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United Sikhs comes out with report
on its advocacy activism
WSN Network
NEW YORK: Sikhs
from all over the world at the First Global Sikh Civil Rights
Conference in New York have adopted recommendations and declarations
on crucial civil rights issues facing the Sikh community. The
meeting was held last weekend.
Attendees of
conference included SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, while the
DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna was represented by Daljeet
Singh, chairman of its Dharam Parchar Committee.
Both together
launched United Sikhs' First Global Sikh Civil Rights Report and
were presented the 65-page report. Makkar praised the non-profit
group for its advocacy efforts.
The Conference
participants, comprising youths and community elders from UK,
Ireland, Canada, USA, France, Belgium, Malaysia, Australia and
Afghanistan were first treated to an inspirational film "Fighting
for My Crown" which was followed by a video message especially made
for the conference by singer-activist, Rabbi Shergill, whose sufi-rock
song 'Pagri' was played afterwards.
The civil rights
issues in the report range from water rights and compensation for
victims of the 1984 violence against Sikhs in
India, to the
French turban issue, to Sikh identity awareness in Japan, to hate
crimes and employment discrimination in
North America.
Interestingly,
the Conference that discussed issues like dastaar and kakaar, Sikh
awareness within and outside the community, dharam parchar, Sikh
identity and civil rights awareness comes at a time when the SGPC
itself is facing accusations of diluting the Sikh identity by
submitting a disturbing and contrived definition of Sehajdhari Sikh
in the High Court. In fact, Makkar faced many difficult moments
during his
US junket
because of this issue.
24 December
2008
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