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merica is the land of social gold – freedom. Our first amendment establishes the range of that freedom, stating “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” I would like to point out here that the first freedom stated regards religion and the mandate to not establish a particular religion for the country nor to inhibit the free exercise of any religion. By this statement, our forefathers set the groundwork for religious pluralism in America. And yet, a large sector of the American public has not accepted this straightforward interpretation of the First Amendment. We call our country a melting pot, but in reality the melting pot is holding together individuals that have not yet coalesced. There is no wholehearted acceptance of the diversity that America has to offer or of the Americans who practice different faiths, believe in non-Christian gods, and whose spirituality lies outside “normal,” known religions. If we truly believed in religious pluralism and read the First Amendment as a stamp of approval for the practice of any and all faiths, TSA would not have to continuously update their policies to respect those with religious headdress, surveys would not have to be given out to assess how often children with particular religious background are bullied in school and organizations like SALDEF would be able to focus more on education that fighting hate crimes and injustice across the country. Until the obvious existence of multiple religions in America is recognized and accepted, the very first freedom listed in the First Amendment can only be cited superficially. Sikhism itself promotes the utmost respect for all religions. There are many paths to reaching God, to attaining Enlightenment. It is not our job to criticize or demean another’s path; instead we should encourage each individual to follow their path and create their own journey. Thus, as Sikhs and as Americans, religious pluralism should be an accepted fact of life. Religion is a right. Religion is a freedom. To bar the beliefs and practice of faith is unconstitutional. To raise awareness of religious pluralism and to move toward a nation that can honestly uphold its constitutional promises is crucial. To learn more about religious pluralism, please join us for a Public Forum entitled “Religious Pluralism: Shaping the American Identity” on Wednesday, June 22, 2011, from 6 – 9 pm at Van Nuys City Hall Chambers. SALDEF’s Managing Director Kavneet Singh will be speaking on the panel. It should be an evening of insightful commentary by several panelists with varied viewpoints on the topic.
Coming to you from 634 S Spring Street, Jasleen K. Singh