ECB is about differentiating Sikhs
from the word 'Asian.'
Its a Vision to help raise awareness
of Sikhs in the Western World,
their history,beliefs and identity.
An impression has been created that Monty Panesar is the first Sikh cricketer to represent England. The idea is fast gaining ground because even the hallowed compendium of cricket, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, mentioned in its 2007 edition that no Sikh cricketer has played for any nation other than India.
This statement, however, is not based on facts. The first Sikh cricketer to play for England (then MCC) was Bhupendrasingh, the Maharaja of Patiala. In 1926-27, Bhupendrasingh played in two unofficial Tests under Arthur Gilligan against India. The matches were held in Bombay and in Calcutta.
Bhupendrasingh was not a left-arm spinner in the mould of Monty Panesar but a hard-hitting right-handed batsman, exceptionally strong with the cut and the pull. In 1911, at the age of 19, he had toured England with the Patiala’s All-India team and had created quite an impression.
After representing England in unofficial Tests in 1926-27, he was billed to lead India in the inaugural official Test match. Actually he was selected to captain India in England in 1932, but official duty made it impossible for him to make himself available. As a result, Natwarsinhji, the Maharaja of Porbandar, was nominated the captain. Ultimately, both Natwarsinhji and his deputy, Ghanashyamsinhji, the Maharaja of Limdi, stepped down voluntarily, which enabled the talented C.K. Nayudu to lead India in the inaugural Test.
Bhupendrasingh of Patiala lost his chance to be the leader of the team in an official Test match. Ironically, the same fate befell his son, Yadavendrasingh, the Yuvraj of Patiala. Yadavendrasingh was a batsman of class. He had immense power in his stroke-play and was a magnificent driver of the ball. Like his father, he had a rasping square cut and could be relied to pull the ball high and handsome.
Fathers and sons
He made his debut in the official Test in Madras in 1933-34 against Douglas Jardine’s team. In the first innings, he was India’s highest scorer with a superlative 60 against the likes of Clarke, Nicholls and Verity. In the next innings, he had another creditable outing, scoring 24 runs. That was the last Test of the series and Yadavendrasingh got no other opportunities that season.
However, in 1935-36, Jack Ryder’s Australia came to play a four-Test unofficial series against India. In the first Test, Yadavendrasingh led India but in the following two Tests, he played under the leadership of Nayudu and WazirAli respectively. Thereafter his career paralleled that of his father’s. In 1932, Bhupendrasingh had not been able to lead India in an official Test match. This time around, his son failed to do the same, although he was the favourite, along with Nayudu and WazirAli, for the captaincy.
Indian cricket, even then, was a hub of corruption and parochialism. The undeserving Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, ‘Vizzy’ for short, was appointed India’s captain to England in 1936 while deserving candidates such as Nayudu and Wazir Ali went as ordinary members.
Worse, Yadavendrasingh could not make it to England. If he had gone on that tour, the whole history of Indian cricket would have been written differently. On that tour, India had a fine set of players. But Vizzy’s inept handling of players led to failure. Unlike Vizzy, Yadavendrasingh would have made a wonderful captain. He would have been able to harness the talents of his players and led them to success. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
Both father and son, though deserving, missed out on captaining India in an official Test. However, the fact remains that Bhupendrasingh was the first Sikh cricketer to have played for England. Monty Panesar is merely following in the great man’s footsteps.
For millions of Sikhs around the world, the names Singh and Kaur are imbued with religious significance. Every baptized boy is given the name Singh and every girl the name Kaur to symbolize unity and to remove names used to identify social standing in India's caste system.
But none of that symbolism mattered to Citizen and Immigration Canada. Until this week when a Calgary woman complained publicly, officials in the New Delhi office of the Canadian High Commission routinely told Indian immigration applicants the surnames were too common to process quickly and would have to be changed.
An Immigration Canada spokeswoman first said the policy had been in place for 10 years to help officials with the paperwork and allow them to identify files accurately. But when the story became public, the department quickly tried to call it a misunderstanding based on a "poorly worded letter" and insisted no such practice existed.
But the letter from the high commission office that Tarrinder Kaur of Calgary received was very clear: "The names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada," it said. Kaur's husband Jaspal Singh was forced to legally change his name in India so his immigration application would be processed in time for the birth of their child next month.
While Ottawa deserves credit for finally eliminating this disgraceful policy, it must ensure that bureaucratic convenience never again takes precedence over people's customs or religious beliefs.
At the same time, Ottawa and its officials abroad must never forget the power they wield over would-be immigrants and their relatives who are already here. The fact that few Sikhs in Canada ever complained openly about the policy is a telling sign of their fear of jeopardizing the immigration hopes of their relatives back home.
Canadians have learned that cultural and religious sensitivity are essential in a nation that prides itself on being one of the most multicultural in the world. One that score, our government would do well to follow the example of the people.
Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla says she's received about 500 complaints in the past three years from constituents as their relatives apply to immigrate.
After a storm of complaints from Sikhs, Ottawa reverses New Delhi office's 10-year decree that `the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada'
Jul 26, 2007 04:30 AM
San Grewal Staff reporter
One of the most common surnames in Canada, imbued with religious significance for millions of Sikhs around the world, is now, after yesterday's reversal of a 10-year policy, deemed acceptable by the Canadian government.
For the past decade, Indian immigration applicants with the surname Singh or Kaur were told by the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi that their names, too common to process quickly, would have to be changed.
Twenty-four hours after the World Sikh Organization raised the issue, Citizenship and Immigration Canada yesterday announced it was dropping the policy, calling the whole thing a misunderstanding based on a "poorly worded" letter.
It's not known how many people have been affected. Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla (Brampton-Springdale) says in the past three years she's received about 500 complaints from constituents whose family members were told to change their names when applying to immigrate.
The New Delhi immigration office is one of the busiest in the world. Immigration Minister Diane Finley refused to comment, but according to statements from the department, the policy asking for a different name was meant to help speed up applications and prevent cases of mistaken identity due to the commonness of Singh.
It said its New Delhi visa office had reported "very few complaints" about the request and explained that most Singhs or Kaurs often have an additional family name, even if it is not often used, that can be easily added to their passport.
Most of the world's 30 million Sikhs are given the name Singh, for men, or Kaur, for women, usually as a middle name.
But for those Sikhs who choose to be baptized, or initiated into the orthodox order of the faith, their previous surname is dropped for Singh or Kaur to symbolize unity and to remove names used to identify social standing within India's caste system.
"If you have to change your name to come here, we have to ask ourselves, `Are we really celebrating all the great things that are hallmarks of this multicultural country?" said Dhalla, whose riding has one of the largest Indo-Canadian populations in the country.
When asked why the immigration department's policy in New Delhi hadn't been challenged before by politicians, lawyers or the public, Dhalla said she has brought it up to immigration officials.
But she admitted the issue had never made it to the floor of the House of Commons.
"At least not to my knowledge."
Brampton lawyer Harinder Gahir, who routinely takes on immigration cases, says he's had about 100 clients complain.
"But the problem is they are family members already here complaining on behalf of family members in India they are sponsoring.
"The applicants themselves don't want to complain and most comply because they don't want their chances for immigration to be jeopardized."
When asked if he believes the immigration department's claim that the policy was just a misunderstanding and that people with the surnames Singh or Kaur were actually allowed to apply, Gahir said, "They were told, unequivocally, `You can't apply with the surname Singh or Kaur.'"
A follow-up story on the CBC's website includes what appears to be a letter from the High Commission in New Delhi, dated May 17 and addressed to Jaspal Singh.
It states:
"The names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada."
But the department's statement yesterday said that "Permanent resident applicants with the surnames Singh or Kaur are not required to change their names in order to apply.
"In no way did CIC intend to ask applicants to change their names. The letter that was previously used to communicate with clients was poorly worded. We are making changes to ensure there will be no misunderstandings in the future.
"CIC recognizes that previous communications with clients may not have been clear on this issue and regrets any inconvenience this may have caused."
"That's outrageous," said Sat Gosal, a lawyer at the firm RZCD in Mississauga who has helped challenge human rights violations against Sikhs for more than two decades.
Gosal, who was aware of the policy, is glad Sikh organizations finally complained publicly.
"This goes back to my father's days in England, during the post-colonial days of the '50s and '60s, when administrative convenience was the justification for changing names that were too common or hard to pronounce." Anglicizing or at least simplifying names was once also common in Canada.
A Calgary woman waiting for her husband to arrive in Canada is upset by a long-standing immigration policy that forces people with the surname Singh or Kaur to change their last names.
Tarvinder Kaur, who is pregnant, said her husband Jaspal Singh's application to become a permanent resident has been delayed for well over a month because of his last name.
He has no choice but to legally change his name in India so he can get to Calgary before she gives birth next month, she said.
CBC News has obtained a copy of a letter sent from the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi to Singh's family stating that "the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada."
"Why are we needing to make a different last name?" said Kaur. "You choose what your last name is going to be and if it's always been a certain way, then why should you have to change it?"
Traditional Sikh names
Singh and Kaur are common names in the Sikh community. In a tradition that began more than 300 years ago, the name Singh is given to every baptized male and Kaur to every baptized female Sikh.
The names are used differently by different people. Some use Singh or Kaur as middle names, while others use them as their last names.
Karen Shadd-Evelyn, a spokeswoman with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the policy preventing people from immigrating to Canada with those last names has been in place for the last 10 years.
"I believe the thinking behind it in this case is because it is so common. [With] the sheer numbers of applicants that have those as their surnames, it's just a matter for numbers and for processing in that visa office."
Citizenship and Immigration Canada says there is no such policy against other common last names.
Kaur, who was born in Canada, says that's unacceptable.
"If it's going to be a standard policy it should be standard with all common last names. Why is it that it's only Singh or Kaur that's being attacked by this?"
A Sikh-Canadian group is slamming the long-standing immigration policy that forces people with the surname Singh or Kaur to change their last names.
Jasbeer Singh, of the World Sikh Organization, said the policy is incredibly out of synch in this day and age.
"The reason we should be concerned is this is a very sneaky attack on our individual rights and freedoms and persona," Singh said. "Today they are challenging or don't like Singh or Kaur. Tomorrow they will not like Mohammed. And how soon will it be before they are asking all Browns and Smiths to change their names?"
The policy came to light after a Calgary woman waiting for her husband to arrive in Canada learned her husband's application to become a permanent resident has been delayed for well over a month because of his last name.
The Citizenship and Immigration department says the policy to ask people to provide a third name has been around for 10 years. It's used only in the New Delhi visa office and does not apply to any other last names.
Karen Shadd-Evelyn, a spokeswoman with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the reason for the policy is that it helps officials with the paperwork and allows them to identify people's files quickly, efficiently and accurately
A Sikh-Canadian group is slamming the long-standing immigration policy that forces people with the surname Singh or Kaur to change their last names.
Jasbeer Singh, of the World Sikh Organization, said the policy is incredibly out of synch in this day and age.
Immigration Canada sent a letter to Jaspal Singh stating "the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada." (Click the link, right, for a larger, PDF version.)
"The reason we should be concerned is this is a very sneaky attack on our individual rights and freedoms and persona," Singh said. "Today they are challenging or don't like Singh or Kaur. Tomorrow they will not like Mohammed. And how soon will it be before they are asking all Browns and Smiths to change their names?"
The policy came to light after a Calgary woman waiting for her husband to arrive in Canada learned her husband's application to become a permanent resident has been delayed for well over a month because of his last name.
The Citizenship and Immigration department says the policy to ask people to provide a third name has been around for 10 years. It's used only in the New Delhi visa office and does not apply to any other last names.
Karen Shadd-Evelyn, a spokeswoman with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the reason for the policy is that it helps officials with the paperwork and allows them to identify people's files quickly, efficiently and accurately.
"You can imagine you wouldn't want your file to be confused with someone else's," she said.
Singh and Kaur are common names in the Sikh community. In a tradition that began more than 300 years ago, the name Singh is given to every baptized male and Kaur to every baptized female Sikh. There are millions of Singhs and Kaurs around the world.
Shadd-Evelyn said that while the department recognizes the tradition of having the names Singh and Kaur, it's their understanding that it is already a common practice for people in the Sikh community to have a third name.
"Generally, when we ask for that, they are accustomed to that and are used to providing a third name," she said. "They have it. It's not something that they're just making up on the spot."
Immigration lawyer Peter Wong said the policy is enforced only some of time. None of his clients has ever officially complained, he said.
"Most people don't find it worthwhile to do and are, quite frankly, scared that they're going to be hurting their immigration applications for their loved ones."
NEW DELHI: Endless buffets, rivers of alcohol and extravagant decorations have become staples at upper-class Indian weddings — but Sikh leaders are considering creating guidelines to tone down the glittering events, a newspaper reported Saturday.
A group of Sikh leaders called for a July 28 meeting of representatives from New Delhi's more than 400 Sikh gurdwaras, or temples, to discuss ways to rein in over-the-top weddings, the Times of India reported.
"The committee feels that ostentatious weddings are leading to increasing competition among families to outdo each other," Paramjit Singh Sarna, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, said in the report.
"A lot of money is being wasted," he said.
India's economic growth has surged in recent years, with the gross domestic product — the total value of goods and services produced in the country — growing by more than 8 percent annually in the past four years.
The boom has created a new class of incredibly wealthy Indians who can afford palatial homes, imported luxury cars and wildly elaborate weddings, often at five-star hotels.
The religion of Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, who broke from Hinduism, India's dominant religion. He preached the equality of races and genders, and the rejection of image-worship and the caste system.
Sikhs make up less than 2 percent of India's nearly 1.1 billion people.
The Sikh leaders said the deluxe wedding trend puts an unfair burden on brides' families, who traditionally pay for the parties.
"Our fight is against this exploitation by those who pose demands on the girl's family to organize elaborate weddings," the newspaper quoted the group's general secretary, Balbir Singh, as saying. "The ceremony should be simple."
Sarna said it was more a matter of values than taste.
"The idea is to create moral responsibility within the community," he said.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee could not immediately be reached for comment on the report Saturday.
SACRAMENTO — The state Board of Education declined to act Thursday on new complaints from the Sikh community about a seventh-grade textbook the Sikhs say is offensive.
The board voted in March to ask a textbook publisher to remove a picture of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, that many followers said was offensive and inaccurate.
The controversial image in "An Age of Voyages: 1350-1600" shows Guru Nanak wearing a crown and with a closely cropped beard. The depiction runs contrary to Sikh faith, which requires observant men to wear a turban and not to shave their facial hair.
Many of the same people who argued at the March meeting were back before the board Thursday, unsatisfied with publisher Oxford University Press' plan to reprint the textbooks and replace the approximately 520 copies that have been distributed so far to 16 California school districts.
The Sikhs argued that the inaccurate picture should have been replaced with a more accurate one, not removed entirely. The revised textbook will have no picture at all accompanying its description of the Sikh faith, further worsening the problem Sikhs said they face when people confuse them with members of other religions, such as Islam.
The book is "wonderfully, lavishly illustrated," so the absence of an accurate picture of Guru Nanak is even more glaring, said Jeff Brodd, a religious studies professor at Sacramento State University who testified at Thursday's hearing.
Those who spoke at the meeting also objected to the title accompanying Guru Nanak's name in several places in the book, in which the word 'devi' is used. Devi is a feminine title, not for men, they said.
"It's like calling a king a queen, a Mr. a Mrs.," said speaker Prubhjot Parhar.
The board didn't take a vote on the Sikhs' request, but Tom Adams, director of curriculum for the state Department of Education, said he would contact the publisher immediately and try to have the title corrected if the new texts have not yet been printed.
Oxford plans to distribute the new books to the school districts this summer, he said.
In other action, the board voted to oppose AB1177, a bill by Assemblyman Jose Solorio, D-Santa Ana, that would set up a three-year pilot project to create alternative instructional materials for about 25,000 English learners.
Board members were concerned the program would undermine their authority to approve all instructional materials used in California classrooms.
San Grewal Staff Reporter In response to what it describes as a “dishonest and highly offensive” characterization made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a $110 million civil lawsuit was filed today on behalf of the World Sikh Organization against the national broadcaster.
The lawsuit, filed in the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto also names reporter Terry Milewski and Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh for comments they made in a June 28, 2007 feature story titled “Samosa Politics” that aired on The National.
A similar version of the story, which linked Sikh extremism to the WSO and highlighted its ties to the mainstream Canadian political scene, also aired on CBC Radio, with a print version posted on the CBC News website.
The WSO describes itself as a non-profit human rights group established in 1984 with national bodies around the world that defend not only Sikhs but the rights of all people. Representatives would not say how many members there are in Canada or worldwide.
“It is the WSO’s view that the CBC documentary contained significant and numerous factual misrepresentations about the World Sikh Organization,” said Gian Singh Sandhu, a policy advisor with the group’s Canadian body, who spoke at a press conference held today in downtown Toronto.
“The WSO’s lawsuit for defamation, libel and slander arises from the airing of the documentary noted above.”
Sandhu added that the story, which he says was written about in Indian newspapers and mentioned by media in other parts of the world, has resulted in, “significant damage to the reputation of the WSO and the Sikh community.”
A CBC spokesperson said the broadcaster was not aware of the suit until it was informed about the press conference yesterday and that “if and when” the suit was received it would be given “due consideration.” Until then, the CBC will not make any comment.
A spokesperson for Mr. Dosanjh, MP for Vancouver South, said he had not been served as of 4 pm eastern time and had no comment about the suit, but stood behind his statements made in the CBC news story.
When asked what Mr. Dosanjh specifically said in the story that the WSO objected to, Mr. Sandhu said it was obvious that the MP was making a connection between the WSO and Sikh extremism.
A segment of the story included comments by Dosanjh, stating that at the Dec. 2006 Liberal leadership convention in Montreal the WSO exercised significant influence. He then states that a Sikh delegate told Dosanjh’s wife, not knowing who she was, not to vote for Bob Rae.
Dosanjh then states in the story that the delegate said Rae, in a 2005 report to the federal government, was openly critical of Sikh extremists behind the 1985 Air India bombing, and should not be supported.
As for factual errors that the WSO believes were included in Milewski’s reporting, Sandhu said after the press conference that, contrary to what appears in the news story, a man with alleged ties to convicted Air India-bomb maker Inderjit Reyat, named Daljit Singh Sandhu, was never the leader of the WSO.
Another mistake, according to Sandhu, is the CBC news story’s assertion that the WSO released a 2000 press release with the title: “Sikhs did not bomb Air India 182”, which, according to the CBC “claimed that a cargo door fell off the plane.”
“There was no such press release from the WSO,” Sandhu said.
He added that the story’s characterization of a 1984 convention at New York’s Madison Square Garden where Sikhs were videotaped calling for violence, as a WSO event is factually incorrect.
“That was not a WSO function. Mr Milewski needs to do his homework.”
England cricket ace Monty Panesar, the England team’s first Sikh, has been signed as the latest celebrity to front Walkers crisps.
Panesar will promote the new chilli and lemon crisps, which will launch this week, aimed at Britain’s 2.5 million strong Asian population.
The new flavour will include product information in Hindi on the packa
Jon Goldstone, vice president of marketing for Walkers, said: “This is our first flavour developed specifically for the tastes of the Asian market. Chilli & Lemon flavour is already a favourite within the Asian community and, although we believe this new flavour will have mass appeal, we are targeting the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian communities that make up the UK’s biggest ethnic market.
“Walkers Chilli & Lemon packs stand apart from the rest of the range with a ‘New’ flash written in both English and Hindi - a first for Walkers. They also feature an attractive Asian-inspired Henna design. Panesar is this summer’s cricket hero and his involvement will really help us get the message across to our target audience. We’re thrilled to have him as a partner.”
Panesar added: “I’m really excited about my new relationship with Walkers. It’s a new challenge for me and I’m certain Chilli & Lemon will be a huge success within the UK’s Asian communities and beyond.”
Panesar joins football legend and brand ambassador Gary Lineker who has been the face of the crisps brand since 1995. Other celebrities who have appeared in campaigns for the brand include Paul Gascoigne, Sir Steve Redgrave, Michael Owen, Charlotte Church and Victoria Beckham.
Walkers is also launching a £7.5 million campaign in August to promote its decision to end imports and manufacture its crisps solely from UK potatoes.
Earlier this year Walkers Crisps was named the official supplier of snack foods for Wembley Stadium until July 2010.
Walker’s brands include Doritos, Wotsits, Sensations, Monster Munch and Quavers.
Last year, the crisps maker posted sales of over £465 million and became the fourth biggest grocery brand in the UK.
TORONTO - Paramount Canada's Wonderland awarded compensation to a Sikh man after he complained he was discriminated against for refusing to take off his turban and wear a helmet to drive a go-kart.
The amusement park has since asked the provincial regulator to allow it to exempt turban-wearing Sikhs from the helmet requirement, which is standard at go-kart operations throughout the country for insurance purposes.
Gurcharan Dran bought tickets for the Speed City Raceway attraction but was not allowed to ride because of a helmet use regulation, the Ontario Human Rights Commission reported last week.
He filed a complaint with the commission but due to a backlog, the case -- dating from 2001 --did not go to tribunal until last year. Mr. Dran reached a settlement with Paramount Canada's Wonderland last October, which included payment of an unknown amount.
Mr. Dran could not be reached for comment but Kevin Fox, his lawyer, said Mr. Dran "thinks [Paramount Canada's Wonderland] could have handled it a bit better when they told him to get off."
Mr. Fox said he did not know the details of the confrontation, but said Mr. Dran was in his fifties at the time.
Adam Hogan, a spokesman for Paramount Canada's Wonderland, located in Vaughan, said he was unfamiliar with how much Mr. Dran had been compensated and the details of the incident because it occurred in 2001.
But he did say the helmet requirement has not changed at the amusement park since the incident.
"Nobody can ride the ride without a helmet," Mr. Hogan said. "When it comes to safety, we don't make exceptions."
Paramount Canada's Wonderland and other businesses with go-kart tracks are required to enforce helmet use by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, an arm's-length government agency.
The regulation is part of Ontario's Technical Standards and Safety Act, which also regulates roll bars and seat-belt use in go-karts.
As part of the settlement, Paramount Canada's Wonderland agreed to request an exemption to the helmet requirement for Sikhs from the Ministry of Government Services and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Both parties are in the process of reviewing the request, said Tom Ayres, a lawyer with the organization.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission is also seeking an exemption for Sikhs at all go-kart tracks in the province.
"We do take the requirements of the Ontario Human Rights Code very seriously, but this is a complex issue," said Sam Colalillo, a spokesman for the Ministry of Government Services. He said it was too early to speculate if and when an amendment would be made to the helmet law.
Hart Schwartz, the director of the Ontario Human Rights Commission's legal branch, suggested alternatives to the law such as designing safer cars or asking patrons to sign a liability waiver.
But in order to get exemptions to any regulations, there would have to be a safe alternative, Mr. Ayres said.
"No one's been able to give us a measure that will serve the same purpose as a helmet from a safety perspective," he said.
Similar laws for go-kart racing exist in other provinces, but not all. Richmond Go-Kart Track in Richmond, B.C., asks patrons to wear helmets, but only because the business's insurance company instructs them to, said employee Jack Picken.
"If someone with a turban came in, we'd encourage them to wear the helmet, but we wouldn't force them," he said.
Peter Primdahl, underwriting director at K&K Insurance Group in Mississauga, said he would be very reluctant to insure an amusement ride business if they allowed some patrons to ride without helmets -- even if the helmet law is amended.
"Any breach of [safety regulations], should it cause injury, would certainly have an impact on the insurance pricing and would be a very difficult insurance claim to defend," he said.
Religious freedom and helmet use legislation have come head-to-head before.
In November, a case is scheduled to be heard in Ontario involving a Sikh man who was charged with riding his motorcycle without a helmet.
In Manitoba and British Columbia there are exemptions to motorcycle helmet laws for Sikhs who wear turbans.
THE SIKH community has reacted angrily to the selection of Cllr Virendra Sharma for the Ealing Southall by-election.
The Sikh Federation, who lobby for more Sikhs to take part in UK politics, say the absence of women or turban-wearing members of the religion has denied local residents a proper choice.
Jagtar Singh, vice-chair of the Sikh Federation says the process has imposed Ealing Southall residents with a Piara Khabra clone - and had thwarted another chance to get the first visible Sikh' - one who wears a turban - or Sikh woman into the House of Commons.
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"Our vision is for many Sikhs, born and brought up in the country, to start to taking an active part in politics," he told the Ealing Times.
"We expect the Labour party to not only to look to Sikh candidates but also to ensure in safe Labour seats that we will see a Sikh in the Houses of Parliament.
"We were hoping the Labour Party would have put forward a shortlist including women and visible Sikhs so that Labour members could decide - that would have been the best thing in terms of democracy.
"We feel the Labour members haven't had much of a say - the Labour party aren't giving the opportunity or much of a choice.
"The mould is the same; we have a fairly old Asian MP. I'm not saying he is exactly the same as Piara Khabra,but he is a councillor from the same sort of area or background.
"People are not happy there was a shortlist of two."
The federation has now also warned some of the candidates they feel should have been in the final shortlist may now stand as independents.
They say it has not been overlooked that young professional Sikhs have been overlooked by an "aging non-Sikh" from the long list of possible candidates.
It wasn't long after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that Sikhs living in the United States realized something was terribly amiss. They had a big bull's-eye across their chests, or at least it felt that way.
Sikh men were wearing turbans -- so of course, they must be anti-American terrorists. That case of mistaken identity has been well documented and, for the most part, remedied.
But one young man in the Sacramento area didn't think it went far enough. Harkirat Hansra, a 17-year-old Mira Loma High School rising senior, wrote a book to explain who he is, what he believes and clear up the whole thing about the turbans once and for all.
His book is about Sikhs but not for them. His audience is everyone else.
Although Hansra never felt in danger, he recalls a time soon after 9/11 when someone shouted, "Terrorists, go back to Afghanistan."
For one thing, Hansra was born in San Jose and his parents came to the United States from India.
His book is called "Liberty at Stake" and is subtitled "Sikhs: The Most Visible Yet Misunderstood Minority in America."
It went to press through the self-publishing venture iUniverse and costs $12.95.
Male Sikhs are visible because of their turbans.
As Hansra notes at the beginning of his book, he is one of two students at his high school who wear one.
As most people know by now, Sikh men don't cut their hair for religious reasons. Hansra's hair is now down to his lower back, and he doesn't shave his face.
Hansra opens his book with scores of bullet points about the Sikh religion, hoping that even if people flip through the book and don't buy it, they will learn a thing or two.
One heading states that "Sikhs DO NOT believe in: terrorism or hurting people, hate or racial profiling, war based on religion and converting other people to Sikhism."
He also points out that the turban must be worn in public at all times.
Hansra is in many ways a typical American young man. He is a serious student who dreams of a career in the sciences.
He loves sports and has played soccer for 10 years. He has also dabbled in basketball, baseball and tennis. And he wears a gold rubber wristband, indicating he is a big fan of the San Francisco 49ers.
Because he didn't have a publishing contract and, thus, no deadline, Hansra said he had to discipline himself to write the book in a timely manner. He said his primary motivation was serving the Sikh community. In greater Sacramento, there are an estimated 10,000 Sikhs.
"I wanted to take away the fear of the unknown," he said.
Earlier, he created a Web site -- www.infoaboutsikhs.com -- as a school project to do the same thing.
Time again for "Self-Appointed Censor," today involving a Lodi veteran and others who insist a Sikh temple fly the U.S. flag higher.
The veteran is Dennis Regan, 63, an Air Force veteran. Regan lives near the temple. The Sikhs fly the Sikh emblem higher than the U.S. flag, though not on the same flagpole.
"As a veteran, that offends me," Regan said.
Regan generously instructed the Sikhs on choices that would not offend him: "Maybe they should be Americans first and use their religion second."
In addition to telling the Sikhs what priority their religion should occupy, Regan offered other life coaching. Flying a Sikh flag high alienates people, he explained.
The Lodi community will better accept Sikhs if they don't keep to themselves, he added. He was one of several letter writers who upbraided Sikhs in a Lodi paper.
With due respect to Regan, a country based on freedom of religious expression allows any religious group the right to fly its flag as high as it deems proper.
The protection exists precisely because others, usually others in the majority, want to impose their values. But the Sikh temple isn't about their values. It is about Sikh values.
Besides, flying the Sikh emblem higher than the U.S. flag does not automatically mean - well, anything. Appearances can deceive.
If I were an al-Qaida operative, I would fly a bodacious U.S. flag high outside my home, just to throw off those who place such importance in symbols.
Besides, it's a temple. A temple doesn't need to fly any national flag at all.
If the fear is that the flag's placement expresses more devotion to religion than to country, then the Sikhs are dwarfed in this respect by certain evangelical Christians.
Yet I doubt Lodians are firing off letters to the editor about those fundamentalist Republicans who seem to see the U.S. Constitution as a barrier impeding the spread of their brand of Christianity to every level of government.
Or if the fear is that the flag's placement signals allegiance to the Sikhs' home country over America, the whole Fifth Column thing during wartime, then I suspect the problem may not be flags at all.
It is an increasingly diverse Lodi where some in the majority prefer ethnic homogeneity and the good old days of cultural dominance.
Or maybe it is just a time of fear. A time when others are suspect. When a narrow, judgmental patriotism holds the country in its thrall.
Then again, maybe not. Maybe a civilian can't grasp how hard it is to suspect a flag is being disrespected when your buddies have died for it.
But then, there may be sacrifice behind the things Sikhs stand for, too, as well as the flag they fly.
Then there's the human side.
Lodi's Sikhs must be keenly aware of the federal government's recent terror investigations, deportations and prosecutions of Lodi's Pakistani Muslims.
The Sikhs probably fear jingoistic Americans confuse them with Muslims and doubt their patriotism. They must have nightmares that hostile government agents unloosed by the Patriot Act may appear and destroy their lives.
So the Sikhs may ratchet up the U.S. flag as high as the pole will allow. Then what will be achieved? Hollow flag-waving. As if there isn't enough of that already.
Lodi's Patriot Posse should realize being "offended" does not mean anything to the law. It merely means the Sikhs expressed values with which they strongly disagree.
And possibly not even that. They're flying the flag, after all. They deserve static? Half the Christian churches don't fly a flag. Churches serve a different authority.
I don't know ... calling for submission to majority ideas seems a poor way of selling the Land of the Free.
It would be better to actually visit the temple. To talk to members, not at them. To exchange ideas over coffee or kacchi lassi.
People on the receiving end of that sort of Americanism will wave the flag on their own. Full article
SYDNEY police have circulated CCTV images of a Sikh having a turban ripped from his head while travelling on a public bus after he complained officers did not take the incident seriously.
Inderjeet Singh Dhaliwal said he was distraught when two young men stole his turban - of great religious significance for Sikhs - at Seven Hills as he travelled to work.
The men, who had possibly been drinking, ran off the bus, leaving an embarrassed Mr Dhaliwal to cover his head with a piece of cloth while another passenger laughed.
Mr Dhaliwal reported the attack immediately, but said police did not comprehend the religious significance of the turban or how traumatised he was.
"They said: 'It is not an assault - it is a minor theft,''' he said. "They asked how much the turban was worth.
"I was so disheartened when they talked to me.''
He said police had only taken the March 31 incident seriously after community groups raised the matter with his local MP, Nathan Rees, who in turn wrote to the minister.
Police had subsequently asked him to make a formal statement. "They said they had upgraded it from a theft to an assault or a race hate crime,'' Mr Dhaliwal said.
Police told him CCTV footage was being circulated in a bid to identify the young men.
However, the quality of the footage from the bus-mounted cameras - introduced to stop such attacks - is poor and has so far yielded little.
Mr Dhaliwal said he had also received a letter from Ministry for Police director general Les Tree, assuring him the matter was receiving attention.
Mr Dhaliwal, a father of two from Westmead, called on NSW Police to be better trained in "cultural and religious awareness'' as the officers appeared ignorant about the significance of the turban.
The chief constable of West Midlands Police yesterday spoke of the force's role policing a Sikh demonstration outside its headquarters which he described as a "very difficult episode".
As part of a report made to the West Midlands Police Authority yesterday, Sir Paul Scott-Lee said a police presence was necessary at the demonstration which was sparked by claims that a Sikh woman had been forced to convert to Islam.
The teenage student, thought to attend Sutton Coldfield College, was placed under police protection after an armed gang smashed their way into a house in Erdington in May and threatened the occupants, apparently in search of her.
Concerns had been raised by members of the community that she had been held against her will.
At the time, the police confirmed the teenager had been placed in protection and was safe and well. It has since been claimed that she converted by choice.
The chief constable said Operation Resemble, the name given to the policing of the planned march from Soho Road to Lloyd House earlier this month, was set up to ensure it passed peacefully.
Defence chiefs have abandoned plans to raise a regiment of British Sikhs amid fears that the move would be branded racist.
The proposal to create the regiment, reminiscent of those that fought for Britain in the two world wars, was dropped by the Ministry of Defence after discussions with the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).
Sikh leaders had informed Army recruitment officers that they could easily find enough volunteers to form a 700-strong regiment. However, despite the infantry being under strength by 3,000 soldiers, the offer was rejected.
Lieutenant General Sir Freddie Viggers, the Adjutant General with responsibility for recruitment, is understood to have accepted the argument put forward by race commissioners at the CRE that creating a Sikh regiment would be divisive and amounted to "segregation"....
Kuljit Singh Gulati, the general secretary of the Sikh Temple in Shepherd's Bush, west London, said: "The Sikhs have a long and distinguished heritage of serving with the British Army.
"I know there are many, many Sikhs who would join up and would serve wherever required. But if you want to get them in large numbers they need their own regiment, something they would take a huge amount of pride in.
"They would regard it as very prestigious. It is a shame that it now looks as though it will never happen."
Leaders of Britain's 500,000 Sikhs were supportive of the idea of a new regiment....
Mourners lined up a street in Kent to pay their last respects to a Sikh cab driver and a prominent member of the community who was allegedly murdered.
Gian Chand Bajar, 71, died in hospital Thursday after being found severely injured in Gravesend while on duty last month. A man who intended to kill him apparently ran the cab over him.
Investigators have arrested and charged a 20-year-old man with the murder.
A fleet of 100 cabs followed the horse and carriage carrying his body from Gravesend to the crematorium. Black ribbons were tied around the wing mirrors of the cabs as a mark of respect.
Many members of the Sikh community gathered at the Guru Nanak Education and Sports Complex ground, a site where a new gurudwara is coming up. Bajar had worked tirelessly to build the 12 million pound gurudwara, which is nearing completion, Kent News reported.
"We cannot imagine how we will cope without him," said Verinder Bhoombla, Bajar's son-in-law. "He was a person who led by example, who was there not just for the family, but for the whole community."
WITNESSES are being asked to come forward after a violent assault during which a Sikh's turban was knocked off his head.
A group of Asian men from the Sikh community were in Fort Gardens, Gravesend, when they were approached by a group of teenagers.
The teenagers were drinking beer and began playing football close to the men.
The football was then directly kicked towards the group, knocking the turban off one of the men.
The youths then started throwing stones, and when they were asked to stop, one member smashed a beer bottle and approached the men.
He punched one of them in the face, causing bruising and swelling to the victim's left eye.
The teenagers then shouted racist comments as they walked off towards the canal basin.
Police want to speak to anyone who witnessed the attack which took place on May 25 at around 5pm, or anyone who knows who the youths are.
The group is thought to be local and may have visited the gardens before.
They are all white and believed to be aged between 14-17-years-old.
Three girls and three boys made up the group and one of the girls was wearing a green top.
The boy who carried out the assault is described as around 5ft 6 tall and was wearing a white t-shirt.
Detective Constable Richard Debnam of Kent Police, who is investigating the case, said: "This mindless act of violence on law-abiding members of the local community will not be tolerated.
"Everybody should be able to enjoy the gardens and parks of Gravesend in peace without being subjected to this kind of harassment.
"I would encourage anyone who may have any information to contact us so that we can put a stop to this anti-social and destructive behaviour."
If you have information which may help police with their inquiries, or witnessed the incident, please call DC Debnam at Gravesend police station on 01474 565 282 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.
PRIMARY school pupils have welcomed a visitor from the Sikh community.
Roop Singh spent the day with students from Leyburn Primary School. Children from the town's other primary school, St Peter and St Paul's, also joined in the activities.
Mr Singh, from Leeds, started the day with a talk in assembly about perseverance.
He then talked to year three children about the significance of the symbols in the Sikh religion.
After lunch with boys from year five, he took part in arts and craft activities with children in year three again.
Leyburn primary deputy headteacher Lucy Hall said: "The children had a wonderful day and learnt a lot about a different religion and culture in a fun way.
"Some of the pupils thought it was the best day they had ever had at school.
The Ealing Southall MP was the oldest in the Commons.
First elected in 1992, Khabra was one of a small number of black and Asian MPs.
A Punjabi Sikh, he served in the Indian Armed Corps during the Second World War before coming to Britain in 1959 and becoming a primary school teacher and chairman of the Indian Workers Association in Southall.
Khabra was also an ex-communist and member of the SDP for two years in the 1980s.
While a quiet and only occasional contributor in the Commons chamber, he served on the members' interests, international development and constitutional affairs select committees.
Labour Party chairman Hazel Blears said: "Piara was a stalwart of the Labour movement and a strong representative for his constituency.
"He will be sorely missed in his community, in Parliament and in the Labour Party."
And in the Commons Tony Blair said he was a "tireless campaigner, particularly on the issues of international development and racial equality."
The death will also spark the first by-election of the Gordon Brown era, an early challenge for the new Labour leader in a seat where the Liberal Democrats are likely to mount a robust challenge.
June 20 (Bloomberg) -- Monty Panesar, dubbed the ``Sikh of Tweak'' by U.K. newspapers, became England's highest-ranked spin bowler in 30 years after taking a series-leading 23 wickets against the West Indies.
Panesar, a 25-year-old Northamptonshire left-armer, surged to sixth in the world rankings today from 12th and earned praise from Derek Underwood, the last England spin bowler to feature as high in the sport's elite.
``Already he is a world-class spinner,'' Underwood, who took the last of his 297 Test wickets in 1982, told the Daily Mirror. ``I would love to think that he will go and pass me in the wicket-taking list. He certainly has the ability.''
Panesar's emergence as a spinner capable of dismissing leading batmen on all surfaces has given England's attack a dimension it has lacked for several years. Australia's leg- spinner Shane Warne, who retired from international cricket in January, and Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan are Test cricket's all-time highest-wicket takers.
Since bursting into the team last year, Panesar has taken 65 wickets in 17 Tests, six fewer than Underwood at the same stage of his career. Panesar has six five-wicket hauls to his name, one more than his predecessor Ashley Giles managed in 54 elite matches.
Throughout England's 3-0 series victory, the Windies batsmen struggled to cope with Panesar's range of flighted, turning deliveries. He snared six first-innings wickets at Lord's, his first 10-wicket match haul in Manchester and finished off the tourists with a four-wicket burst in Durham yesterday afternoon.
`Unbelievable Series'
While a dry pitch full of cracks in Manchester was conducive to spin, Panesar's displays amid damp, overcast weather at Lord's and Durham showed he was capable of deceiving batsmen whatever the conditions.
``It's been an unbelievable series,'' Panesar told the post-match presentation. ``I feel very lucky with the way things have gone.''
With the final Test drifting toward a draw yesterday afternoon, as England's seamers failed to break a partnership between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo, captain Michael Vaughan turned to Panesar.
Bravo went on the attack, lofting Panesar to the boundary before trying to repeat the shot and skying a catch to Ryan Sidebottom in the deep. Panesar then dismissed Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin in quick succession before ending the innings by bowling Chanderpaul, who had batted for almost 18 hours in the series without losing his wicket.
`Perfect' Delivery
Panesar's delivery to remove Ramdin drifted toward the right-hander's pads, dipped and spun sharply off the turf to beat the bat and clip the top of his off stump. Vaughan called it the ``perfect ball.''
``That delivery will be shown to left-arm spinners for a long time,'' said Vaughan. ``He's going to put a lot of good players under pressure.''
Panesar, the first Sikh to play for England, made an instant impact in Tests, claiming record century-maker Sachin Tendulkar as his first victim in March last year. Dropped in favor of Giles for the first two Tests of the Ashes series in Australia, he took five wickets on the opening day of the third match in Perth.
Panesar, who wears a patka head-covering and has a thick beard, is celebrated by fans for greeting his wickets with a leap and a wide-eyed charge at teammates. His tendency to drop catches and make fielding blunders has added to his popularity, prompting U.K. media to coin the phrase ``Monty-mania.''
Panesar's next challenge will be a three-Test series starting July 19 against India, whose batsmen have honed their skills on the spin-friendly pitches of the Asian subcontinent.
``He will know there are going to be tougher days to come and he will have to cope with them just as well as he has done with everything else so far,'' said Underwood. ``He will be in the England team for many years to come.''
CONTRA COSTA TIMES Article Launched: 06/18/2007 03:03:13 AM PDT
Floats festooned with flowers rolled through the streets of El Sobrante on Sunday as 8,000 Sikhs from the Bay Area and beyond celebrated an annual holiday that extols interfaith harmony. The "spiritual peace march" began at the Sikh Center of the San Francisco Bay Area, where tour buses brought worshippers from Stockton, Sacramento, and Yuba City. Nagar Kirtan has its roots in a traditional event commemorating the martyrdom of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Sahib Ji, who was tortured to death by India's Mogul rulers 401 years ago. The holy book Ji contains hymns sacred to religions and castes throughout India. The holiday's name literally means the singing of spiritual songs.
The more than 500-year-old Sikh faith began in the Punjab region of India. Today, adherents number nearly 23 million worldwide. Estimates in the United States range from 190,000 to 440,000.
Sikhs hold that all religions serve God and share a vision of love and peace. This is the second year the Sikh Center has made a community party of the holiday. The public ceremony serves to educate Americans, who have been known to confuse Sikhs with members of the Taliban. "America has gone from a Christian country to the most diverse nation in the world," said J.P. Singh, president of the temple, or gurdwara. "The education hasn't kept up."
Last year, Christian fundamentalists showed up to leaflet their disapproval of both the march and the faith. This year, a center delegation invited the faithful of other denominations to join it at Sunday's event in a show of harmony and mutual respect, Singh said.
"We got a very warm welcome from the Mormons," Singh said. "They sent us a very warm e-mail." Methodists also extended their hands, he said. Early Sunday, Sikh women in colorful shawls and men dressed in white sprayed the streets, then swept them clean to make way for the parade and its performers. Long ribbons of flowers swung from the main float, which carried the holy book.
A group of boys and girls from the Fremont gurdwara performed a precision Gatka martial arts routine that involved lots of leaping, spinning and split-second landings on deeply bent knees while tossing a lasso-style rope wheel from one to the other. Members of the Fremont temple drove a gilt replica of the Golden Temple in Punjab. Some parade watchers clasped their hands or bowed slightly as the procession passed by.
Earlier in the day, Graciela Lechon of El Sobrante drove to the hilltop center to inquire about the festivities. "The people were just so lovely and welcoming," she said. "I thought, what a wonderful opportunity to bring our communities together."
But as the procession moved downhill, a man inside a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall turned away. The congregation had refused to accept printed invitations to the event, Singh said. Regardless of the reception, believers say the story of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Sahib Ji bears some likeness to other faiths. "Arjun Dev Ji sacrificed for the nation," said Baljeet Sidhu, who came to this country two years ago. "He was placed on burning fire. Hot sand was put on his head. He was so peaceful he never cried." Ishvinder Pajmaj and Jitinder Kaur of Hayward carried orange banners bearing the circular Sikh symbol. "It means 'God is one,'" Pajmaj said. Posters on the floats spelled out Sikh virtues or quoted the Fifth Guru. "No one is my enemy, nor is anyone a stranger to me," read one.
Another listed prized social values: democracy, fortitude, freedom, liberty, status of women and egalitarianism.
Ten-year-old Harkiran Chahal's family drove from Rockland for the festivities.
"It's fun to look all around at all the different cities," she said, waiting in line with her two brothers for an Indian lunch, which the center provided for free.
The event ended with a two-hour ceremony in the gurdwara.
"This is only the second year," Singh said, panning the cheerful crowd. "It will grow."
A group of Sikhs from around Europe is issuing a legal challenge to the French law that bans the wearing of turbans on ID document photos. A case was lodged before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg on 11 June.
The director of United Sikhs, Mejindarpal Kaur, said that “if left unchecked, the French law, which undermines the freedom for thought conscience and religion, will have a domino effect on this freedom globally.”
The case before the ECHR will be the first such since France passed a law in March 2004 banning the wearing of religious symbols, including the Sikh turban, in public schools. A British Member of the European Parliament, Neena Gill, urged France and other EU member states to reflect upon the British model. “In Britain those wearing articles of faith including Turbans are treated equally. Many Turban-wearing Sikhs are police officers, army officers and judges. Therefore I would ask French authorities to reconsider their position and treat Sikhs as equal members of their society,” said Gill, who lives in the UK.
Shingara Mann Singh, 52, a French national for over 20 years, told journalists that his replacement driver’s licence was refused by the French authorities in 2005 and again in 2006. France’s highest administrative court, the Conseil D’Etat, has ruled that public security justifies a law which requires Sikhs to remove their turbans to be photographed for driver’s licences. “I will give up my head but not my turban, which covers my unshorn hair,” he underlined.
Shingara Singh’s lawyer, Stephen Grosz, told the press conference that “forcing a Sikh to remove his turban is an affront to his personal dignity and an insult to his religious beliefs. France is almost alone in imposing this unnecessary requirement,” he added.
Another lawyer, Francois Jacquot, from France, said that almost every country in the world where there is a Sikh community allows a Sikh to wear his turban on ID photographs. An estimated 10,000 Sikhs live in France. Gill said Sikhs were facing similar problems in Belgium and Germany also.
At work last week I took the opportunity to ask a Sikh colleague about her approach to her faith. she was a little pressed for time, and simply replied: "it's very strict." I immediately thought that if a Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim all gave that reply to the same question we would probably make 3 different assumptions: perhaps it is hard to keep a kosher kitchen in a gentile environment, or the Christian teachings on personal morality are tough to follow, or maybe Islam's five pillars place a great deal of stress on the individual.
It's not just a question of faith, though. If an indigenous Briton complains about their faith's strictness, we tend to put it down to their own personal circumstances (eg work situation, or teenage hormones); but for the rest we assume it's a conflict between an inflexible and outdated set of beliefs and the liberal, modern, western world. Given that the Christian Church is constantly at loggerheads with secular figures in the west, the diversity of muslim faith, and the fact that the Sikh religion is far younger than most people seem to think; is this not just another example of one rule for "us", and another for "them"
Soon after the 7/7 bombings in London , it came to the attention of ethnic confusion Britain that the media can really add to the problem that already exists with reference to social cohesion and differentiation of race, creed and religious groups.
Definitions of confusion
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably; "the army retreated in confusion"
a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior; "a confusion of impressions"
a feeling of embarrassment that leaves you confused
an act causing a disorderly combination of elements with identities lost and distinctions blended; "the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel"
a mistake that results from taking one thing to be another; "he changed his name in order to avoid confusion with the notorious outlaw
It came to my attention that an article had been published which would arguably lead to more bias/attacks on Sikhs in Britain/Europe. An image of a Sikh girl with a turban getting on to a London underground Tube was used in article 'After the bombs'. This was in the context of a series of articles about Islamic extremist and the 7/7 bombings. The question we need to ask ourselves was this is a genuine mistake or is their something more sinister that lurks beneath the veneer of everyday media? Do the media help or hinder social cohesion and differentiate between 'Asians' and what are deemed as others? are we helping the indigenous British embrace others alien to them with this coverage?perhaps they are only considering sensationalism and have not even thought to ponder the ramifications of their writing.
Tony Blair yesterday described the media 'like Feral beast.'
I attach the link to an article that i make reference to above and the image which caused shock and awe, in addition to the response from the editor further to complaints. I think you will agree this kind of press leads to further ethnic confusion Britain.
NEW YORK: Angry over non-payment of wages and exploitation at workplace, a group of Indian-American Sikh construction workers have filed a lawsuit against their employers in a city court.
In the complaint filed on Tuesday, the workers, all members of New York Construction Workers United (NYCWU), a worker's body, alleged that even after putting in long hours of work in dangerous conditions they were not fully paid and often discriminated against.
"I was paid only $1,000 by my employer. Sometimes we have to work with our bare hands because the contractor won't give us equipment. And there is so much discrimination in who gets hired so we don't always get steady work," Kalvinder Samra, one of the complainant said.
Samra added that physical threats and harassment on the job are common. He hoped that other workers would see his coming forward as a sign that they must also protest injustice. "We have to fight together for justice and real change in our industry," he said.
Similarly, Jaswinder Singh, Gurdev Singh, and Darshan Singh, all Sikh immigrants from India, worked on contract basis at a hospital in Queens. Their employer paid them for less than half the days they worked, IndoLink, an ethnic magazine reported.
Another Sikh, Balvinder Singh said he performed steam cleaning, pointing, and roofing work at a large residential building in the Bronx area over the course of two months in 2005 and 2006. Although he was promised over $15,000 for his work, he was paid only $3,000.
The New York State minimum wage is currently $7.15 per hour
Sikhs have gone to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to challenge a French law banning the wearing of turbans for ID documents.
The United Sikhs organisation filed a complaint on behalf of French national Shingara Mann Singh, 52, who was refused a replacement driver's licence.
By law applicants have to remove all headgear for security reasons.
A French law adopted in 2004 also bans the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in state schools.
Several Sikh boys have been expelled from schools in France for defying the ban, which also applies to Muslim headscarves.
Stolen
Mr Singh was twice refused a replacement driver's licence - in 2005 and 2006 - because he insisted on wearing his turban for the photograph.
He has been a French national for more than 20 years.
"I will give up my head but not my turban, which covers my unshorn hair," he said, quoted by United Sikhs.
His licence was stolen two years ago, he said, and "before the robbery, at no time was I asked to substitute the photograph with one showing me without a turban".
SIKHS took to the streets of Birmingham demanding police protection from "Muslim extremism".
About 100 protesters chanted and held up traffic as they marched from Soho Road, in Handsworth, to West Midlands Police headquarters at Lloyd House over allegations that young Sikh girls were being forced to convert to Islam.
The group's leaders held talks with senior police officers over the issue while the protesters waited peacefully outside.
The issue came to light after claims a teenage Sikh student was allegedly forced to denounce her faith and become a Muslim.
She was placed under police protection after an armed gang smashed their way into a house in Erdington last month and threatened the occupants, apparently in search of her.
The girl, thought to be a student at Sutton Coldfield College, was reported missing from her family home in West Bromwich a few days earlier.
Concerns were expressed that she was being held against her will and was being forced to convert to Islam.
Police said at the time that she had been placed in protection, and was safe and well.
Extremist Muslims who force vulnerable teenage girls to convert to Islam are being targeted by police, Met chief Sir Ian Blair has revealed.
Police are working with universities to clamp down on "aggressive conversions" during which girls are beaten up and forced to abandon university courses.
The Hindu Forum of Britain claims hundreds of mostly Sikh and Hindu girls have been intimidated by Muslim men who take them out on dates before terrorising them until they convert.
Sir Ian spoke about the problem at a conference organised by the forum.
A Met spokesman said: "Neighbourhood officers work with university authorities in London and we would encourage anyone targeted in this way to seek help and support and where necessary use third party reporting facilities if they do not want to contact police directly."
Ramesh Kallidai, of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: "Some girls are petrified because they are constantly being phoned up, having their door knocked.
"One girl was beaten up on the street and others have been forced to leave university."
• Met police chiefs are to review a controversial stop-and-search power used in the fight against terrorism. Assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, the overall head of Britain's anti-terrorist operations, said he had concerns about the number of stops carried out in London using Section 44 legislation
It's with great pleasure that we announce the joining of Nick Geering to the team at ethnic confusion britain.
He's a white British Male keen on restoring respect of differences and acknowledgement of achievements as cornerstones of civilised society.
Educated at Oxford and Bristol, specialising in modern foreign languages, lived for 2 years in the Russian Federation, and the Netherlands, and with strong links to the sphere of international relations, his main focus is education.
We look forward in reading Nick's insightful and reflective posts on ECB.
Preliminary results of a study released today by the Sikh Coalition show that over 58 percent of Sikh students in New York City public schools have been the victims of name-calling, threats or physical abuse due to their religion. The report also found that more than three quarters (77.5 percent) of male Sikh students who live in Queens have been subjected to teasing or harassment, while 18.9 percent of Sikhs have been told they look like terrorists by other students. Many who have been harassed also said that their school administrators failed to provide any assistance following complaints. The report, entitled “Hatred in the Hallways,” was not scheduled for publication until September. However, coalition workers decided to release their preliminary numbers early in light of a much-publicized bias incident involving the attack of a Sikh student in his school bathroom.
Less than two weeks ago, a 17 year-old Pakistani student allegedly forced Vacher Harpal, his 15-year-old Sikh classmate, into a bathroom at his Queens school, removed his turban and chopped his waist-length hair to his neck. According to Sikh law, men are required to keep their hair unshorn, making the forced haircut especially offensive. The perpetrator was arraigned on hate crime charges and now faces prison time. Amardeep Singh, the executive director of the coalition, said that Harpal had complained about harassment by other students on five separate occasions before the incident, but administrators had done little to intervene. “That is not acceptable. That is not what New York is about,” Singh said. Of course he’s right. We all know New York is about soulless consumerism, gross income inequalities that rival undeveloped African nations and the exploits of socialites—definitlely not racist, scissor-wielding school children.
In response to the incident, City Councilman John Liu and other lawmakers have called for immediate action to protect Sikh students and have accused Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and the Department of Education of turning a blind eye to the incident. In response, the DOE released a statement yesterday expressing its stance against discrimination, harassment and bullying
On 3 April 2007, Amarjit Singh Uppal, a 49-year-old Sikh man, was blinded outside his home in Leeds when a man threw chemicals in his face.
Mr Uppal had spent the evening at the Sikh Temple in Chapeltown Road - where he's an assistant secretary. He arrived home at about 8.30pm. He pulled into his driveway and saw a man on the pavement. The attacker was holding a foil food tray, stirring the contents with a stick. Mr Uppal parked his car, got out, and the man approached. The attacker shouted: "Take that!" then threw the contents of the tray into Mr Uppal's face.
The tray contained some kind of household chemical similar to sodium sulphate (commonly found in household products such as detergent and washing powder). As a result, Mr Uppal has lost the sight in both eyes and may never see again.
TWEED COURTHOUSE. More than three-quarters of male Sikh students in Queens said they are teased or harassed in city schools due to their identity, according to a report released yesterday.
The report revealed that 62 of 80 Sikh boys polled over the last six months said they were subjected to name-calling, threats or physical abuse. Citywide, 58.4 percent of 197 male and female Sikh students surveyed said they’ve been harassed, including 18.9 percent who said other students have said they look like a terrorist.
“That is not acceptable,” said Amardeep Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, which conducted the study. “That is not what New York is about.”
The report was released less than two weeks after a 17-year-old Pakistani student at Newtown High School was arraigned on felony hate crimes for allegedly removing the turban of a 15-year-old Sikh student and chopping his hair off on May 24. Umair Ahmed, of Elmhurst, remains free on bail but faces up to seven years in prison.
Ahmed allegedly forced Vacher Harpal into a school bathroom following a verbal dispute and told the boy, “I have to cut your hair,” according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. When Harpal asked why, Ahmed showed him a ring with Arabic inscriptions and said, “This ring is Allah. If you don’t let me cut your hair, I will punch you with this ring.”
Harpal’s hair, which had never been cut and fell past his waist, was then cut to the neckline by Ahmed, who allegedly threw the locks into a toilet and on the floor.
City Councilman John Liu, D-Queens, said he and other lawmakers sent a letter to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein asking him to “pay attention” to such incidents. Liu accused Klein and the DOE of turning a “blind eye” to the issue and said “they have passively encouraged and allowed this kind of harassment to continue unabatedly. This is no trivial matter. This is comparable to having an arm or a leg cut off.”
DOE spokeswoman Dina Paul Parks said no record of Harpal’s alleged complaints has been found.
“The Department of Education does not tolerate discrimination, harassment or bullying,” according to a statement released yesterday. “Any student who engages in this kind of behavior will face disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.”
Liu was unmoved.
“I will not let the Dept. of Education off the hook on this,” he said. “Heads have to roll.
£4m Gurdwara temple in Queens Park finally opens its doors
UP to 2,000 people from all over the county joined in the celebrations to mark the opening of the Guru Nank Gurdwara in Queens Park, Bedford.
The celebration included speeches by 24 people instrumental to the temple's development, as well as a prayer service, fireworks and dispaly of the Sikh marial art, Gatka.
Amrik Singh Jamu, general secretary of the project, said: "It was a wonderful and histoic day which will be remembered for centuries to come.
"The whole of Bedfordshire should be proud of this, not just the Sikh community."
The temple, which was five years in the planning and took three years to build, cost £4m. The impressive building caters for 600 worshippers and features granite and marble imported from western India.
The Sikh community of Bedford welcomed hundreds of visitors to the opening
An Elmhurst teenager stands accused of a hate crime this week after a round of ?your mama? jokes escalated into violence between a Muslim student and a Sikh student at Newtown High School last Thursday. The victim, authorities said, is 15-year-old Vacher Harpaal, who was forced into a bathroom and out of his turban at scissor point by 17-year-old Umair Ahmed. ?I saw the boy afterwards, he had a black eye and one side of his hair was cut short,? said one student at the Elmhurst high school after the incident.
Some rumors are still afoot that the whole thing was a hoax and that Harpaal, who grows his hair long and wears a turban as required by his religion ? asked Ahmed to do the cutting. Others have said it was just a schoolhouse prank and doesn?t rise to the level of a hate crime. But District Attorney Richard Brown is unequivical in his conclusion that Ahmed was motivated by bias. He offers as evidence the following conversation, taken in statements by police, that occurred between the two boys just after noon on Thursday: Ahmed: ?I have to cut your hair.? Harpaal: ?For what, it is against my religion.? Ahmed: (displaying a ring inscribed in Arabic) ?This ring is Allah. If you don?t let me cut your hair, I will punch you with this ring.? Authorities charge that Ahmed then succeeded in forcing Harpaal to remove his dastar, cutting his hair at the nape of his neck and tossing it around the floor and toilet. Ahmed has been charged with several counts, including unlawful imprisonment and harassment, both as a hate crime, and faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. He was released on $5,000 bail on Friday and will return to court June 8. The Department of Education said in a statement it was ?shocked and dismayed? by the incident, adding it is uncharacteristic of the very diverse community of Newtown High School. The school does have some trouble with crime, however, and was put on the city?s list of impact schools amid soaring crime rates last April. It now has additional school safety officers and stronger police presence. Several students agreed that while violence ? particularly gang-related crimes ? are a problem, attacks of this kind are uncommon. But, some added, little was done to educate the student body in its wake. ?It was nothing that was really discussed in school,? said Junior Yolanda Karrasquillo, ?they want to keep it quiet.? Yolanda and a few of her friends ? three other juniors and a senior ? said they had never taken a class on world religion. When asked whether she knew the difference between a Muslim and a Sikh, one of her friends asked, ?What?s a Sikh?? The attack is particularly troubling to Sikh leaders because of the deep significance of a Sikh man?s uncut hair. Amardeep Singh, legal director of the Sikh Coalition explained, ?Losing one?s hair ? which is an article of faith in the Sikh religion ? is worse than death.? The attack on Harpaal, one Sikh leader believes, was definitely biased. ?The person who did it, he knew how he can hit him under the belt,? said Saranjit Singh, of the World Sikh Peace Foundation. Saranjit Singh worked with Bayside Councilman Tony Avella to put together a news conference last week decrying the crime. He believes that the school, which is praised for being diverse, may quietly struggle with being divided. ?There are cliques. There are groups ... it has become Muslims versus Sikhs,? he said. The Department of Education has no plans to enhance cultural education at the school, citing the existing peer mediation and leadership training programs that teach conflict resolution and interethnic understanding. But Saranjit Singh and Amardeep Singh both indicated they hoped to talk further with school leaders about the possibilities of educational programming. ?A very simple thing I always believe is, ignorance creates fear and fear creates hatred. ... We are only trying to do one simple thing, to bring education,? Saranjit Singh said. Amardeep Singh added that his group is still hoping to speak to the victim?s family before rushing to judgment about the allegations. Still, they were already concerned it may not have been isolated and may even be part of a trend. While the official results of the coaltion?s survey of 200 Sikhs under the age of 18 have not yet been released, Amardeep Singh said a recent random sampling was ?really disturbing,? showing that 50 percent of respondents reported they had experienced incidents of harassment.
AMRITSAR, India (AFP) - Sikh priests have rejected an apology from a religious sect for adverts showing its leader dressed as a revered guru which triggered violence in Punjab, a senior cleric said.
The Akal Takht, the top Sikh governing body in the north Indian pilgrimage city of Amritsar, dismissed the apology from the Dera Sacha Sauda as "a shrewd tactic."
It was aimed at diverting attention from the fact that Dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh "himself is not forthcoming with the apology but is instead trying to hide behind nameless followers," said Takht head Joginder Singh Vedanti.
An apology had to be "sincere and from the core of the heart," he said, urging Sikhs to continue a boycott of the Dera which claims to have millions of Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh followers.
The Takht would also seek legal advice to ensure the closure of centres run by the Dera in Punjab, Vedanti said.
Sikhs would also march about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Fatehgarh Sahib to Punjab's capital Chandigarh on Thursday to mobilise support against the sect, he added.
Punjab witnessed violent clashes earlier this month after the Dera chief appeared in newspaper adverts as Guru Gobind Singh -- one of Sikhism's 10 revered saints.
This upset the Akal Takht and triggered violent protests earlier this month that left one dead and scores injured.
A religion-fuelled separatist revolt claimed thousands of lives in the 1980s in Punjab, India's only Sikh-majority state with a population of about 25 million.
The revolt was fanned after prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered troops into the Golden Temple at Amritsar to evict a Sikh militant sect in 1984. Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards shot her dead later the same year.
Sikhs make up nearly two percent of India's 1.1 billion population.
A teenager was charged with felony hate crimes yesterday, a day after he forced a 15-year-old Sikh schoolmate into a boys’ bathroom in Queens, tore off his turban and sheared his hair, the authorities said.
According to the Queens district attorney, Richard A. Brown, the teenager, Umair Ahmed, 17, walked up to the Sikh, Vacher Harpal, in a hallway at Newtown High School in Elmhurst shortly after noon on Thursday and said, “I have to cut your hair.” Mr. Ahmed was holding a pair of scissors, Mr. Brown said.
Vacher replied: “For what? It is against my religion,” according to Mr. Brown. Mr. Ahmed, who is of Pakistani descent, then displayed a ring inscribed with Arabic words, and said: “This ring is Allah. If you don’t let me cut your hair, I will punch you with this ring,” Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Ahmed then forced Vacher into a boys’ bathroom, and Vacher began crying as he removed his turban, begging Mr. Ahmed not to cut his waist-length hair, which, in accordance with the Sikh religion, had never been cut, Mr. Brown said.
But Mr. Ahmed cut Vacher’s hair to the neckline, then threw the hair into a toilet and onto the floor, Mr. Brown said. One student, who was not charged, stood at the bathroom door and acted as a lookout, the police said. Another student, a friend of Vacher’s, saw the attack, they said. The police said a teacher’s aide notified a school safety officer after being alerted by a student.
The police and students said that Mr. Ahmed and Vacher had had an argument and that Vacher had made derogatory comments about Mr. Ahmed’s mother. Vacher had apologized, but Mr. Ahmed did not accept it, according to Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. Mr. Ahmed was arrested on charges of unlawful imprisonment and menacing as hate crimes, as well as criminal possession of a weapon and aggravated harassment, the police said.
Preliminary results of a study released today by the 
