Washington, DC — The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh American advocacy group, conducted a 90 minute presentation on Sikh Americans and Sikhism yesterday for local law enforcement in Charleston, West Virginia. This presentation was part of SMART’s ongoing efforts to educate federal government and local law enforcement agencies about Sikh Americans and Sikhism. The presentation offered a tutorial about the history and theology of the Sikh faith, and focused on breaking down common stereotypes and misperceptions of Sikh Americans. The presentation also highlighted the five articles of faith, giving special attention to the kirpan and turban. Additionally time was devoted to explaining the difference between Sikhs, and other commonly associated religions and cultural groups, stressing Sikh’s separate identity from Hindus, Muslims, and especially the Taliban. Attending the seminar were staff of the WV Attorney General’s office, WV Human Rights Commission, US Attorney for Southern District of WV, Director of WV Equal Employment Opportunity Office, FBI agents, US Marshals Service, officers of WV State Police, and officers from several WV city and county police departments. SMART believes that the most effective way to prevent further incidents of harassment of Sikh Americans, especially regarding domestic security issues, is continued education about Sikhism to federal agencies, local authorities, and community leaders. SMART will continue to offer such seminars to other federal agencies in the future.
SMART Conducts Educational Seminar for Law Enforcement in West Virginia
Washington, DC – The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a Sikh American civil rights advocacy group, alongside leaders from the Arab American Institute and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), met with attorneys from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the Department of Justice Community Relations Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Ralph Boyd, Assistant Attorney General for Civil rights Tuesday, September 18, 2001. Attorney Amardeep Singh Bhalla, from SMART’s Legal Department, presented the current vulnerable status of Sikh Americans through a discussion about the Sikh identity and its resemblance to the prime suspect, Osama Bin Laden, in September 11 attacks. Bhalla brought to their attention the hate crimes that had taken place since Tuesday’s terrorist attacks including the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi in Arizona, attack against Attar Singh in New York City, and the firebomb attempt on the Cleveland Gurdwara.At the meeting Bhalla conveyed SMART’s efforts, alongside local Sikh organizations across the nation, in documenting and alerting the public to these hate crimes. He stressed the importance of classifying the Sodhi case as a hate crime, the relevance and importance of the ‘kirpan’, and issues surrounding racial profiling. “I told them that Sikh Americans are concerned that there is not enough information out there about who we are,” Bhalla commented this morning. “ I referenced Sher Singh’s arrest as a direct result of this lack of knowledge.” As a result of this meeting the civil rights division will begin investigating and prosecuting these crimes. The community relations service, through SMART, will be sending out information to Sikh Americans about what the federal government is doing about attacks or violence against Sikh Americans and information about identifying and classifying hate crimes. The FBI will be providing information to its 56 field offices to educate their agents about Sikhism and Sikh Americans. SMART also requested some immediate response. Bhalla asked that President Bush, Attorney General Ashcroft or Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Ralph Boyd, with some Sikh Americans along side, make a public statement that the government is aware of this problem and will prosecute such hate crimes to the full extent of the law. Sumeet Kaur, SMART’s Associate Director said, “This meeting shows that Sikh Americans are prepared to work directly with U.S. government agencies at a very high level. With continued support from the Sikh community, our efforts to reach out to the government, the media, and our allies, will put a damper on the scourge of violence against Sikhs.”
Baltimore, M.D.– The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh civil rights advocacy group, conducted an educational seminar December 7, 2001 for the Director and employees of the Department of Justice Community Relations Service. Trainers from the Baltimore Police Department and members of various Maryland County Human Relations Commissions were also in attendance. This presentation was part of SMART’s ongoing efforts to educate federal government and local law enforcement agencies about Sikhism, explain how the events of September 11, 2001’s terrorist attacks affected the Sikh community, and possible solutions to address the concerns of Sikh Americans. The presentation offered a brief tutorial about the history and theology of the Sikh faith, but primarily focused on breaking down common stereotypes and mis-perceptions of Sikh Americans. In addition, the SMART presenter offered attendees possible solutions to address the issues facing the Sikh Americans community while still maintaining important security measures now in place across the nation. The presentation also highlighted the five articles of faith, giving special attention to the kirpan and turban. Additionally time was devoted to explaining the difference between Sikhs, and other commonly associated religions and cultural groups, stressing Sikh’s separate identity from Hindus, Muslims, and especially the Taliban. SMART believes that the most effective way to prevent further incidents of harassment of Sikh Americans, especially regarding domestic security issues, is continued education about Sikhism to federal agencies and local authorities.
Germantown, MD — The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national civil rights advocacy group, encourages all Sikh Americans to publicize Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Gurpurb on November 30, 2001, with their local media outlets and to educate local communities about Sikhism. On Friday, November 30, Sikh Americans across the nation will be gathering in local Gurdwaras or at other events to celebrate Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Gurpurb. This is an excellent opportunity to educate your neighbors, schools, and friends about Sikhism and the importantance of this day for Sikh Americans. SMART also encourages Sikhs to contact their local media outlets and encourage them to write stories about this day and Sikhism. SMART recommends community members to submit the below provided brief paragraph explaining the Gurpurb event along with a deXion about Guru Nanak to their local news paper’s calendar of religious events: “On Friday, November 30, 2001, the Sikh Community of XXXX [REPLACE XXXX WITH YOUR CITY’S NAME] will celebrate the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder and the first of ten Gurus (divinely inspired prophet-teachers) of the Sikh religion. The three basic tenets of Sikhism, as declared by Guru Nanak, are: (1) earn your livelihood with honesty, (2) constantly remember God through devotion and activism and (3) share your earnings with the needy. The Guru, who was exceedingly tolerant of other faiths, embraced the entire humanity as the children of one God.” After September 11, 2001, many people have ignorantly mistaken Sikhs for Muslims, Arab Americans or the terrorists associated with the attacks on New York and Washington. This is one way for Sikh Americans to educate their communities about themselves and Sikhism. SMART also encourages Sikh Americans to distribute information about Sikhism at their local Gurdwaras, schools, businesses and workplaces.
Washington, D.C.– The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh civil rights advocacy group, gave a presentation to staff members from the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, and the Department of Transportation on Thursday, November 15, 2001. This presentation was part of SMART’s ongoing efforts to educate the federal government about Sikh Americans and to inform these agencies about Sikhism, how the attacks of September 11, 2001 have affected the Sikh community, and solutions to address the concerns of Sikh Americans. The presentation offered a background on Sikhism, discussed common stereotypes or mis-perceptions of Sikhs and ways that federal law enforcement agencies could help to address the issues of the Sikh community while still maintaining security measures across the nation. The SMART presenter spoke at length with the attendees about the five Sikh articles of faith, giving special attention to the kirpan and turban. He also spoke on the difference between Sikhs, and other commonly associated religions and cultural groups, stressing Sikh’s separate identity from Hindus, Muslims, and especially the Taliban. The meeting was highly successful; those in attendance were highly receptive and asked many questions. SMART believes that the most effective way to prevent further incidents of harassment, especially around security issues, is to continue to educate federal agencies about the Sikh articles of faith, and the need to be sensitive when dealing with Sikh Americans. SMART will continue to offer these presentations to other federal agencies in the future. Please visit SMART’s web site at www.saldef.org for more information on SMART, and its previous presentations and trainings after September 11, 2001.
Washington, DC — The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh American advocacy group, conducted a 90 minute presentation on Sikh Americans and Sikhism on Thursday, March 28, for local law enforcement in Seaford, Delaware. This presentation was part of SMART’s Education Campaign aimed at educating federal government and local law enforcement agencies about Sikh Americans and Sikhism. The presentation offered a tutorial about the history and theology of the Sikh faith, and focused on breaking down common stereotypes and misperceptions of Sikh Americans. The presentation also highlighted the five articles of faith, giving special attention to the kirpan and turban. Additionally time was devoted to explaining the difference between Sikhs, and other commonly associated religions and cultural groups, stressing Sikh’s separate identity from Hindus, Muslims, and especially the Taliban. SMART believes that the most effective way to prevent further incidents of harassment of Sikh Americans, especially regarding domestic security issues, is continued education about Sikhism to federal agencies, local authorities, and community leaders. SMART will continue to offer such seminars to other federal agencies in the future.