Saturday, February 15, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Axe Ad Campaign Featuring Sikh Model Spurs Xenophobic Outrage
SAN LEANDRO, United States
After a Gap ad campaign drew attention to hip young Sikhs with its photo of model Waris Ahluwalia being fondled by a non-Indian model, Axe body spray is now on the bandwagon as well, featuring a turbaned Sikh model kissing a woman on the New York City subway in its new campaign titled “Make Love Not War.”
“Sikh is the new black,” observed several Twitter users.
The “Make Love Not War” campaign was developed at Bartle Bogle Hegarty London by its deputy executive creative director, David Kolbusz.
Through a Web site (axepeace.com), a Twitter feed (#KissForPeace) and a Super Bowl commercial, Axe has been releasing images with a “peace” message — but after the ad with the Sikh model appeared, an alarming number of racists also chimed in on social media. Some commenters on Axe’s Facebook page call the model a “terrorist” and a “towelhead.”
Chiming in in a lengthy thread about the ad on Facebook, user Brandon Dewade put it this way: “Wow, there is a lot of hate here. Being an Iraq and Afghanistan vet all I see is a guy w/an epic beard kissing a beautiful girl.”
Other media watchers on Twitter wisely bemoan the fact that “peace” — as a concept — is being used to hawk a chemical-laden perfume spray.
Axe also has a presence in India, where Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor is its brand ambassador.
India-West’s e-mail to the ad agency was not returned by press time.
with thanks : IndiaWest : LINK
Sikhs want Cameron to apologise for plotting Golden Temple attack
Revelations that Margaret Thatcher's Government was actively consulted ahead of the Indian Army's June 1984 assault on Sikhism's holiest shrine has predictably provoked vehement indignation in Punjab.
Several leaders including Punjab's chief minister and the Jathedar or chief priest of the Akal Takht, the highest religious and temporal seat of the Sikh Community, demanded an unconditional and befitting gesture of apology from the incumbent British Government.
The United Kingdom is home to nearly a million Sikhs, including second and third generation emigrants, and the angry voices of protest are certain to bring considerable pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron and his Government to try and make amends.
Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who has hitherto blamed the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Congress party for desecrating the shrine and killing hundreds innocent pilgrims besides the militant chief Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers, now says, both India and Britain must share the guilt of planning and executing the army action.
with thanks : India Today : LINK : for detailed news.
Clergy leave Nanakshahi calendar issue alone
Instead of the Nanakshahi calendar controversy, adverse comments about the faith and the Gurus on social networking websites was the serious matter on Thursday in the meeting of the five Sikh high priests.
At the Golden Temple, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh led the proceedings of this discussion that was to be on a memorandum from the Dhuma-based Sant Samaj that asked Sikhs to revert to the Bikrami calendar, since the change to Nanakshahi had caused confusion, outside Punjab especially, about important religious dates.
"We did not touch the topic," Giani Gurbachan Singh stated in a media interaction after the meeting. Radical Sikh groups and some organisations in Canada, the US and the UK are opposed to a switch back to the Bikrami calendar. They want the original Nanakshahi calendar of 2003 implemented instead of the 2010 version.
About the issues discussed, the jathedar said that priests had the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to monitor the content on Facebook and other social-networking websites to check the posting of adverse comments about religion and the Gurus. They also have been asked to identify the users posting these remarks to be able to hand them over to law and begin legal action.
SGPC nod must to float religious group
Observing that too many religious groups were being floated for vested interests, the jathedar said: "We'll recognise religious groups only if the SGPC approved them and the Akal Takht also agreed. Only then will they qualify for assistance from the two authorities." The decision is based on complaints before the Takht.
The clergy forbade individuals from pasting self pictures alongside the images of Sikh Gurus. It is a common site at religious functions.
Patna Sahib clash
There was also no discussion on the Gurpurb clash at Takht Patna on January 7 over an appointment. The supporters of Patna Sahib management and jathedar Giani Iqbal Singh and were said to be involved. "We received the CD (compact disc) containing a video of the clash only a few minutes ago. We'll view it first," the jathedar said in reply to a query.
Rajasthan MLA summoned
The clergy decided to summon Rajasthan Congress legislator Gurjant Singh and his relatives to the Akal Takht on a charge of stepping inside a gurdwara with shoes on. The gurdwara is at Khara Chak village in Rajasthan.
with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK
London road Sikh killed in mishap was not wearing helmet, inquest hears
IANS
London, Feb 6: A Sikh man in the British county of Yorkshire, who died last year after his bike hit a car, was not wearing a helmet because of his religious beliefs, an inquest heard.
The Coroner’s Court in Kirklees heard that 23-year-old Kulraj Singh Kalsi's 125cc motorbike struck a Volkswagen Caddy van, which was taking a turn into a complex on Thornhill Road in Dewsbury April 27 last year, The Examiner reported on Thursday.
Kalsi suffered a serious head injury after hitting a concrete post encased in metal, the court heard.
An eyewitness told the inquest that Kalsi and his bike went ‘airborne’ after the collision with the van.
The inquest also heard that Kalsi’s vision may have been affected by wind and drizzle as he was not wearing a helmet or visor.
Sikhs are exempted from wearing the helmet.
Kalsi, who had been riding close to the kerb, may have been attempting to overtake the van - or had simply failed to see it slow down, indicate a turn or then turn into the complex, the court heard.
Coroner Mary Burke concluded that Kalsi had died as a result of the road accident.
“There’s no evidence that suggests Kulraj was slowing down as the vehicle was beginning its manoeuvre and it’s not possible to say why he was in the position he was,” Burke was quoted as saying.
Burke also added that Kalsi, who was suffering from epilepsy, might have suffered a seizure before the crash.
“It may be that Kulraj became unwell and he suffered from some health issues that prevented him from slowing down,” she added.
with thanks : IANS : LINK
Journalist who threw shoe at India minister urges action against anti-Sikh rioters
Dubai: He is known as the Sikh journalist who threw a shoe at India’s then home minister P. Chidambaram at a press conference held at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.
The "famous" shoe is today kept in display at a Sikh museum in Derby in UK. The incident made Jarnail Singh front page news in major Indian newspapers. Television channels lined up to interview him and overnight, Singh found himself in the corridors of Indian politics.
Calling it an extraordinary situation, 41-year-old Singh who is currently on a visit to the UAE said: “The incident took place on April 7, 2009. I was working with Dainik Jargan in those days. As a journalist I regret my actions,” Singh said.
Following the incident, Singh was terminated from his job with immediate effect but continued to work as a catalyst for change, eventually getting the Congress party to withdraw the poll ticket given to those accused in the 1984 anti-sikh riots.
with thanks : LINK : for detailed news.
Sikh community offer tearful goodbye for Jagtar Gill
Clutching a framed photograph of murder victim Jagtar Gill to her chest, Gurpreet Kaur Chahal was in tears as she walked into the Sikh temple on Friday.
"We're just giving our emotional support to the family," said Chahal. "We're doing our best wherever we can."
The 43-year-old mother was slain on her 17th wedding anniversary, in her upscale Barrhaven home on Jan. 29. Gill had been home alone when her family returned, after buying cake and flowers, to find her dead on the living room floor.
"The community is shaken at this incident. How did it happen? Why did it happen? Everybody's scared in their own home, because we're not safe in our home. It happened in broad daylight," said Chahal.
An estimated 300 people gathered to remember Gill on Friday; first at a private service at a Nepean funeral home, followed by a prayer gathering at a nearby Sikh temple.
Gill's father, Ajit Mann, was surrounded by family.
"He's so deeply in sorrow. It's very hard," said Gill's brother-in-law Kalwinder Sidhu, who translated for Mann.
The Sikh community came together in their time of grief, which included a reading from the 1,430-page holy book of Sikhism, which is customary in a death.
The final pages were read at the temple on Friday, where dozens gathered amidst photos of Gill to eat, pray, chant and mourn her death.
Her husband, Bhupinderpal, and their children were also there.
Bjupinderpal is an emotional wreck, said family, in grief over his dead partner.
Others, like niece Raminder Hens, said the family is worried about the children, and fear the reality has yet to sink in.
with thanks : LINK : for detailed news.
Sikh monument irks Kisumu preachers
KISUMU, Kenya, Feb 8 – The controversial monument erected by the Sikh community in one of the streets in Kisumu has caused jittery among the city residents.
The storm was raised by members of Repentance and Holiness Ministry associated with Prophet Dr. David Owuor who claimed the statue was ‘satanic’.
The monument, erected on top of a rock along Mosque Road on a roundabout, has remained the subject matter in the lakeside city.
Pastor Helen Ochieng of Repentance and Holiness Ministry in Kisumu who led worshippers in condemning the monument said the statue portrays a society worshiping an Idol and it should be brought down.
Ochieng said as Christians they will ensure the monument is erected elsewhere not along the streets of Kisumu.
She asked the authorities who approved the construction of the monument to rescind their decision as its presence will mean doom for Kisumu people.
“Strange happenings in Kisumu are as a result of the presence of the monument. Recently we witnessed a stormy rainfall that caused massive destruction,” she said.
However, Charjeet Hayer, Chairman Kisumu Siri Guru Sabha said the monument has been erected to commemorate 100 years of Sikh presence in Kisumu and has nothing to do with religion.
“I appeal to our religious brothers not to view the monument as idolatry but a sign of peace,” he pleaded.
Hayer said they are celebrating the arrival of their ancestors in Kisumu in the early 1901 and nobody should associate it with idolatry. Residents of Kisumu now fear passing along the street for bad omen.
“Cyclists will have to follow longer routes only to avoid passing through that street. They say whenever they pass there, their business dwindles,” said John Omollo, a cyclist.
with thanks : LINK : for detailed news.
Disaster Charity Khalsa Aid Helps Flood Victims
A charity that usually helps out in foreign disaster zones has come to the aid of flood-hit residents in Somerset.
Khalsa Aid is on hand to distribute bottled water, food, warm clothing, antiseptic fluid and whatever else is needed to help those in deluged communities.
Ravi Singh from the Slough-based Sikh charity said they were compelled to act after watching Sky News' coverage of the heavy rain and high winds that have battered the country.
The charity has previously helped people in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan and Haitans trying to recover from the devastating earthquake there in 2010.
But Mr Singh said communities much closer to home were their focus for the moment.
"This is our community, these are our countrymen who are in dire need," he said.
"I never knew the amount of devastation until we drove around to get to this place, we had to go several different routes and it’s amazing. The floods … the fields are like lakes. It’s unbelievable, how will they recover from this disaster?
"I think we all need to pull together; it’s very very important."
He urged anyone who was thinking of trying to help to contact organisations already in the area, so as to avoid blocking roads and causing more problems.
"I appeal to every community, keep these guys in your prayers, do as much as you can, it's our time now to serve our own community," he added.
with thanks : LINK
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Sikh Groups Call On Obama to Reinstate IRS Agent Fired For Wearing Religious Article of Faith.
On January 28, 2014 letters were sent to President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder by twelve major American Sikh advocacy organizations, including UNITED SIKHS, calling on the Obama Administration to immediately reinstate Kawaljeet Tagore, a Sikh IRS Agent based out of Houston, TX fired in July, 2006 for wearing a kirpan, a Sikh religious article of faith.
Following her termination, Tagore sued the IRS and the Federal Protective Service (FPS),the federal agency responsible for the security of federal buildings, under Title VII and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act for failing to accommodate her Sikh religious practice of wearing the kirpan, a dagger-like article that symbolizes the Sikhs’ commitment to justice. Even though FPS and IRS allow saws, box cutters, letter openers, and cake knives into federal buildings for work-related purposes, the IRS and FPS defended Tagore’s lawsuit by claiming that a federal criminal law, 18 U.S.C. section 930, prohibits them from according Tagore any accommodation for her kirpan.
In 2012, a Houston federal judge sided with the government and dismissed Tagore’s lawsuit. However, on November 13, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit—relying on a December, 2012 FPS Policy Directive that requires accommodation of kirpans —reversed the federal judge’s ruling in favor of FPS. The Fifth Circuit held that the new FPS Policy Directive “contradicts the arguments previously advanced by the government for denying Tagore an exception or exemption for the wearing of her kirpan.
Yet, to date, the government has refused to reinstate Tagore to her position as an IRS agent, compensate her, or accommodate her kirpan.
“A hard working IRS agent is being kept from work due to her religious beliefs in a country founded on diversity and religious freedom. The FPS has already allowed 2.5 inch kirpans in almost 9,000 federal buildings but will not allow Ms. Tagore to wear her kirpan to work in an IRS building. Now that this inconsistency has been addressed by the Fifth Circuit, it is time to give Ms. Tagore her job back,” said Anisha Singh, staff attorney and policy advocate for UNITED SIKHS.
In their letter, UNITED SIKHS, along with other Sikh advocacy groups, claim that the “IRS and FPS’ continuing violation of Ms. Tagore’s right to religious accommodation is contrary not only to RFRA and FPS Directive 15.9.3.1 but to the guiding principles and tenets of the Obama Administration,” including an Executive Order that requires federal agencies to promote diversity. The Sikh groups call on Obama to “direct the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, IRS, and FPS to appropriately resolve” Tagore’s lawsuit, by “reinstating her employment with the IRS and providing her with an exemption to wear her kirpan to work.”
with thanks : UNITED SIKHS
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