Jalandhar: As he attended a peace and unity rally on Saturday in the North Block of State capitol, Sacramanto, in the memory of Wisconsin gurudwara shooting, California governor Edmund G Brown signed two bills to promote civil rights and religious freedom. The rally was organized by North American Punjabi Association.

The governor signed the bills with a banner “Proud to be Sikh American” in the backdrop and cheers from hundreds of those who attended the rally – not only the Sikhs but from other faiths also. Sikh community has been eagerly waiting promulgation of these bills and their signing by California governor has been hailed by the community.

Bill AB 1964, moved by assembly member Mariko Yamada, clarifies that the practice of wearing religious clothing of a religious hairstyle as a belief of observance is covered by protections under the Fair Employment and Housing Act.

Addressing the rally Brown said,”Sikh Americans are loyal citizens who have been targeted because of widespread ignorance of their religion and culture.The bills I sign today aim to ensure that Californians learn about our Sikh citizens as well as protect all of us from job discrimination based on religious observances”.

Governor’s office informed that Bill SB 1540 moved by Senator Loni Hancock required the State Board of Education to consider adopting a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials in the history-social science.

NAPA president Satnam Singh Chahal told TOI from US that this would be an important step for the California Sikh community, because the draft framework currently included information about Sikhs in seven distinct areas. “When the law will be enforced then this framework will ensure that California students learn about Sikhism and Sikh contributions, thereby increasing appreciation for diversity and reducing ignorance of the sort that leads to bullying and bias,” Chahal said.

He held that Bill AB 1964 would sharply reduce job discrimination against Sikhs and other religious minorities and it guaranteed equal employment opportunity to all workers in California.

While on one side grief struck the Sikh community on the other national attention Sikhs received in the wake of Oak Creek incident was unprecedented in more than 100 years of Sikh American history,” he said.
Prominent among those who participated in this rally, which turned historic due to signing of these two bills, included Canadian MP Jimmy Joginder Sims, Consular General of India N Parthasarthy, NAPA Chairman Dalwinder Singh Dhoot, Teresa D.Cox California Member of the U.S.District Export Council, Sikh leaders Didar Singh Bains Sikh Leader and Dr Onkar Singh Bindra, Dr Ramesh Japra Fremont Hindu Temple. Apart from Sikhs people from other faiths also joined the rally.

Meanwhile NAPA chairman Dhoot informed that the speakers eulogized bravery of Lt Brian Murphy, the police officer who took bullets while stopping the gunman in Oak Creek gurudwara.

Source: Times Of India (Sep 9, 2012)