One of the USA’s biggest newspapers today showed an image of a Sikh man with a report on “Islamic terrorists”.

USA Today, which has a daily readership of over two million, shared the image to over three million people via their twitter account, along with a link to an article on new president Donald Trump signing orders to prevent Syrian refugees from entering the USA.

The picture of the as of yet unidentified man was not included in the actual article on the USA Today website, nor on any of their other social media pages. It is not yet clear whether the picture was used in the print version of the newspaper.

The inaccurate and dangerous depiction in the tweet was immediately pointed out by many on social media and quickly brought to the attention of the Sikh Press Association. Famed Sikh humanitarian Ravi Singh of Khalsa Aid criticised the organisation’s staff, whilst American Sikh community leader Professor Simran Jeet Singh labelled the tweet “inappropriate and harmful”.

Sikh Press Association press officer Jasveer Singh stated the incident must be addressed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of America.

“It was only last week that NBC news made a mistake similar to USA Today’s, and before that there is a long history of this type of mistake occurring regularly in US media. Considering the inaccurate connotation between the Sikh identity and terrorism has led to murders in America, you would have thought a massive media organisation like USA Today would want to be educated on this highly sensitive issue. Clearly not.

“This is something that the FCC needs to look into. There are many American Sikh organisations and individuals that can vouch for just what kind of fatal impact this kind of tweet can have. The Wisconsin Gurdwara (Sikh temple) massacre, where a radical white supremacist terrorist shot dead six innocent Sikhs, was only five years ago.”

NBC’s tweet using a picture of a Sikh man under a headline about Islamic terrorism.

Practicing Sikhs (male and female) are religiously ordained to keep unshorn hair and for the men to wear turbans, although many women do too. Ever since 9/11 this identity has often been mistakenly associated with terrorism because of a perceived resemblance to the likes of Osama Bin Laden, something which many Sikhs find ignorant. The first person killed in a self-proclaimed act of reprisal after 9/11 was Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man murdered in Arizona.

Jasveer continued, “The Sikh Press Association have long since pushed for mainstream media organisations to cover the issue of the Sikh identity being associated with Islamic terrorism, but instead they seem to continue to propagate it. The problem is not Sikhs being confused for Muslims, it is the fact that many associate brown skin, a beard and a turban with terrorism, and these are three things that millions of Sikhs have.

“This is also an issue in the UK too, where only last December the BBC showed the Sikh symbol the Khanda in a news segment about the Islamic community of Britain, something they refused to apologise for or even admit was a mistake. News organisations like Russia Today, London Live and BBC regional radio have worked with us to produce news reports on the issue but we have approached many other mainstream organisations about this too.

“Thus far the biggest coverage it has received in America is a five minute comedy segment on The Daily Show. It is time these organisations stepped up and took responsibility, especially whilst there is a big drive to stamp out fake news. Relating the image of a Sikh to Islamic terrorism is the epitome of fake news.

“We hope that USA Today will approach us or another Sikh organisation to find an appropriate way to correct their dangerous mistake.”

Human rights advocacy group United Sikhs will be looking into Gatwick airport’s protocol regarding the wearing of the Sikh Kirpan following an incident earlier this month.

Many within the Sikh community were outraged to learn that Gatwick airport have not trained staff to recognise the Sikh identity. The issue came to light after Jagmeet Singh, a respected Sikh community figure and volunteer for Sikh educational charity Basics of Sikhi, was accosted at Gatwick airport whilst waiting in arrivals for his wife and child responding to complaints of a man with a “knife”.

The complaints were made in reference to Jagmeet Singh’s wearing of the kirpan. The Kirpan – a small sword – is one of five articles of faith called the punj kakkar (five Ks), which all initiated Sikhs wear. The Kirpan is legal to wear under UK law, yet the staff were completely unaware of this legal standing.

United Sikhs have previously fought many cases through the courts to for the right of Sikhs to wear the punj kakkar and will be looking into Gatwick’s protocol.

Jagmeet Singh posted about the incident, sharing a recorded conversation he had with the staff on social media. The post went viral through the Sikh community, reaching 17,000 people and receiving hundreds of comments. The post can be seen here. Having received many complaints about the incident, Gatwick airport responded to the issue with the following statement.

“Gatwick Airport recognises that the Kirpan belongs to a category of ‘ceremonial weapons and swords’ permitted to be carried in public places.

“Given recent security events however – including at airports – Gatwick remains vigilant and has measures in place to ensure all staff adopt a strong but appropriate check and challenge culture.

“Security officers screening passengers travelling on aircraft are trained in a range of appropriate procedures for handling situations when religious or cultural items are presented. In light of this incident, Gatwick will explore whether similar culturally sensitive training might be extended to staff that manage other areas of the airport.”

Jagmeet Singh said of Gatwick’s response and United Sikhs’ involvement, “I am delighted that United Sikhs are looking into the issue because I am thoroughly disappointed with Gatwick’s response.

“Following my social media post about the incident, many Sikhs have come forward to say they have had similar treatment in airports when not even travelling, some as long as 10 years ago. This shows that there have been no moves in over 10 years to recognise the right of Sikhs to wear the Kirpan. As such, I urge the Sikh community to stay on the case of Gatwick until we see some changes have been made.”

On January 16 2017 human rights advocacy group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) held a press conference at the Sikh Missionary Society in Southall, supported by Sikh political activist organisation Dal Khalsa UK, about their campaign to  challenge the SYL Canal.

SFJ will file a case against the government of India before the International Tribunal in Hague for depriving the people of Punjab of their rivers waters resulting in the “Econocide” (economic homicide).

The SYL (Sutlej Yamuna Link) Canal is a water redistribution project which diverts water from Punjab’s Sutlej river into neighbouring states. As of November 10th 2016 the SYL Canal project was given the green light. This diversion is something the people of Punjab have long since protested. A breakdown of the issues around the SYL Canal can be found here (via Indian Express news).

SFJ legal advisor and respected human rights lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun led the press conference, discussing the campaign. The international Sikh community of India and the diaspora are being encouraged to sign up to vote to give their opinion on the issue via www.PunjabWaterReferendum.org. Once registration and voting has been completed (due before the end of 2017), it is estimated it will take approximately three months for a case against the Indian government to be built.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

Gurpatwant said, “The dispute is about Punjab’s waters. Since the Indian system has failed to resolve the Punjab water dispute, International court is the only forum available to the people of Punjab. We will be filing a case against based on econicide of the Sikh community in the state of Punjab. This is against international laws and against the constitution of India.

“This will not be the first time that a case against India on the water dispute will be filed before an international bodies. In 1960, Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan was brokered by the World Bank and in 2010 Pakistan brought ‘Indus Waters Kishenganga Arbitration’ before the international tribunal”, added Pannun.

The move to take the Punjab Waters issue before the international tribunal in Hague is being backed by Punjab based All India Sikh Students Federation (AISFF), European and North American organizations including Sikh Council UK, Dal Khalsa, Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Sikh Relief, Kesri Lehar and several Gurudwara management committees.

Sikh activist Paramjit Singh (left) and Gurcharan Singh of Dal Khalsa UK.

Gurcharan Singh of Dal Khalsa UK stated, “The Indian regime is weaponising natural resources such as water. They are willing to create famine through this to crush political descent and human rights concerns of the people of Punjab and surrounding areas.

“The Indian regime has begun using a more aggressive approach than ever seen before. The water rights issue is a new form of attack on each region, as the land of North India has become so barren, it is dependent on mountain water. By weaponising this natural resource, the fascist Indian government can use it against the people for their own will.”

On Monday flagship BBC TV show Daily Politics showed a Khanda during a report on perceived Islamic segregation.

The segment was hosted by Dame Louise Casey, a social welfare government official, and based around her recent report on integration in Britain. As well as airing at midday on the Daily Politics show on BBC Two, the same segment was used on the same day on News at Ten on BBC One.

Having been alerted to the inclusion of the Khanda during the segment which focused solely on the UK’s “Muslim communities” and the “white British community”, Sikh PA contacted Daily Politics to find out why it was included. Sikh PA spoke to a producer of the show and also a senior in the BBC religious affairs department. Contact was made hours before the segment was repeated on News at Ten.

Through a series of emails and phone conversations since, we can share the following from the BBC regarding the issue;

• The BBC are NOT apologising for showing the Khanda as they say it was NOT included by mistake. A Daily Politics producer stated, “The shot in question was used by the producer working on the film to form a bridge…to a more general point about the need for political and community leaders to do more to promote community cohesion.”
• When Sikh PA asked the producer to specifically clarify if this meant the Khanda was put in on purpose, we were asked to refer to the response above.
• Sikh PA asked if it was included deliberately why religious symbols of other faiths used were not used. The producer stated, “we could have been clearer (about showing the showing of the Khanda was meant to refer to a general point about integration) – perhaps as you suggest by reflecting a wider range of religions.”
• For this reason, we were told the Khanda will NOT be cut out of the segment on Daily Politics, as it is “not policy”. This stance was kept even when Sikh PA highlighted that in April 2015 BBC show Jihadi Brides showed a Gurdwara (Sikh temple) after reference to radical mosques. When Sikh PA got in contact with the production team, the clip was removed very swiftly from the iplayer version of the show.
• The Khanda was cut out of the BBC News at Ten report. We were not explained to why it would be cut out of News at Ten and not out of Daily Politics.
• Sikh PA were also concerned a producer claimed “Louise Casey’s report concerned community integration in general. This was reflected in Jo Coburn’s introduction to the film, which did not mention any one religion or community”. This is an attempt to use a technicality – the opening introduction to the report – to claim the report was not focused on the Islamic community. Sikh PA feel the report was very obviously focused on the Islamic community and thus showing a Sikh Khanda is a mistake or deliberate attempt to relate the two faiths.

Prior to showing the Khanda, the segment features Louise Casey showcasing a congestion of Mosques in Manchester, before speaking about “tensions” this can cause with the “white British community”. This segment can be seen here – http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08503yp/daily-politics-05122016 (watch from 34.15).

Sikh PA feel the BBC are clearly not doing enough to respect the religious sentiments of the Sikh community. There is also a clear lack of understanding of just how serious an issue it can be to relate Sikhs to the Islamic faith. With many being very visibly distinct, Sikhs can often be targets for Islamophobic abuse and even attacks. Just last year Gurdwaras in Glasgow and Middlesbrough were daubed with anti-Islamic graffiti. Sikh PA have also had numerous Sikhs come forward to say they have been abused/attacked due to Islamophobia, whilst overseas there have been numerous Sikhs murdered for such reasons.

Jasveer Singh Gill of Sikh PA stated of the issue the following;

“We are very disappointed that the BBC would not be more empathetic about our position, about the showing of the Khanda in a report focusing on the Muslim community. There is no justification for inclusion of the Khanda. No other religious symbols of other faiths were used.

“Perhaps the BBC simply does not recognise how dangerous it can be for Sikhs to be conflated with Islam. This confusion has led directly to murder, and as such, we feel it is dangerous to relate the two faiths. The Khanda is a very distinct symbol that can be found at the front of many Sikh homes, temples and on display in various other places.

“This is not an issue about Sikhs being confused for Muslims. It is simply about the BBC living up to their duty of educating the public. We hope for the BBC to reach out to the Sikh community to help them stop making these repeated mistakes.”

SOUTHINGTON — The Southington Town Council presented members of the local Sikh community with a proclamation acknowledging the 1984 genocide that took the lives of thousands of Sikhs in India.

“It is my honor to recognize and offer my sincere condolences for the horrific anti-Sikh programs which claimed the lives of thousands in 1984,” said Town Council Chairman Mike Riccio. “People were beaten with irons and their hair was forcibly shorn. Sikhs as young as 13 years old were burned alive,  mothers were gang raped and homes were destroyed. Numerous law enforcement agencies, human rights activists and government organizations around the world acknowledge these events as a genocide and demand justice.”

Kanwaljit Singh, his brother-in-law, Surinder Pal Singh, and his wife, Parminder Kaur, accepted the proclamation along with other family members.

“We want to express our thanks to this council for helping make sure this never happens again,” he said. “We are thankful to the city for recognizing the 150,000 people whose lives were lost.”

Councilor Victoria Triano said she had been council chairwoman on Sept. 11, 2001, and thanked Sikh religious leaders for reaching out and helping the community to understand them.

“We will always remember the holocaust your people suffered,” she said.

Councilor Ed Pocock III thanked the Sikhs for being involved in the community.

“It is an honor to know how hard you work and how dedicated you are to this country,” he said.

Locally, the Sikh community worships at a temple near Cava Restaurant, near the Southington-Bristol line. The temple was co-founded by Manmohan Singh, who attended the meeting and has lived in town for 35 years, He serves on the board for Bread for Life. He also founded the Sikh temple in Hamden.

“You have done a commendable job today,” he said. “You are on the right side of history.”

Bhai Komal Singh, a former priest at the local temple, was also in attendance. He will be opening a new place of worship in Windsor soon.

Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, a Norwich city planner, said there are 50 to 60 Sikh families in Southington and 500 in the state. There are four temples in Hartford County.

“Two years ago we received a similar proclamation in Norwich,” he said. “The assassination of Indira Gandi was an act carried out by a single Sikh whose heart was broken after the government used its own military to destroy the Golden Temple, which is like the Vatican City of our faith. It was an action he made on his own. In return, the state started killing all Sikhs. The leaders of India’s congress involved in inciting genocide are still not behind bars. Those wounds are still open; no justice has prevailed.”

Singh Khalsa said 15 California communities have passed legislation recognizing the killings as a genocide. He said Southington would be the first town on the East Coast to do so.

“I thank the Town of Southington. Their actions speak louder than words,” he said. “This shows that they understand the pain and violence that was inflicted upon us. Their actions show that they are empowering minorities, embracing diversity and appealing to other towns to follow their lead.”

Via – http://www.centralctcommunications.com/bristolpress/article_156a31de-b5dc-11e6-a426-a32013df7974.html