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Sikhs hail
Passage of Hate Crimes Prevention Act
WSN Network
Washington: Minority communities in the United States in general,
and the Sikhs in particular, have hailed the fact that on September
27, the Senate passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes
Prevention Act of 2007 (LLEHCPA). Sikh bodies worked with a national
coalition of over 200 civil rights, faith-based, law enforcement,
and women’s groups working to ensure passage of this bill.
With this Act, the
US lawmakers have clearly underlined that hate motivated crimes will
not be tolerated and the US remains dedicated to the ideals of
equality and mutual understanding. "We have a special responsibility
to combat bigotry that takes the form of violence,” Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid said about the bill which passed with bipartisan
support.
LLEHCPA will allow
the federal government to assist states and local law enforcement in
investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. Doing so will make
communities safer for people of different backgrounds. The law
extends hate crime legislation to those states where current laws
are inadequate.
Sikhs feel
particularly happy with the passage of the bill as they witnessed a
surge in crimes committed against them in the post 9/11 phase,
chiefly because many Americans have little knowledge of their faith
and often confuse them with the Arabs or the Muslims. Recent attacks
on two elderly Sikh American men in Maryland have not reduced the
community's concern and the Sikhs are angry that President George W
Bush has threatened to veto this important legislation.
The Senate Bill, S. 1105, sponsored by Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and
Smith (R-OR), passed with the support of every Senate Democrat and
Republican Senators Collins (ME), Coleman (MN), Gregg (NH), Lugar
(IN), Smith (OR), Snowe (WA), Specter (PA), Voinovich (OH), and
Warner (VA). The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed
similar legislation, H.R. 1592, earlier this year.
3 October, 2007
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