Sikh Leaders Advocate for Civil And Human Rights Issues At First Sikh Summit

November 10, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Punjab Newsline Network

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/20722/38/

Sikh leaders from around the country met with federal government officials earlier this week to advocate for important Sikh civil and human rights issues at the first Sikh Summit in Washington D.C.

The delegation of thirteen, led by members of UNITED SIKHS, attended meetings with the House Committee on Homeland Security, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Following up on relevant parts of the 2008 Global Sikh Civil Rights Report, Sikh leaders raised various international and domestic civil and human rights issues, additionally giving recommendations for successful resolution. The delegation addressed a range of international issues from the lack of judicial prosecution for the perpetrators of atrocities committed against the Sikh community in 1984 in India, the Right to Turban campaign in France, and minority rights in Pakistan, to domestic issues of racial and religious profiling, employment discrimination, TSA screening procedures, misidentification on no-fly lists, and the counting of Sikhs by the US Census.