Sikh Coalition
A congressman’s ‘Dharma Caucus’ stirs suspicion for Hindu and Sikh organizations
By Richa Karmarkar — October 18, 2023
(RNS) — The joint statement echoes a growing trend among some Hindu Americans who are concerned with the American political courtship of members of the Bharatiya Janata Party of India — a political party they say has contributed to a rise in oppression of religious minorities.
California bill barring caste discrimination overwhelmingly passes state Senate
By Alejandra Molina — May 11, 2023
(RNS) — The bill, SB 403, passed on a 34-1 vote and now heads to the Democratic-controlled state Assembly.
Conservative Christians aren’t the only ones asking for accommodation in mailman case
By Yonat Shimron — April 18, 2023
(RNS) — Religious minorities — Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Seventh-day Adventists — have filed briefs asking the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that gutted a civil rights statute’s protections for religious accommodation.
Orthodox Jewish parents sue California for ban on special ed funds to religious schools
By Alejandra Molina — March 14, 2023
(RNS) — ‘It takes a special kind of chutzpah to deny Jewish kids with disabilities equal access to special education benefits,’ said Eric Rassbach, an attorney representing the parents.
New effort surveys Sikh students about bullying and school climate in the US
By Alejandra Molina — February 3, 2023
(RNS) — 'There is a gap between the lived experiences of Sikh kids and what teachers, administrators and policymakers understand,' said Rucha Kaur, community development director for the Sikh Coalition.
In court ruling, Sikh recruits can attend USMC training while keeping beards and turbans
By Alejandra Molina — December 23, 2022
(RNS) — 'No one should have to choose between serving God and country,' said Eric Baxter, an attorney with a religious liberty legal group that is representing the Sikh recruits.
Veterans, Muslim and Jewish groups file support for Sikh recruits suing Marine Corps
By Alejandra Molina — November 16, 2022
(RNS) — Sikhs who serve in the Marine Corps can keep their beards and unshorn hair while on duty but are forbidden from doing so during combat deployment and in the course of boot camp.
Sikh Americans honor 10th anniversary of Oak Creek shooting
By Alejandra Molina — August 2, 2022
(RNS) — It remains the deadliest act of anti-Sikh hate in U.S. history — now Sikhs are standing in solidarity with other faith communities that have since fallen victim to violent hate crimes.
A saint-soldier defending Sikhs and reviving the American melting pot
By Joshua Stanton and Benjamin Spratt — July 15, 2022
(RNS) — The Sikh Coalition was born in the hours after 9/11, out of self-defense. It’s become an outward-looking force promoting the core American value of being able to practice faith without fear.
California Sikh man sues sheriff’s office for delaying investigation into racist threats
By Alejandra Molina — May 13, 2022
(RNS) — 'No one deserves to feel threatened in their own community, and law enforcement — both police and prosecutors — simply must do better,' said Amrith Kaur Aakre, the Sikh Coalition's legal director.
Hate crimes should not be judged by intent alone, but by how they affect all of us
By Norman Chen and Nitasha Kaur Sawhney — April 18, 2022
(RNS) — It is high time that we change how we recognize and respond to hate.
Sikhs sue US Marine Corps over hair and beard restrictions
By Alejandra Molina — April 12, 2022
(RNS) — ‘I’m prepared to fight for the right to do my job while staying true to my faith with no caveats, asterisks, or discriminatory restrictions,’ said Capt. Sukhbir Singh Toor of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Sailors, Marines seek religious accommodation to wear beards
By Joseph Hammond — October 1, 2021
(RNS) — One Orthodox Jewish sailor and three Muslim sailors joined in a lawsuit alleging the Navy’s beard policy amounts to a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Sikh temple under construction vandalized in New Hyde Park
By Alejandra Molina — August 5, 2021
(RNS) — A Nassau County Sikh gurdwara under construction in New Hyde Park was vandalized with graffiti declaring, ‘Trump 2024 Make America Great Again!,’ according to the Sikh Coalition and law enforcement.
Treating the Indianapolis attack as a hate crime will keep us all safer
By Simran Jeet Singh — April 22, 2021
(RNS) — Eyewitness accounts suggest bias as a motivation for the shooting.
Page 1 of 2
