Action Alert
Monday, 27 June 2005
Call your Senators Today to Sign Letter to French President for Right to Turban
VaaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, VaaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh!
UNITED SIKHS is working with Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania (http://santorum.senate.gov/public/) to secure the support of the United States Senate to sign a letter to the French President expressing concern over the French ban on articles of faith in public schools and its impact on the Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.
Senator Santorum's office has circulated the letter to all members of the Senate today. To read Senator Santorum's letter, you can download it here: www.unitedsikhs.org/rtt/doc/france_senate_letter_2005 (doc: 22.5 KB). Khalsa Ji, please contact your State representatives in the U.S. Senate immediately and encourage them to sign this letter to the French Government.
To locate your Senators' contact information, please go to http://www.senate.gov/ and the names of your Senators will appear on the page for your State. Each State has two Senators. Please contact both of them.
Khalsa Ji, when you call your Senator, please follow these steps:
- Kindly introduce yourself and let them know that you live in the Senator's state.
- Kindly Say: "I am calling with regard to a letter that Senator Santorum's Office is circulating for all members of the Senate to sign."
- Let them know that the letter is regarding the French ban on articles of faith in public schools.
- State that the letter is requesting the French Government to Revise and Reconsider the ban on wearing articles of faith in public schools.
- Kindly request your Senator to sign this letter.
- Please state that the letter was e-mailed to your Senator's office from Senator Santorum's office.
If possible, request to speak to a legislative assistant or foreign affairs staff person who can handle this matter. Please repeat steps 1-6 and proceed to the following steps:
- Please state that the French ban has resulted in Sikhs not being able to wear their turbans to schools. As a result of the French ban, Sikh students have been expelled from schools. The expelled students have started legal action against the French government. State that the turban is required by the Sikh faith and cannot be compromised.
- Please state that this ban has affected over 150 Sikh Children. Let them know that they can read a report on how the ban has affected Sikh students at www.unitedsikhs.org/rtt/
- Please also state that the ban has not allowed Muslims to wear their hijabs, Christians to wear crosses and Jews to wear yarmulkes.
- Please say: "It has been almost a year since this legislation was enacted under which a review is due shortly. Now is the time for us to act."
- Kindly end the conversation by repeating your request for your Senator to sign the letter.
To find out more information about what UNITED SIKHS is doing to fight the French ban on articles of faith, please visit: www.unitedsikhs.org/rtt/
Issued by:
Harpreet Singh
harpreet.singh@unitedsikhs.org
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