Joyfully, As A Hero To The Victory!

That line is from a poem by Friedrich Schiller, The Ode To Joy. In part, it says:

Happy, as God's suns fly through the heavens' mighty plan

Brothers, run your race, joyfully as a hero to the victory.

Sounds pretty chardi kala to me, eh? So be a hero.

First, watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_OHpi3euro&feature=player_embedded

We Sikhs have always, from the very first, been known as people who never give up, who give everything in winning the victory. Now we have taken on our most powerful opponent ever, the most powerful organisation in the world, the United States Military. Unlike in many other countries, in the USA, our Singhs - and Kaurs - are not allowed to keep kesh and tie turbans. You are already aware of the struggle of these two young Singhs who signed up in good faith, being reassured that kesh and turban would not be a problem. They were lied to! Now ordered to report for active duty this summer, they have also been ordered to ditch the kesh and turban.

This must be fought. It will be fought! Can we win? Of course, we can win. The question is, do we have the will to win? Will we actually do it?

I want to make a very personal statement here. As most of you know, my family was murdered in the Delhi Pogrom of 1984. That year, from before the Bluestar Massacre to the mass murders in November and beyond, was one of the most traumatic in Sikh history. The Panth has been badly hurt, even temporarily broken, perhaps. But the broken can be mended and become even stronger than before. My generation has been fighting this for 25 years - longer than many of you have even been alive. We will continue to fight, to demand justice!

It is time for you younger Sikhs to pick up your part of the struggle. The fight to convince the US Military to grant us our religious rights is, as the Sikh Coalition says, this is the case of your generation- not just in America but in the world. The disaster of the last eight years has shown us that, as this powerful country goes, so goes the world. I ask you to not only sign the petition - you've all done that already, right? If you haven't please do so below - but also please scrape together whatever you can and then a little more and send it to The Sikh Coalition. It is a sad fact that everything costs money these days. I cannot think of a better, bigger, more historic Sikh cause to send your money to these days. I know the suggested amounts are beyond the means of many readers. That's OK. Send what you can. If 5 people send $5 each, that's a $25 donation. You are a part of our great and beautiful history. Remember the sacrifices of our sant-sipahis, our shaheeds through history - including family members of many readers here - and honour them by doing your part for this victory. DONATE NOW!

And there is more to do! Please visit the Sikh Coalition Army Action Page for more ideas. Do what you can. Do it in honour of our shaheeds. Do it in honour of my husband, Shaheed Mani Singh and my son, Shaheed Sandeep Singh, as well as my two little unborn daughters, my precious little Kaurs. Do it because it's the right thing to do. Do it because you're a Sikh! (Or do it because you believe in this cause, even if you're not a Sikh!) Whatever your reason, do it!

From THE SIKH COALITION:

This Vaisakhi, let's honor and protect our faith.

Support the Army Campaign. Support our Work Today.

Contribute $100 or more to receive a commemorative "Sikh Right to Serve" T-shirt

It is with great joy that Sikhs remember Vaisakhi Day. We feel joy when we think of our Guru. We feel strength when we think of our Panj Piare.

We feel unspeakable of respect when we think of the Sikhs before us who sacrificed their lives for justice, but never gave up their faith.

Just think about it. Everyone reading this message is the inheritor of the sacrifice, strength, and love of the Sikhs before them.

So what is your place in Sikh history? (Emphasis mine. Mai)

On Vaisakhi Day 2009, 2 young Sikhs challenged the U.S. Army's policy of excluding Sikhs from service.

Today, like the Sikhs before us, can you help secure our future by financially supporting this campaign? Contribute securely online here:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=2563

Let's not mince words. This is the case of our generation in America. We are taking on the world's most powerful institution. If we are victorious, literally a whole class of cases of anti-Sikh discrimination will disappear.

Please help our generation of Sikhs make history by donating $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 today:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=2563

As a token of appreciation for your support, all donors who give $100 or more will receive a commemorative campaign T-shirt. We hope this T-shirt will serve as a reminder to you and your friends of your support at this critical juncture in Sikh history.

As Sikhs, we know from our history that there is no challenge we can not overcome.

We will not defer this fight to the next generation. With your support, we will win this fight in our generation.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
The Sikh Coalition Board and Staff

SIGN THE PETITION!

Another Lie of The US Army

I am no fan of the acts of aggression that the US Army have been inflicting on the innocent people of Iraq. And I have thoroughly denounced the atrocities committed at Abu Ghraib Prison and elsewhere. Please do not interpret my stand on this issue as an endorsement of the unrighteous use of force.

That said, this morning I received this latest release by the Sikh Coalition.





It seems that these two Sikh gentlemen joined the Army in order to get money for their education. This is pretty normal in America. There is currently no draft; it is an all volunteer army. So one of their inducements to gain recruits is to offer this financial aid for college. This is the only way that many intelligent young people - both men and women - are able to afford this education that they need.

These two young Sikhs joined up in order to get their educations, both in the medical field. They were told that their turbans and kesh would be "no problem." Now that they are to go on active duty, the Army has recanted on their promise and insist they must abandon their turbans and Articles of Faith, in this cast, their kesh.

Before 1981, turbans were allowed. Then during the repressive Reagan Regime, all "conspicuous" religious articles of faith for its service members were banned by the Army. Those who had previously tied turbans were allowed to keep them. I have managed to track down pictures of the two officers mentioned in the article, also medical officers Colonel Arjinderpal Singh Sekhon, a doctor, and Colonel G.B. Singh, a dentist, both of whom retired last year (2008).




Although many of us have a great disdain for the American military machine, nonetheless, we cannot stand by and let our fellow Sikhs be shorn because of their lies. I see this as a civil rights issue, not any approval of the US Army on my part.

(Note: if they lie to their own people, can there be any reason they would tell the truth to the rest of us?)


From Sikh Coalition:

(Washington, DC) April 7, 2009 - This Vaisakhi, the Sikh Coalition will stand alongside two Sikh military recruits to call on the U.S. Army to end its ban on turbans. The men, both medical professionals in the Army, are being told that they must remove their religiously-mandated turbans and cut their unshorn hair and beards when they report for active duty in July.

Today, we are asking for your help to ensure Sikhs' right to serve.

Captain Kamaljit Singh Kalsi, a doctor, and Second Lieutenant Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, were part of an Army program that pays for medical education in return for military service. At the time of their enrollment, military recruiters assured both men that their turbans and unshorn hair "would not be a problem."

Captain Kalsi and Second Lieutenant Rattan maintained their Sikh identity throughout graduate school, during specialized Army training, at Army ceremonies, and in Army medical facilities. Four years later, the Army is telling the two Sikhs that the recruiters' assurances were false and that they will have to forsake their religious practices.

Next Tuesday, the Sikh Coalition will launch a campaign to protect Sikhs' right to serve in the U.S. Army with their Sikh identity intact. That day marks the 310th anniversary of Vaisakhi - the day Sikhs received their articles of faith. On April 14, 2009, the Coalition will file a formal complaint with the Department of Defense's Inspector General on behalf of Captain Kalsi and Second Lieutenant Rattan.

"After four years of training in Army facilities, I was shocked to learn that the Army would go back on its promise, and expect me to choose between my faith or my service to my country," said Captain Kalsi. "There is nothing about my religion that stops me from doing my job. I know I can serve well without compromising my faith."

In 1981, the Army banned "conspicuous" religious articles of faith for its service members. However, Sikhs and other soldiers of faith who were part of the army before the 1981 rule change were allowed to stay. As a result, Colonel Arjinderpal Singh Sekhon, a doctor, and Colonel G.B. Singh, a dentist, continued to serve in the U.S. Army with their turbans and unshorn hair for the past twenty-five years. They both retired in 2008. Despite this, Captain Kalsi and Second Lieutenant Rattan are being prohibited from taking up the very same positions in the Army today.

In 2008, the United States celebrated the 60th anniversary of the integration of our armed forces. On that day, President Harry Truman declared "there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion or national origin." Today we are asking the military to follow this core American principle with words and actions.

To learn more, please visit our Campaign Action Center. There, you can sign on to a petition, get details for Tuesday's press conference, and find out about other ways you can help.

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges all Sikhs to practice their faith fearlessly. If someone tell you to remove your articles of faith, please report the incident.

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WHY TRY TO FIT IN? YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!

Children, Teach Your Parents Well...

Teach your parents well.

Their children's hell

Will slowly go by.

And feed them on your dreams,

The ones the pick,

They ones you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why,

If they told you, you would cry,

So just look at them and sigh,

And know they love you.

How many Sikhs around the world realise how our children are suffering, being bullied in schools in the States, especially in New Jersey and New York.

One young man had his kesh forcefully cut by a classmate, another had his patka set on fire. Another student in New York City, Jagmohan Singh Premi was feloniously assaulted by a younger classmate, who seriously injured his face and tried to pull off his patka. (Off-topic and impertinent: Why is an 18 year old young man, an adult, still wearing a patka?)

Now this young lady - and by her conduct she is a lady - has had her hair cut, unknown to her, while she innocently sat at her desk in school. Her brother has also been teased and mistreated at school. I salute these two especially, Gurprit Kaur and Talwinder Singh, as they have courageously come forward publicly with their names and photographs. They are setting a wonderful example for the rest of us to follow. When these incidents happen, we need to stand up proudly and proclaim 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to takes this any more!' And we need to stand together!

I am very glad that Gurprit Kaur Ji got her cut hairs back. She can treat them with the respect that they deserve. When my mother, in her insanity, cut my hairs when I was seven, every hair was preserved in a beautiful rosewood box, where it remains to this day, to be cremated with me eventually.

I can recall only one person who ever seriously harassed me, Billy the Bully. When none of the adults would handle the situation, I broke his arm. He never bothered me again. Of course, having seven older brothers helped, too. Nobody wanted to mess with The Magnificent Seven! Note: I do not recommend violence, but as Sikhs, we know that sometimes, when we have exhausted every other means, it may become necessary.

If you live or can get to the New York area for this march to support our children, please try to go!

Here is the story from the Sikh Coalition:

New York, New York) June 21, 2008 - The Sikh Coalition is dismayed to report that a twelve-year-old Sikh girl's hair was maliciously cut by another student. On June 9, Gurprit Kaur, a student at Public School 219 in Flushing, Queens, discovered that another student had cut off a portion of her braided hair and discarded it.

The attack on Gurprit occurred only five days after Jagmohan Singh Premi, was punched in the face when a student intentionally attempted to remove his patka (smaller turban) at Richmond Hill High School, in Richmond Hill, Queens. It also occured a just a year after Harpal Singh;s hair was forcibly cut by another student in a city school.

Sikh children simply continue to suffer in New York City. This past April, the Sikh Coalition released a civil rights report that found that more than 60% of the over 400 New York City Sikh public school students the Coalition surveyed suffered bias-based harassment or violence in city schools.

The Assault
On Monday, June 9, 2008 at approximately 11:00 am while in English class, Gurprit's classmate told her that a portion of her braided hair had been cut off. Gurprit did not notice while her hair was being cut behind her back. Given the deep spiritual significance of her hair, Gurprit was extremely upset. She immediately conveyed her dismay to teachers.

Gurprit's school conducted an investigation and within hours advised her that a classmate (a juvenile who shall remain nameless) had admitted to cutting her hair during a class they share together and where they sit next to each other. The school returned Gurprit's hair to her wadded in a tissue. The perpetrator was suspended the same day.

Sister and Brother Suffer Silently for Years
Sadly, the perpetrator specifically harassed Gurprit because of her and her brother, Talwinder because of their Sikh faith. The perpetrator made fun of Talwinder's jurdha and patka (smaller turban), saying "Your brother has a ball on his head. I am going to rip it off and throw it at him."

Once when Gurprit came to school with her hair in a bun, the perpetrator said, "Now you have a bun on your head just like your brother." The perpetrator also referred to Talwinder derisively as a "Hindu" in front of Gurprit.

The perpetrator knew that cutting hair was against Gurprit's religion. Several months ago, the perpetrator specifically asked Gurprit why she did not cut her hair. Gurprit responded because her religion does not allow it.

Gurprit's brother Talwinder, a sixth grade student, is routinely subject to ridicule because of his Sikh articles of faith. Other sixth-graders call him "potatohead" and "turbanator." Students would say that Talwinder has a bomb on his head, and to get away from him because he is going to blow everyone up.

The harassment Talwinder has suffered this year is nothing new. When Talwinder was in the fifth grade, a student tried to touch and remove his patka. When he was in the fourth grade, the school suspended a student for harassing Talwinder about his turban and hair.

When asked by the Coalition's staff whether he liked school, Talwinder responded, "I like school, but not the kids."

Enough is Enough: Sikhs of New York City to March for Sikh Children on June 30^th
The Sikh Coalition along with Gurprit Kaur and Jagmohan Singh Premi's parents are organizing a march through the streets of Richmond Hill, Queens on Monday, June 30^th. The march will end with a rally at Richmond Hill High School, the school where Jagmohan Singh Premi suffered a bias-based assault this month.

The purpose of the march is to push the New York Department of Education to end bias-based harassment of Sikh children in city schools. It is about time that the Department recognize that Sikh children in particular are vulnerable to bias-based harassment and violence in school. The Sikh Coalition calls on all Sikhs to march with us on Monday, June 30^th or sign the community petition to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein asking him to take action to protect Sikh children from bias-based harassment in city school.

Coalition Action and Department's Response
Sikh Coalition staff was on site at Gurprit Kaur's home and at her school within 24 hours of receiving a call from her father requesting assistance. School officials have since met with the Coalition to discuss diversity educational programs to be implemented at the beginning of the new school year in the Fall. The Department has not been clear on whether these programs will include specific education for teachers and students on Sikhs and Sikh concerns in school. The Coalition calls on the Department to implement a more Sikh-specific program since Sikh children are uniquely vulnerable to bias-based harassment.

In addition, the Sikh Coalition has formally requested that the Department share with the Coalition the Department's planned Chancellor's Regulation on addressing bias-based incident in city schools. The Department has agreed to meet with the Coalition before any such regulation is made public or implemented so that the Sikh Coalition can have input on its implementation Coalition a draft

As always, the Coalition continues encourages all Sikhs to fearlessly practice their faith and stand up for their rights. We ask that you sign our petition and attend our March for Sikh children.

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WHY TRY TO FIT IN?
YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!