandi Chhor Diwas in remembrance of Guru Har Gobind, the sixth Guru of the Sikhs. SALDEF appreciates the President’s gesture and hopes that he will personally work on strengthening the civil rights of Sikh Americans in the United States.

September 15, 2009 (Washington, DC) – During the last week, Sikh Americans have paused to remember the tragedy of 9/11 and its aftermath. Despite the progress we have made in the cause of educating our fellow Americans about the Sikh religion, Sikhs in the United States continue to face workplace discrimination, school bullying, and the specter of violence born out of ignorance and bigotry. In this context, one question we might ask ourselves is whether the laws of our country allow the Sikh identity to flourish or cause it to wither. (more…)

A Sikh graduate student says Thirsty Turtle denied him service two weeks ago because of the turban that he”s religiously obligated to wear.

Ramik Chopra, 26, a master”s of business administration student who lives in College Park, wears his turban to work, formal occasions and around the house, but when he showed up at Thirsty Turtle on July 31, he said he was told he couldn”t wear it inside the bar.

Chopra said a bouncer appeared to confuse the black turban he was wearing that night with a do-rag and told him the turban violated the bar”s dress code.

Chopra said even after he tried to clear up the misunderstanding, the bouncer wouldn”t relent: He wouldn”t take Chopra”s ID, and he wouldn”t let Chopra speak with a manager.

“It was really degrading,” Chopra said. “I can understand if a person does not know something and he reacts a certain way; I”ve done that, too. But I”m open to listening and trying to understand other people and changing my opinion. This guy refused to budge.”

Kevin Hornberger, a university graduate who was with Chopra that night, confirmed his account.

“I was just sitting there in disbelief,” Hornberger said. “It”s the 21st century.”

Alan Wanuck, owner of Thirsty Turtle, did not return multiple phone calls.

Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prevents public establishments such as Thirsty Turtle from discriminating on the grounds of “race, color, religion or national origin.”

In a case similar to Chopra”s, the U.S. Justice Department concluded in September 2001 that a Hard Times Cafe in Springfield, Va., could not apply a no-do-rag rule to a turban-wearing Sikh man.

“I can”t comment on a case when I don”t know all the facts, but in general the law says you can”t do that,” said Rajdeep Singh Jolly, legal and policy director for the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

But Chopra said it never occurred to him to bring charges against Thirsty Turtle.

He and Hornberger left Thirsty Turtle, ate dinner at Ratsie”s and spent the rest of the night at R.J. Bentley”s. He said Bentley”s bouncer didn”t ask him any questions.

“We were upset for the first hour, and we just had a few drinks, and I was fine,” Chopra said.

slivnick@umdbk.com

Diamonback Online

July 22, 2009 (Washington, DC) – The State of Oregon recently enacted a law called the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA).  Although this should have generated fanfare among religious minorities, for whom there is insufficient protection under federal employment discrimination laws, Oregon”s WRFA has, in fact, generated enormous protest among Sikh Americans and a diverse coalition of religious groups and civil libertarians throughout the nation.

What is the problem?

The problem is that Oregon”s WRFA does not apply to public school teachers who wear religious clothing in private adherence to faith.  Although Oregon”s WRFA undoubtedly expands workplace religious freedom for most Oregonians, the public school exemption was designed to preserve an archaic law—enacted with the support of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s—which forbids public school teachers from wearing any form of religious clothing.  In effect, observant Sikhs, Muslims, Jews—and others who wear religious clothing in private adherence to faith—are shut out of the teaching profession in Oregon.  With the possible exception of Pennsylvania, no other state in the country restricts public school teachers in this manner.

When did the Ku Klux Klan come into the picture?

Oregon’s teacher garb law was enacted nearly a century ago by sympathizers of the Ku Klux Klan for the purpose of suppressing Catholics. According to The Oregon Bluebook, an official publication of the State of Oregon about its own history:

“The Ku Klux Klan enjoyed a warm reception from many Oregon communities in the 1920s as Catholics and minorities suffered both blatant and subtle bigotry. The Klan, FOPS, and Scottish Rite Masons sponsored a bill, passed in 1922 in the general election, to compel all children to attend public schools. The overtly anti-Catholic measure threatened to close all parochial schools and military academies … The legislature also passed a law forbidding wearing of sectarian clothing, namely priestly vestments or nuns” habits, in classrooms.”


What is SALDEF’s position on this issue?

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) rejects Oregon’s antiquated and immoral teacher garb law and demands an immediate repeal.

What can I do to help?

LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUE

Sikhs protest school exemption in Oregon religious freedom bill (The Oregonian)
Law denying teachers religious freedom is repugnant and should be repealed (Mail Tribune Editorial)
Oregon law is too strict on teachers” religious garb (The Oregonian Editorial)
Does religious clothing have a place in the classroom (KATU TV – Portland)
(Dave Ross Show – KIRO 97.3 FM)
Oregon’s Fashion Police (Washington Post)

SPREAD THE WORD

Most people do not know that the Oregon teacher garb statute was enacted in the 1920s by the Ku Klux Klan for the purpose of suppressing Catholics.  Please distribute this advisory to your friends and family and also to your local Gurdwara and visit the SALDEF website for updates.  Because this issue affects all Americans, please reach out to your friends in the interfaith community and spread the word about what is happening in Oregon.

TAKE ACTION

If you live in Oregon, please contact your state representative and ask them whether they can commit to moving beyond the 1920s and repealing Oregon”s teacher garb statute during the next legislative session.  The Oregon garb statute is a sad and repugnant legacy of the Ku Klux Klan and deserves to be given a final burial by all Americans.

Please distribute this to family, friends, and at your local Gurdwara

  1. SALDEF Speaks on Seattle Talk Radio Program
  2. SALDEF Summer Interns Lead Civil Rights Presentation
  3. SALDEF Delivers Presentation to Chaplaincy Institute
  4. Law Enforcement Training at Catholic University
  5. SALDEF Participates in Homeland Security Roundtable in Southern California
  6. SALDEF Meets White House Office of Public Engagement
  7. Maryland Attorney General Amends ‘Headgear’ Opinion
  8. New SALDEF Website – Photos of Proud Sikhs Needed

SALDEF Speaks on Seattle Talk Radio Program On July 20, 2009, SALDEF Director of Law and Policy, Rajdeep Singh Jolly, appeared on the Dave Ross Show (97.3 KIRO FM) to speak about Oregon’s controversial ban on religious clothing for public school teachers.  To listen to the interview, click here.  As noted during the discussion, Oregon’s religious clothing ban for public school teachers was enacted during the 1920s by the Ku Klux Klan for the purpose of suppressing Catholics.  To learn more about the issue and SALDEF’s effort to overturn the ban, please click here. SALDEF Summer Interns Lead Civil Rights Presentation On June 30, 2009, SALDEF Summer 2009 Interns Dilpreet Kaur Sidhu and Harkiran Kaur Sindhu delivered a presentation entitled Sikh Americans: A Case Study in Civil Rights to a group of more than 20 summer interns from numerous civil rights and public policy organizations in Washington, DC.  Participants discussed contemporary civil rights challenges faced by Sikh Americans, including workplace discrimination, hate crimes, and school bullying.  A full summary of this event and the entire SALDEF Summer 2009 Internship Program is forthcoming and will be the subject of a separate advisory, so please stay tuned! SALDEF Delivers Presentation to Chaplaincy Institute

On June 28, 2009, SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh delivered a presentation to twenty  ministers and chaplains from the Chaplaincy Institute on the Sikh religion at the El Sobrante Gurdwara in California’s Bay Area. The presentation covered the core Sikh beliefs and traditions, discussion on the manners in which Sikhs pray and conduct religious services, and also addressed the history of Sikhs in the United States, including various post-9/11 civil rights challenges facing the Sikh American community.

Prior to the presentation, attendees watched the SALDEF produced DVD On Common Ground as a primer. Students also received copies of SALDEF’s 2009 Pocket Calendars and Who are the Sikhs educational brochures and took a tour of the Gurdwara, partaking in Guru-ka-Langar and sitting with the congregation.

Law Enforcement Training at Catholic University On June 17, 2009, SALDEF Director of Law and Policy, Rajdeep Singh Jolly, spoke to a group of 28 campus police officers at Catholic University in Washington, DC.  The subject of the discussion was hate crimes, and participants discussed the role of stereotypes in hate crimes against Sikh Americans as well as South Asians, Arabs, Muslims, and people perceived to be Middle Eastern.  Other presenters at the event included the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Anti-Defamation League. SALDEF Participates in Homeland Security Roundtable in Southern California On June 23rd, SALDEF Volunteer Attorney Bhupinder Kaur Malik participated in the quarterly Department of Homeland Security roundtable meeting in Los Angeles.  The meeting focused on two areas: the upcoming 2010 Census and unfair employment practices. Rashad Z. Al-Dabbagh and Nadia Babyi from the U.S. Census Bureau explained the importance of the U.S. Census Statistics and how the statistics are used to allocate $300 Billion dollars to minorities all over the United States. They encouraged all minority groups to participate and informed the group that legal status of minorities is not asked or considered in the statistical process.  Minority representatives voiced concern over the possibility of the Census information being used against minorities regarding their legal status in the U.S. The representatives informed the group that it is a felony for anyone, even government, to use the Census information against an individual for such things as deportation or locating an individual. One exception to the rule is when there is a need to locate individuals during a natural disaster. The 2010 Census forms will be handed out in March 2010 and will need to be returned by April 2010. Linda White Andrews is the Senior Trial Attorney, Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice. She addressed unfair employment practices and the difference between her department and the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Her office focuses on citizenship status discrimination and national origin discrimination.  An employer cannot require a worker to be a U.S. citizen unless it is required by law, regulation or government contract. For example: a 7-11 store cannot require the employer to be a U.S. citizen as long as the individual has the right to work in the United States. National Origin discrimination is discrimination linked to a person’s place of birth, country of origin, ancestry, native language, accent, perceptions, etc. SALDEF Meets White House Office of Public Engagement On June 18, 2009, SALDEF met with Mr. Paul Monteiro, Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, to create awareness about three major issues facing the Sikh American community: (1) the denial of the right of observant Sikh Americans to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces; (2) the denial of the right of observant Sikh Americans to work as public school teachers in Oregon and Pennsylvania; and (3) severe weaknesses in federal workplace discrimination laws that make it easy for employers to discriminate against observant Sikh Americans.  SALDEF will continue to build bridges with the White House and other government officials in the cause of developing solutions for American civil rights issues. Maryland Attorney General Amends ‘Headgear’ Opinion According to a letter dated July 23, 2009, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office has amended a legal opinion at the request of SALDEF but has stopped short of clarifying screening policies for religious headcoverings at state courthouses. The opinion in question—94 OAG 81—was originally issued on May 27, 2009 in response to an inquiry about the right of individuals to remain “veiled or masked” for religious reasons upon entering a courthouse.  Despite the narrow focus of the inquiry on religious face coverings, the Attorney General’s opinion made conspicuous reference to religious headgear and headcoverings and could have been misinterpreted to mean that observant Sikhs would have to remove their dastaars (Sikh turbans) for security screening purposes before entering a courthouse in Maryland.  In light of these developments, SALDEF and volunteer attorney Dawinder Singh Sidhu issued a letter of concern on June 9, 2009 and demanded that the Maryland Attorney General issue a revised opinion to clarify that religious headcoverings may be worn without interruption by individuals entering a courthouse in Maryland. Although a new opinion has been issued, it still contains ambiguities and still does not clarify, in positive terms, that religious headcoverings may be worn without interruption by individuals entering a courthouse in Maryland.  SALDEF will continue to engage with the State of Maryland and monitor its performance to ensure that the civil rights of Sikh Americans are safeguarded.  In the meantime, SALDEF urges the Sikh American community of Maryland to remain vigilant and report positive and negative courthouse screening experiences to SALDEF. New SALDEF Website – Photos of Proud Sikhs Needed SALDEF is developing a new website and invites volunteers to submit high-quality, digital photographs of proud Sikh Americans for incorporation into the new website.  We are particularly interested in images that reinforce the fact that observant Sikhs are an integral and inseparable part of American society.  Please forward your images to info@saldef.org, along with your name and location.