UNITED SIKHS Blog

Blog by Rebecca Tweneboah UNITED SIKHS NY legal intern

Bullying is no longer going to be considered our nations’ most accepted pasttime, according to President Barack Obama, when he kicked off the Bullying Prevention Conference with a speech at the White House on March 10, 2011.  To view the speech click here. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/03/10/president-obama-first-lady-white-house-conference-bullying-prevention.

The First Lady expressed how this particular issue hits close to home because of their own two children, and the fear every parent has that their child is being bullied at school.  She emphasized that the burden of dealing with bullying is not only for the parents to bear, but the responsibility extends to all of us, especially teachers and other students.  It is our job as adults to lead by example and show our children the appropriate way to treat people.

President Obama focused on how and to what extent bullying affects young people in this country.  Statistics show one-third of middle school and high school students reported being bullied; three million students reported being pushed, shoved kicked or even spit on; and bullying causes increased school absences.  Unfortunately, bullyings’ reach has extended beyond the school gates into the homes of many children, via cyber-bullying, giving bullied kids no relief from the attacks.  The ‘bullied’ are mostly those perceived as being different in the eyes of students, whether they are of a different race, ethnicity, have different religious beliefs, or are of a different sexual orientation than the masses.  Regardless of these differences, the goal for the President and the conference is to create an environment where all kids feel like they belong.  It is going to take the cooperation of everyone in order to realize this type of change.  The PTA has already lended its support through a new campaign aimed at getting information into the hands of parents.  MTV also stepped up with its new tv campaign that speaks out against bullying, in a language that children can understand.  Students, teachers and parents at the local level have taken a stand against bullying, and the President was pleased to acknowledge these accomplishments.  However, he emphasized that there is still a long ways to go and that the conference is about creating an environment where all of our children can thrive.  President Obama recognized that children are going to make mistakes, it is part of growing up, but at the very least we must teach them the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated.

UNITED SIKHS collected data in the community regarding bullying and focusing on how it effects Sikh children and we came across some shocking results.  Our research shows that of the roughly one-third of children who experience bullying in school, over 50 percent of those children are Sikhs.  Based off this information and personal accounts of bullied Sikh children, UNITED SIKHS began a Bullying Prevention Initiative.  This Initiative attempts to inform other children about the Sikh faith and explain the harmful effects bullying has not only on the child being bullied but on the bully him/herself.  UNITED SIKHS hopes Bullying Prevention Initiatives such as this one will dispel fear, othering and hate that is at the root of such biased based bullying. Through our Bullying Prevention Initiative we also hope to create an effective program that eradicates bullying through education, awareness, empowerment, and accountability. UNITED SIKHS will work to create safe spaces for not only Sikh youth, but all youth at school, on the playground, on the computer, so youth no longer fear being bullied or feel the need to be a bully.

Review your risk for developing diabetes and take steps to lower it.

How high is your risk? Take this short simple assessment by the American Diabetes Association available here.

Reduce your risk by following these simple steps:

• Exercise regularly and/or increase physical activity: Be active for 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.
• Eat a healthy diet, reduce fat and calorie intake
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Get regular health screenings
• Manage stress

Diabetes Alert Day was on March 22, 2011, so join us for a healthy cooking demonstration! Remake popular snacks that are low in fat, low in calories and high in fiber.

Date: Friday, March 25, 2011

Time: 4 pm to 8 pm

Venue: Sikh Cultural Society, Inc. 95-30 118 street , Richmond Hill, NY 11419.

Contact the UNITED SIKHS Community Health Worker, Rucha Kavathe, for more information on wellness, nutrition, stress relief, and prevention of diabetes at rucha.kavathe@unitedsikhs.org.

UNITED SIKHS is a community partner on Project RICE, a 5 year community driven research initiative to promote diabetes prevention among Asian Americans in New York City through the work of community health workers.

Project RICE is the core research project of the New York University Health Promotion and Prevention Research Center, and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Say Goodbye to Freedom, blog posted by Rebecca Tweneboah, Legal Intern, UNITED SIKHS, NYC

What do you call it when an entire group of people are singled out based on their religion?  According to the laws of the United States of America, such action is considered Unconstitutional.  However, Representative Peter King claims thatby singling out Muslims and accusing a whole community of being unwilling to work with law enforcement to thwart terrorism does not racially profile this distinct group because that, of course, would be Unconstitutional.

It is difficult to see elected government officials abuse their power on such a regular and consistent basis.  What is even more unsettling is how these Representatives and Senators continue to mislead the public, into believing an entire religious/racial group is single-handedly responsible and in some way involved in terrorism.  This top down method of othering minority groups has dire consequences throughout the nation. Sikhs, because of their external religious identity, are often victims of such governmental religious profiling, societal discrimination, and hate crimes. Government officials need to see their negative actions towards minorities as having direct consequences in the public sphere. Discriminatory speech can lead to violent acts, and the Sikh community has recently seen this happen.

Two elderly Sikh men were walking around their neighborhood several days ago, part of their daily routine, when they were gunned down, in what is being called a hate crime.  Hate begets hate, we all know that, and the hate speech put out there by our country’s leaders does nothing but exacerbate the ignorant ideologies circulating at dinner tables and in work places around the country.

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, a powerful speaker, spoke at the hearings.  She believes the First Amendment of the Constitution gives everyone the right to freedom of religion and what these hearings are suggesting takes those rights away from a minority group.  She asked how many Muslims were at the hearing that day testifying, in order to make the point that Muslims are in fact cooperating, “a Muslim is on the panel, a Muslim is testifying,” so she asked, where are the non-cooperating Muslims?  There was no response.  She was infuriated by the lack of factual basis for these hearings, how it diminishes the sacrifices made by Muslim soldiers on the front lines, and how pointing the finger at our own plays directly into the hands of Al Qaeda.

All in all, the hearings are likely to have the opposite effect of what it claims is the purpose of having these hearings in the first place.  It will cause even more of a disconnect between Muslims and law enforcement.  Demonizing a group in the eyes of society does not create a trusting environment and inevitably undermines our security.

Today morning as I watched kids playfully careen through the State Park, memorized lines from younger days came gushing forth- “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very Heaven! I smiled to myself as I remembered those carefree days until the analytical grown up in me caught up with the thought. Which dawn is being referred to here?

So I went back to William Wordsworth, and guess what? The lines refer to the dawn of the French Revolution. Any reference to France stirs a different kind of emotion now, in the wake of the ban on wearing the Turban in public offices in France. I dug deeper. Though the French Revolution today invokes images of a reign of terror, it started as a truly romantic political act by people seeking an idealistic government of their choosing.

Back to Wordsworth:

“For mighty were the auxiliars which then stood
Upon our side, us who were strong in love!
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very Heaven! O times,
In which the meagre, stale, forbidding ways
Of custom, law, and statute, took at once
The attraction of a country in romance!”

The world seems to remember neither the romance, nor the wars thereafter. The wars that saw many a Sikh auxiliar lay down their lives for lands foreign, for a better and safer world. They had not much protection and passed away with their Turban held high……the sameTurban that France and many other countries have turned away from today.

My thoughts run amok. I feel blessed to work with UNITED SIKHS, with these engaging Saint Soldiers who continue to NOT turn away from their responsibility as a good citizen of the world. My admiration for the iron lady “Mejinder Pal Kaur”, toiling away in the labyrinths of international judicial system for the “Right To Turban”. And the exciting projects for Youth, our hope for a better tomorrow.

Poetry and Wordsworth started this chain of thought, and I end on the same dreamy note. Pictures of turbaned fashionistas sashaying down the ramp in 2010 in France and elsewhere flash through, and I smile again, envisioning Sikh Turbans galore on the Champs-Élysées.

Sikhs have often been minorities in countries where followers have formed close-knit communities. This has meant they have had to fight battles for their rights. This is reflected in the cases that UNITED SIKHS takes on such as the recent release of Bharpoor Singh from Japanese immigration detention and the granting of Canadian asylum of a Sikh woman and her daughter after her husband was brutally killed two years ago by a group suspected to be the Taliban, near Peshawar.

Please read more about this issue in this recent article in TIME magazine about the “tiny and embattled” Sikh community in Pakistan:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2032514,00.html

Celebrate Thanksgiving by giving thanks for what remains of our eroding civil liberties by opting out of TSA’s new body scanners when you travel home for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 24th.

Recently, TSA has been under fire from groups sprinkled over the entire political spectrum left to right.

Individuals concerned with health, safety, cost effectiveness, religious liberty, profiling, privacy, and security are all rising up to protest the implementation of the new Advanced Imaging Technology (known as AIT) and accompanying security measures. You may have noticed the media buzz about the poor decision TSA made when it decided to roll out its new Advanced Imaging Technology accompanied by the ‘optional’ prison style pat down.

TSA’s new AIT security strategy is coming under fire in part due to the graphic images AIT body scanners produce which have civil liberties and privacy rights advocates up in arms.

UNITED SIKHS lawyers have been in constant communications with TSA officials over the years, advocating on behalf of the religious freedom rights of the Sikh community and educating TSA staff about the implications of their security systems on individuals of the Sikh faith.

Alas, it appears that our efforts fell on deaf ears. Despite the consternation expressed by the Sikh community, TSA has continued with its roll out of the AIT scanners –which some have termed ‘naked body scanners.’ If a traveler refuses to undergo this virtual strip search (which is invasive enough- in and of itself impinging upon Constitutionally protected privacy and religious rights) then they are forced to submit to a rigorous prison style pat down –which the ACLU has referred to as ‘really aggressive groping’.

Recently, a TSA security official executed a pat down of a 3 year old child using this new highly invasive method –with the poor child hysterically crying the whole time. How many 3 year olds have to learn firsthand what it’s like to be searched like a prisoner before TSA realizes this new security strategy doesn’t work? (Click here for an emotionally charged article about the pat down procedure).

A young man who refused the body scanner and vociferously expressed his concern at the prospect of TSA security officials touching sensitive areas of his body now faces civil charges and up to a $10,000 fine. Another woman ended up in handcuffs.

Some activists are laying bare their dissatisfaction for all to see –quite literally. A group of Europeans arrived at an airport terminal in only their undergarments to display in real time what it is that the AIT images actually produce.

UNITED SIKHS along with SALDEF and Sikh Coalition recently sent out a community advisory alerting the Sikh community of the new invasive TSA security measures and discussing how this will adversely affect the practice of their faith.

Additionally, these 3 organizations sent a joint advisory letter to several government entities urging government action to stop this tidal wave that is sweeping away the Constitutional rights not only of the Sikh community but of the entire American citizenry. There has been no response so far, although UNITED SIKHS staff continues to look forward to collaborative communication with TSA to address the current issues.

Although AIT spells bad news for the rights of all Americans, for Sikhs however, things are worse. Typically, for a Sikh to get through security unimpeded requires them to shed at least one of their articles of faith all the time (the kirpan). In essence, if a Sikh traveler wanted to be screened in the same manner as other Americans are, Sikhs would have to shed their distinctive identity (TSA officials informed UNITED SIKHS attorneys that not only folds of cloth on the head but also long hair can trigger an anomaly in an AIT scanner). If a Sikh –with their articles of faith intact –goes to the airport now, they are literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. One option (let’s call this ‘the rock’) is to choose to go through AIT and allow complete strangers to view your entire body naked. It is bad enough that this is an affront to the principles of modesty and dignity but what is even worse is that the dastaar will be picked up as an anomaly by AIT machines due to its folds of cloth. This will require a Sikh traveler to go through secondary and even tertiary security screenings of the dastaar, while other Americans will pass right through. The second option ( ‘the hard place’), is for a Sikh traveler to decline the AIT body scan and choose to be subjected to a rigorous, groping form of hand pat down –which will make even the most stoic individuals blush. In totality, this means that those wearing religious head wear will be substantially more burdened by the current security policy than secular Americans. Now, Big Brother is not only watching, he is touching too.

As if the strategic implementation of technology that results in the profiling of certain religious groups and subjects them to heightened security searches wasn’t bad enough, TSA’s new AIT machines bring with them a slew of health concerns due to the radiation levels emitted.

Even pilots are unhappy –TSA’s own employees are concerned about the increased risk of cancer that AIT scanners bring with them. There are studies indicating that such scanners may even damage human DNA.

And TSA still claims this makes us safer?

Civil rights organizations focusing on privacy issues are also up in arms. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (known as EPIC) has filed a suit against the Department of Homeland Security (parent to TSA) and UNITED SIKHS attorneys are working with them to provide EPIC with a Sikh perspective on this issue.

Fiscal conservatives are displeased too –the cost of this new security system is astonishing considering the economic climate of the nation.

Also, there are many who feel that this system, not only too costly, will actually make people LESS safe. [Click here to see another discussion of both health and safety concerns.]

Although TSA is trying to show us a Brave New World in which our religion, privacy, dignity, modesty, health, finances, safety and security can all be sacrificed in the name of knee-jerk reactions to address purported national security interests, it is our job to respond back and say, ‘NOT ON MY WATCH!’

UNITED SIKHS legal team, staff and volunteers are all actively advocating for TSA to change its current policy –and implement a policy that actually makes us safer as a nation and doesn’t single out religions to bear the burden of implementation.
We are spreading the word so that the voices of the community can be heard.

What can you do? GET INVOLVED!!! Here’s how:

1) National Opt Out Day is November 24th –we are urging all air travelers to join this national campaign and OPT OUT of AIT! Show TSA THIS IS NOT OK!

2) Write to your Senators and Congressman and urge them to take action against TSA’s current security policy.

3) Write TSA officials and fill out TRIP complaints every time you travel and are subjected to additional screenings based on your religious identity.

4) Fill UNITED SIKHS turban screening survey on our website every time you travel.

5) Ask TSA to conduct a self audit of its security checks to get data on how frequently Sikhs are screened (we know the numbers but they need to start counting!).

6) Volunteer for UNITED SIKHS –sign up to get involved!

7) Donate to our Protect Our Identity campaign: Visit our website to make a donation -your support allows us to continue our fight for justice on this issue and many others!

Fresno, CA – UNITED SIKHS conducted its 2nd Feed the Hungry event this past Friday, 11/12/2010. In conjunction with Poverello House, UNITED SIKHS was able to provide hot meals to the many hungry that are present in downtown Fresno, CA. Fresno has seen severe unemployment and homelessness since the economic recession that has plagued the entire globe. Inspired by the November birthday of Sikhism’s religious founder, Guru Nanak Dev, UNITED SIKHS sought to spread the fundamental concept of “Sarbat Da Bhalla” – wellbeing for all of mankind – by helping some of society’s most neglected and vulnerable.

Selma, CA – UNITED SIKHS was invited to participate in the Guru Nanak Parkash Ustav this past Sunday, 11/14/2010. Held on an annual basis by the Sikh Council of Central California (http://www.sikhcouncilcentralca.com), this year’s event was made special by the passage of California’s ACR 181, which declared November 2010 to be “Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month November 2010″. UNITED SIKHS provided a presentation to the local community regarding the challenges facing the global Sikh community in the constant effort to raise awareness about the Sikh community and detailed the steps being taken by UNITED SIKHS to overcome those challenges.

ABC 30 News Coverage On The Event

Every year since 2008, UNITED SIKHS compiles a report where a community across borders voices their opinions on the current practices, future policies and the overall state of human and civil rights of Sikhs in their respective countries. The report combines insights from human rights reports with original survey data collected from Sikhs worldwide, and is put together by a team of lawyers, activists, academics and civil rights experts.

Over the past 2 years, the report has provided a one of a kind insight into the concerns and challenges of the global Sikh community to UN agencies, government bodies, Sikh and non-Sikh civil rights organizations, litigators, non-profit organizations and many more.

Now is your chance to participate and make your voice heard! Click on the link below and complete the 2010 Global Sikh Civil Rights Survey.

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/397854/2010-Global-Sikh-Civil-Rights-Report

The 2008 Global Civil Rights Report had provided a first-of-its-kind insight into the needs and challenges of the global Sikh community. In addition to country essays, the 2009 report incorporates data from the Global Sikh Civil Rights Survey administered in 17 countries with over 300 respondents. Sikhs around the world weighed in on issues of hate crimes, xenophobia, current policies and practices toward minority communities, and the particular challenges of the Sikh community.

Forward the link to friends and family who may be interested in participating. The more people complete the questionnaire, the stronger we can advocate for our rights in the global community.

For a copy of the 2009 report, click here.

For questions or concerns, contact Ilana Ofgang at law-usa@unitedsikhs.org.

Today is the Sikh celebration of Bandi Chorh Diwas! This is the day on which Guru Hargobind Sahib was released with 52 Kings from Gwalior Prison. The word “Bandi” means “imprisoned”, “Chhor” means “release” and “Divas” means “day” and together “Bandi Chhor Divas” means Prisoner Release Day.

Bandi Chorh Diwas and Diwali are separate festivals although they take place on the same day every year. People often think of both of these events as the same but in fact they represent two quite different events in history.

Bandi Chorh Diwas represents freedom and the triumph of light over dark but it is also a time to remember, to do something for those less fortunate. These are sentiments that ring universal for spiritual people all over the world, no matter what your faith.

UNITED SIKHS wishes everyone a very happy and resplendent Bandi Chorh Diwas and Diwali!

Read President Obama’s Diwali message here.