By Scott Wong, STAFF WRITER, The Daily Review FREMONT — Almost no one had heard of Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said Homaira Hosseini, an Irvington High School senior whose family emigrated from the war-torn country when she was only 2. Afterward, no one could ignore it. “A tragic event on Sept. 11 changed my future, my present, my identity,” Hosseini, 17, told a stunningly quiet room of more than 200 community members at “Our Community: Who Belongs?” an anti-hate forum at the high school Thursday night. “After Sept. 11, I got a lot of looks and experienced biases and prejudices.” Hosseini, whose family is Muslim, was one of a handful of speakers who shared personal testimony about how local Muslims, Sikhs and other “vulnerable and victimized” minorities have been subjected to things such as name-calling, eggings and other abuse in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I am an Afghan and a Muslim and an American,” said Hosseini, who noted that Fremont is home to the largest number of Afghans living outside Afghanistan. “It’s not a paradox, but it’s sometimes treated as such.” Among those who joined in self-affirming chants of “We all belong” were City Council members, police chiefs, county supervisors, state Assembly members past and present, school board members, educators and other civic, ethnic and religious leaders from throughout the area. Most came to hear the keynote speaker, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who as a state senator 15 years ago wrote the first felony hate crime law in the nation. But Debbi Pearson, a 44-year Mission San Jose resident, might have said it best: “The people who needed to hear the message most weren’t here.” Lockyer, a Democrat and a possible 2006 gubernatorial candidate, warned the audience about misdirected hostility. “It’s OK to be angry about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,” he said. “But direct that at the people who carried it out, not the people who are here to enjoy these freedoms.” Kavneet Singh, Western regional director for the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the nation’s oldest Sikh civil rights and education advocacy group, said it is critical that Americans take the next step in the war on racial and religious bigotry. “As a community, we need to continue to fight to move beyond tolerance,” said Singh, who added that there are about a half-million Sikhs living in the United States today. “It’s not just our responsibility to tolerate but to accept.” From physical attacks and racial slurs to less subtle prejudices, such as compliments on their English, all burn themselves into the minds of victims, one speaker shared. “Such comments may seem rare,” said Owais Mahesri, 17, an Irvington senior who was born in the United States and is Muslim. “But they happen, they exist and they hurt.” Despite the fact that about six hate crimes still occur in the state each day, Lockyer said he is optimistic about the future. “It’s important that we be mindful that we virtually all are immigrants here,” Lockyer said. “For three centuries, we skimmed the planet and brought its risk-takers to this place. “This is the first place on the planet where the fundamental policy has been, ‘Everybody counts, every voice matters.'”
Racial tolerance promoted at forum: Crowd hears Lockyer, students and other anti-hate speakers
Fremont, CA— A community forum will be held in Fremont next week to discuss issues affecting minorities in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the war in Iraq. The keynote address for the evening will be delivered by California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) encourage community members to attend the forum, which will be held on Thursday evening, March 10th (details below). A SALDEF representative will also make a presentation at the event. Entitled Our Community: Who Belongs, the forum hopes to bring community members together to nurture solidarity against all hateful speech and acts, and in particular against those directed against Muslims and Sikhs. Attorney General Lockyer has been a leader on hate crimes legislation, advocating successfully for the first felony hate crime law in the nation in 1991 when he was a California state legislator. More recently, he opened the Office of Immigrant Assistance, created a Civil Rights Unit, and established Rapid Response Protocols for hate crimes. Lockyer also has also been a champion of religious freedom, supporting Sikhs’ right to wear their articles of faith in public places. This forum is being organized by an ad-hoc committee of groups. The committee urges all concerned community members to attend this event and further collaborate to address hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents. SALDEF, the oldest national Sikh American civil rights organization (formerly known as SMART), has worked with numerous families throughout Northern California over the past several years, who have been affected by crimes motivated by hate and bias. If you have any questions about this vigil, please email SALDEF at info@saldef or call 202-393-2700 Ext. 29. WHEN: Thursday, March 10, 2005 TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. WHERE: Irvington High School 41800 Blacow Rd. Fremont, CA 94538 Please forward this message to your contacts in the Bay Area and post it at your local Gurdwara(s). ### END ###
Washington, DC – On January 31st, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest Sikh American civil rights advocacy organization, met with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to discuss a variety of issues relevant to the Sikh American community. At the meeting, SALDEF Associate Director Rajbir Singh Datta discussed the need for making the post of Special Counsel for Post-9/11 National Origin Discrimination, created after September 11, 2001, a full-time and permanent position. The individual in this position served as a vital resource to the Sikh American community on matters related to civil rights and civil liberties. “The position of Special Counsel for Post-9/11 National Origin Discrimination has allowed the Sikh Community a personal contact within the Department of Justice.” said SALDEF President Mirin Kaur. “This individual was a liaison between the government and the community and we urge the Attorney General to make this position permanent.” SALDEF also discussed the need for a separate Sikh category in the hate crime section of the FBI Annual Hate Crimes Report, continuing federal dialogue with the Sikh American community and increasing recruitment of Sikh Americans into the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, and the United States Attorney’s Office. “The meeting provided a necessary forum to discuss specific issues affecting the Sikh American community.” said Mr. Datta. Other concerns that were addressed included immigration policies, the secret NSA wiretapping program, the effects of the PATRIOT Act, and the tight regulation of charities. Representatives from the Arab, Muslim, South Asian, and Sikh communities also attended.
Bay Area Residents Encouraged to Attend Next Week Concord, CA—A candlelight vigil will be held to show support for the Anands, a Sikh American family residing in Concord, who had their home robbed and burned down in a confirmed act of arson in September. Community members are encouraged to sign a petition and attend the vigil, which will be held on the evening of Wednesday, November 17 (details below). This vigil is being organized by “The Justice for the Anand Family Coalition,” a coalition of legal and civil rights organizations comprised of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the Asian Law Caucus, the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) and Narika. The Anand family and this coalition believes these crimes were motivated by hate. While the events have been investigated and the suspect identified, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has not yet filed any charges. The vigil also presents the coalition an opportunity to update the community and the media about the status is this case. The coalition urges all concerned community members to attend this event and show support for the Anand family. SALDEF, the oldest national Sikh American civil rights organization (formerly known as SMART), has been working with the Anand family since learning about these crimes. If you have any questions about this vigil, please email SALDEF at info@saldef.org or call 202-393-2700 Ext. 29. WHEN: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 TIME: 7:30 – 830 p.m. WHERE: 1356 Babel Lane (the site of the Anand Family’s burned home) Concord, California
SALDEF Joins Other Community Organizations to Show Support Concord, CA — Over 150 Bay Area community members came together Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil held to support the Anands, a Sikh American family residing in Concord, who had their home robbed and burned down in a confirmed act of arson on September 5, 2004. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the oldest national Sikh American civil rights organization formerly known as SMART, has been working with the Anand family and other groups since learning about these crimes. “Thank you all for coming tonight to this vigil,” said Jasleen Anand, one of five children in the Anand Family. “Your being here goes a long way in helping us heal and move on with our lives knowing that this community is a safe community and neighbors support each other.” This vigil was being organized by “The Justice for the Anand Family Coalition,” a coalition of legal and civil rights organizations comprised of SALDEF, the Asian Law Caucus, API Legal Outreach, the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) and Narika. The Anand family and this coalition believes these crimes were motivated by hate. While the events have been fully investigated and the suspect identified, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has not yet filed any charges. “The Anand family has lost everything in this tragedy”, stated Malcolm Yueng an attorney with the Asian Law Caucus. “We must support the Anands by demanding that the Contra Costa County District Attorney move forward with the arson charges. The Justice for the Anand Family Coalition is working with the community to ensure that this happens. SALDEF has played an instrumental role in connecting our coalition with the Sikh and South Asian community in the East Bay.” SALDEF urges all concerned community members to support the Anand Family by signing an online petition urging District Attorney Robert Kochly to file charges against the suspect. If you have any questions about this vigil, please email SALDEF at info@saldef.org or call 202-393-2700, Ext. 29.
Kevin Harrington, the Irish-American Sikh who was briefly taken off his post as a subway motorman last year because he wears a turban to work, is back in hot water after a series of new developments. New York City transit officials told Harrington last week that if he did not want to be reassigned for a second time to train yards, he would have to wear a patch with the MTA logo on his turban. He complied last Wednesday by wearing the patch for one day, and compared it to an advertisement. Harrington, who’s 53, told media that he saw it as tantamount to putting a billboard on St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The next morning, Harrington reported to work at the Woodlawn station of the 4 train when he had an argument with a station supervisor. Details have varied, but New York Newsday reported that the confrontation led to Harrington being ordered to report to the MTA’s Brooklyn headquarters for a Breathalyzer test. He was walking down the steps for a Brooklyn-bound train when he slipped and fell, injuring his back. Harrington was taken by ambulance to Bronx’s Montefiore Meical Center, where he was treated and released. He said transit officials then accompanied him to take the Breathalyzer afterward. Harrington maintained that as a practicing Sikh, he has not had alcohol in 25 years. The only certainty now is that the two still disagree. Harrington is out of work with his injury for an unknown period of time, and the MTA is refusing to loosen their requirements about the patch. Harrington, a third-generation transit worker, said last week that he was considering joining the lawsuit filed against the MTA by two female Muslim bus drivers who have been reassigned to the depot because of their head coverings, called khimars. The Department of Justice also filed a separate lawsuit against the MTA, citing discrimination. Preetmohan Singh, who is the national director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said the developments with Harrington “may affect the federal case.” Harrington is not currently represented by SALDEF, but sought their counsel when his case first surfaced in June. He received a memo written by MTA president Lawrence Router asking that Harrington remove his turban while operating the train or accept the train yard reassignment. Harrington told the Echo in August that the train yard job was hardly an option. “I won’t do it,” he said. “I’ll lose a good position as well as a lot of money.” Harrington had worn the turban without incident for 23 years on the job. He managed to get his post back, but not before hearing the promise of new uniform guidelines would be looked into by the MTA. A sensitive post-Sept. 11 climate has been blamed for the MTA’s sudden interest in Harrington’s and other employees’ headdresses, but they have remained relatively mum on the issue aside from issuing new guidelines. Harrington was kept in limbo for the rest of the year while the MTA met to determine new uniform rules that would apply to everyone. The patch was the latest compromise from the agency. “We understand the move was in the name of uniformity and safety,” said Singh, but reasons that the right thing is for all employees to have to adhere the same standards. Harrington has pointed out that other MTA employees in the public eye regularly wear hats without the MTA logo. Two Sikh police officers had a similar fight that ended in the compromise of wearing their badges on their turbans. Those officers have said the MTA patch does not have a symbolic meaning like the badge would. As for now, Harrington’s future with his employer is unknown, though his plight is hardly over. There are 24 million Sikhs in the world, making it the fifth most practiced religion — 20 million of those live in India, the rest located in places like England, the U.S., and Australia. It is estimated that 500,000 are in the U.S. alone. Calls to the MTA were not returned by press time. This story appeared in the issue of January 12-18, 2005. By Jill Sheehy (jsheehy@irishecho.com) Irish Echo
SALDEF’s Southern Regional Director Bobby Singh recently organized a group of Sikh Americans to meet with a U.S. Department of Justice official in Houston, TX. Shaarik Zafar, Special Counsel for Post 9-11 National Origin Discrimination in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, met with the group to discuss the importance of reporting possible civil rights violations to the appropriate authorities. Mr. Zafar also presented the group with posters explaining Sikh head-coverings which were recently produced in partnership with the DOJ and SALDEF. The poster is entitled Common Sikh American Head Coverings and provides a brief introduction to the Sikh religion and protocol to follow during security screenings by law enforcement officials.
Recently, SALDEF participated at the Applied Research Center’s (ARC) Race and Public Policy Conference entitled: A Proactive Agenda for 2005 and Beyond. SALDEF’s Western Regional Director Kavneet Singh addressed conference attendees at the University of California, Berkeley about the effects that Hate Crimes and racial profiling have had on the Sikh community as well as the struggle within the Sikh community in ensuring one’s right to practice their faith in a post 9/11 world. Joining Mr. Singh on the panel were Camilo Perez-Bustillo, American Friends Service Committee/Project Voice; Ban Al-Wardi, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter; Esmeralda Simmons, Applied Research Center Board member and Director of the Medgar Evers Center for Law & Social Justice.
Event Marking Shift from SMART includes National Civil Rights Leaders, Awards Presentation Washington, DC— The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) officially launched in Washington, DC today, changing from the previous name of the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART). SALDEF, the new name of the oldest national Sikh American civil rights organization, completed the transition at an event in Washington, DC with a panel of national civil rights leaders and the inaugural presentation of two awards. “We are proud to take on the SALDEF name at such a well-attended event because it more accurately reflects our programs over the last several years,” said SALDEF Board Chair Gagandeep Kaur. “We are committed to growing and strengthening the organization to better serve the Sikh American community through all our program areas, including media relations and legislative advocacy. We will continue our efforts of coalition-building and work to ensure equality for all Americans.” The launch event in Washington included a discussion entitled “Assessing the American Promise: A Discussion with National Civil Rights Leaders.” The panel featured the director of the domestic human rights program at Amnesty International USA; the director of the civil rights policy planning center at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL); and the president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). The panelists discussed their work with SALDEF over the years, along with the necessity to build coalitions and legislative priorities for the next congressional session. Two awards were also inaugurated at the event, including the Bhagat Singh Thind Community Empowerment Award presented to Dr. Narinder Singh Arora. Dr. Arora is a physician from Charlottesville, VA and was recognized for his volunteer efforts with a Native American tribe in Virginia. The Dorothy Height Coalition-Building Award was presented to the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, author of 20 books and the Executive Director of The Interfaith Alliance. Rev. Gaddy was recognized for his leadership to promote healthy interaction between religion and government and campaign against religious litmus tests on public policy.
In order to introduce non-Sikhs to Sikh Americans, SMART has begun distribution of its pocket-sized 2004 calendars. On one side, these full-color calendars include images of Sikhs, along with core Sikh values and facts about Sikhs in the United States; the other side has the 2004 calendar and includes SMART’s phone number and web site for reference. These calendars are ideal for distribution by community members at their workplace, community meetings, senior citizen centers, convenience stores, gas stations, and through cab drivers. SMART is currently distributing the cards in quantities of 100 for $10 plus shipping. To order the 2004 Calendar and other SMART publications, please complete and mail the order form along with a check made out to “SMART”.