News & Update

Sikh Coalition partnered with the White House Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative (AAPI) to launch Act To Change – a national campaign aimed to raise awareness of bullying in our nation’s schools.

We are pleased to report that this initiative is already having incredible and immediate results.

The Sikh Coalition’s Law and Policy Director, Arjun Singh, joined three Sikh community members, all of whom have long advocated for anti-bullying reform, for a high-level meeting with senior administration officials at the White House.
Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett joined Arjun Singh, Dapinder K. Ahluwalia, Aasees Kaur, and Tejinder Singh for a roundtable discussion that featured the Sikh perspective along with a broader discussion on how federal agencies can better combat bias-based bullying.

Aasees and Tejinder are the sister and father of Japjee Singh – a Sikh student from Georgia who courageously contacted the Sikh Coalition after being bullied for years. Dapinder’s son was bullied so badly in a private school in New York City that when the school refused to properly respond, she was forced to relocate to a new school district in New Jersey.

My brother spoke out and with the support of the Sikh Coalition, we refused to let the DeKalb County school district ignore the problem of bias-based bullying,” said Aasees, who also volunteers as a Sikh Coalition Advocate. “Now we’re at the White House working to ensure that the rest of the country addresses the problem too.”

Dapinder (19K) Dapinder, like so many Sikh families across the United States, faced the horrible choice of speaking up and tackling the problem publicly or fearing that publicity would make the problem worse for her son. “The bullying of my son has altered our lives forever, but to be at the White House, working with the Sikh Coalition, and talking about this problem head on makes me believe that the future for the next generation of children in our schools will be better.”

An effective response to bullying must begin with the acknowledgement that bullying is an epidemic and is prevalent in classrooms across the nation. We must stand up, reach out and speak up.
As always, we urge all Sikhs to practice their faith fearlessly.

~ Source: Sikhnet

Two Amritdhari (initiated Sikhs) named in the Canadian cabinet after an election that saw the following Canadian Sikhs elected, including 5 who wear turbans, 5 women, and 4 who have been named cabinet members:

Harjit Singh Sajjan was sworn in as Minister of National Defense; Navdeep Singh Bains was appointed as Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

Harjit Sajjan immigrated to Canada from India with his family when he was five years old.

Having grown up in South Vancouver, he benefited from everything this diverse and culturally rich community had to offer. While attending local elementary and high schools, Harjit was active in many of the sporting and athletic programs.

Harjit is married to Dr. Kuljit Kaur Sajjan, a UBC-educated family doctor, and together they have two young children.

Harjit Sajjan has four operational deployments; one to Bosnia and three deployments to Afghanistan. He has been awarded the following honours in recognition of his service to Canada:

Order of Military Merit
Meritorious Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (Afghanistan)
General Campaign Star (Afghanistan)
Mention in Dispatch
Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
NATO Service Medal (Bosnia)
Golden Jubilee Medal
Diamond Jubilee Medal
Canadian Forces’ Decoration
US Army Commendation Medal
Chief of Defence Staff Commendation
Deputy Minister Award (Department of National Defence)

Harjit Sajjan was a member of the Vancouver Police Department for 11 Years serving in South Vancouver and was selected as a Detective for the Gang Crime Unit. Harjit has long been advocating for education and mentorship programs that engage the youth to become more active members of society, while strengthening youth defense against the rule of gangs and drugs.

Born in a small village in India, Harjit learned the importance of the very basic human necessities at a young age. He is immensely grateful for the privilege of being a Canadian and now participates in humanitarian efforts where ever he can make a difference. He and his wife have four sponsored children and support many charities that promote health and education to impoverished children.

Navdeep Bains

Mississauga-Malton MP Navdeep Singh Bains has been named Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
Having served as the MP for Mississauga-Brampton South from 2004 to 2011, Bains, 38, a long-time Trudeau friend and advisor, gained extensive experience as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and as the Liberal Critic in a number of portfolios.

Bains, a former Brampton resident and Turner Fenton Secondary School graduate, was the first MP for Mississauga-Brampton South when that riding was created in 2004 and, after last month’s election,he returns to Ottawa to serve as the first MP for Mississauga-Malton 11 years later.

Bains, an accountant/financial analyst and visiting professor at Ryerson University, said in a tweet he’s “honoured” to be Canada’s next Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

-DailySikhUpdate

Harjit Sajjan immigrated to Canada from India with his family when he was five years old.

Having grown up in South Vancouver, Harjit benefited from everything this diverse and culturally rich community had to offer. While attending local elementary and high schools, Harjit was active in many of the sporting and athletic programs.

Harjit is married to Dr. Kuljit Kaur Sajjan, a UBC-educated family doctor, and together they have two young children.

Harjit Sajjan has four operational deployments; one to Bosnia and three deployments to Afghanistan. He has been awarded the following honours in recognition of his service to Canada:

Order of Military Merit
Meritorious Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (Afghanistan)
General Campaign Star (Afghanistan)
Mention in Dispatch
Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
NATO Service Medal (Bosnia)
Golden Jubilee Medal
Diamond Jubilee Medal
Canadian Forces’ Decoration
US Army Commendation Medal
Chief of Defence Staff Commendation
Deputy Minister Award (Department of National Defence)

Harjit Sajjan was a member of the Vancouver Police Department for 11 Years serving in South Vancouver and was selected as a Detective for the Gang Crime Unit. Harjit has long been advocating for education and mentorship programs that engage the youth to become more active members of society, while strengthening youth defense against the rule of gangs and drugs.

Born in a small village in India, Harjit learned the importance of the very basic human necessities at a young age. He is immensely grateful for the privilege of being a Canadian and now participates in humanitarian efforts where ever he can make a difference. He and his wife have four sponsored children and support many charities that promote health and education to impoverished children.

~ Tapasleen kaur
~ New Delhi, 5th Nov ’15

While stories such as the Khalsa Aid helping Syian refugees or a Sikh man using his turban to save a boy’s life warm our hearts immensely, incidents of racism and cultural discrimination do the exact opposite. It’s been four years since Osama Bin Laden’s death but racial discrimination in the US seems to know no bounds.

As if racial profiling in the States wasn’t enough, prejudices against the Sikh community in general adds more murk to the damage. The following incident, shared by The Sikh Coalition, is a testimony to this fact.

When Parampal Singh Ghai and his father visited a famous Nathan’s joint in Maryland (Baltimore) to get some dinner, little did they know that they will be subjected to racial bigotry. While they waited for their dinner to arrive, they noticed the restaurant staff calling out to people by their names. Since Parampal hadn’t been asked his, imagine his horror when he looked at his receipt that identified him as ‘Osama’ instead of Parampal.

The humiliation was enough to leave a long-lasting blow, however when Parampal confronted the employee, he didn’t receive an apology. Instead, coupled by another employee and customer, they simply laughed. With a ‘deepening humiliation’, Parampal returned his food back to the staff.

The Sikh Coalition writes:

“Since the 9/11 attacks, Sikh Americans, who wear religious turbans and maintain unshorn hair, have repeatedly endured bigotry and violence because of a mistaken and offensive affiliation with members of the Al Qaeda terrorist network. Many have been called racial slurs such as “Osama,” “raghead” or “terrorist,” at the workplace, on the streets, and at school. Just last September, Inderjit S. Mukker, a father, was physically was attacked on his way to the grocery store in a Chicago suburb and also called a “terrorist,” “Bin Laden,” and told to “go back to your country.” Sikh school children have not escaped the backlash. In a recent national survey, the Sikh Coalition found that approximately 67% of turbaned youths nationwide report being bullied and verbally harassed because of their Sikh religious identity. The Sikh Coalition has also represented Sikhs who have faced verbal harassment in the workplace, including at Autozone, an auto parts company, that allowed a Sikh employee to be repeatedly harassed and subjected to “terrorist slurs” by customers such as “Bin Laden.””

~ Source: IndiaTimes

After 4 years of being Canada’s third most important language, Punjabi officially became the third language in Parliament of Canada after English and French.

1.40% of Canada’s population comprises of Sikh people. They are not only credited for paving the path to Canada for all South Asian immigrants but have also created the presence of Sikhism in the United States.

The said action was taken after the election of 20 Punjabi-speaking candidates to the House of Commons.

The Parliamentary elections, which were conducted on 19th October led to the selection of 23 South Asian-origin members, 3 out of whom do not speak Punjabi

Out of 20 Punjabi speaking members, 14 are males and six are females. Also, 18 are Liberals and two are Conservatives.

Prime Minister-designate, Justin Trudeau, is scheduled to unveil his Cabinet this week.
MP Deepak Obhrai of Conservative Party said, “The voice of the Indo-Canadian community will now be very well represented in the Parliament. In the overall aspect of it, the South Asian community won.”

It’s a big step for Canada’s Parliament. It’s finally official.

~ News Source: First Post