News & Update

Officials from the ATF and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office were called to investigate a two-alarm fire that destroyed a Sikh temple Tuesday night in Island Lake, northwest of Chicago.

Firefighters arrived to see smoke “billowing from the building,” said Wauconda Fire Chief David Dato.

Crews upgraded the call to a second alarm, and additional fire departments from the surrounding area responded, Dato said. At first, firefighters were able to battle the blaze from inside the building, but as flames spread, crews had to take a defensive position, Dato said.

Fire crews had to tackle the fire from outside the building using headlines and aerial streams due to unsafe conditions caused by hidden fire in the walls and the floors above.

The fire did extensive damage to the Sikh temple and caused the building’s roof to almost entirely collapse.

“The interior as well as the exterior has suffered heavy damage,” Dato said. “”This is a very, very old structure.”

Firefighters put out the blaze just after midnight, and no injuries were reported, officials said.

Baba Daljit Singh, Gurdwara’s pastor, came to the scene. He said nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire.

“It’s very sad news for us,” he said. “I feel I am burning inside…I have no words.”

Fire officials said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Illinois State Fire Marshall will investigate the fire Wednesday morning because the structure housed a place of worship.

This reminds us that we have to prioritize security arrangements for our Gurdwaras.

~ Source: Chicago Tribune

A former Internal Revenue Service worker in Houston has settled a federal lawsuit that alleged she was fired for insisting she be allowed to wear a three-inch Kirpan.

Tagore’s battle began about a year later when she was baptized in the Sikh religion and observed its devout traditions, including wearing a kirpan, one of the five articles of her faith.
The IRS had put her on “absence without leave” in January’06 and later on terminated for six months. She filed a case against the agency.

The district court paid no heed to her appeal justifying themselves over security issues. She re-appealed to the Fifth Circuit of Court Appeals who interestingly affirmed, reversed & remanded the ruling of the district court.

Rossbach, Deputy General Counsel for the nonprofit Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, applauded the 5th Circuit’s ruling in a statement “The court made it crystal-clear that government does not get to second-guess citizens’ religious beliefs, and it also can’t just wave the ‘security’ card around to justify bans on the core practices of any religion.”

Tagore currently works as a self-employed tax consultant.

The security overseas have agreed to educate its employees about the Kirpan’s significance. An agreement in a lawsuit has been reached stemming from the Sikh woman’s dismissal for insisting on wearing the ceremonial dagger sacred to her faith to work.

It is part of her commitment made to God. She said. “I truly believe. I’ve given submission. I was going to practice my faith until the last breath and so I was going to.”

This is a big win for religious freedom, and not just for Sikhs.

~ Source: http://sikhsiyasat.net/

19 yr Iknoor Singh had always dreamt of serving his nation and had life-long interest in public services and began thinking upon a military career. A student at the Hofstra University studying finance and business analytics says the U.S. Army is barring him from the Reserve Officer Training Corps unless he violates his religious beliefs by removing his turban, shaving and cutting his hair. He is forced to violate his religious beliefs.

The ACLU and United Sikhs are suing the U.S. Army for not allowing a 19-year-old college student to join because his devout faith requires that he wear a turban and grow a beard.

It was unbelievable for him to think that the military was asking him to make the impossible decision of choosing between the country he loves and his faith.

Sikhs have had a long and rich tradition of military service in nations across the globe since World War I. Currently; they are allowed to serve in the armed forces of Canada, Great Britain, and India, among others. How is it possible that most Sikhs like him are prohibited from serving in the United States—a nation whose founding principle is religious freedom?

He states “Barring us from serving in the military because of our religious practices helps reinforce these hurtful stereotypes. It is my hope that, when fellow Americans see Sikhs like me defending this great nation, the misperception of Sikhs being “terrorists” and “foreigners” will fade away. They will start judging Sikhs for who we are, based on our character, as opposed to how we look.”

Having nurtured his dreams together with his peers and Non Sikh friends to join the armed forces ever since childhood, he doesn’t want to be left behind just because he is adhering to the tenets of the faith he was born into.

Choosing between one’s faith and serving one’s country is a decision that no one should have to make.

We support his appeal and we are proud enough to have Singhs who stand strongly on Sikh values come what may!

~ Source: time.com

Sikh Marathon Runner Simran Jeet Singh is a true example of a Warrior Saint. His Dignified persona forms the essence of the warrior-saint! He participates in the NYC Marathon to support various social causes, setting an exemplary for the others.

The motivation to run comes from the idea that religion is an idea of striking a balance between strengthening the body and cultivating the soul.

As per an estimate provided by the Runner’s World magazine, with the main focus on empowering and raising funds for hundreds of community programs, NYC marathon records 71,000 people.

Singh is one among the 35 Sikhs running in this year’s marathon.

This year Singh hopes to raise funds for the National Stroke Association (NSA), which provides stroke education and programs for stroke survivors. Singh said he does not follow a set pattern when endorsing a cause, supporting large cancer organization, in remembrance of killings of 1984 Genocidal tragedy.

The 30-year-old thinks considers himself “privileged” for having the ability to run, using which he creates a buzz around certain issues. Whatever strikes his mind, he creates awareness for it.

Singh runs the Marathon Turbaned and justifies it saying “When people see me run with my beard and turban, it erases any negative image people might have [of Sikhs].”

Singh serves the community through a number of Sikh organizations. He is the senior religion fellow for the Sikh Coalition, the education director for the Surat Initiative and the executive director for the Sikh Spirit Foundation.

Next to that, he oversees the Sikh running club in which he encourages young Sikhs to “lead a balanced lifestyle” – a lifestyle that mixes bodily fitness with spiritual development.

The combination forms the essence of the warrior-saint!

Serving with dignity is what sets him apart from the crowd! We look forward to such Singhs with make the Sikh Community proud overseas!

~ by Nadeen Shaker
~ Source: http://www.browngirlmagazine.com/

Inderjit Singh (born June 5, 1960) is an entrepreneur and politician in Singapore’s parliament representing the Ang Mo Kio GRC.

Born in India, Singh attended Kaki Bukit Primary School in Singapore and then progressed to Broadrick Secondary School and Temasek Junior College. He began his university education with a Bachelor of Engineering from Nanyang Technological University in Electrical and Electronics. He graduated with honors from the institution in 1985. While at Nanyang Tech he founded the EEE Club and was the first chair of the Students Union Council. After earning his bachelors, he continued his education at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, earning an MBA in 1991.

He began his career with Texas Instruments, beginning as an engineer in 1985 and spent 13 years ascending the corporate chain before becoming Director of Operations of the Singapore plant from 1996 to 1998. After his stint with Texas Instruments, Singh began a career of entrepreneurship, in which he started six businesses[5] after leaving the corporate arena.He founded the United Test and Assembly Center (UTAC), a semiconductor firm, in 1998. The venture was mostly funded by Taiwanese friends of his due to what he terms “a dearth of willing investors and a general disbelief that he would be able to achieve his dream of creating a homegrown multinational firm.”.Inderjit left UTAC in 2001. The firm was listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange in 2004.

~ Source: Wikipedia