Washington-based group meets with officials, residents to promote understanding.
By: Erin Murphy Sanders
WASHINGTON The T-shirts for sale in the lobby of the Central Jersey Sikh Association gurdwara, or temple, said it all.
Printed over the image of a U.S. flag were the words "Proud to be an American. Proud to be a Sikh." The back of the shirt read "Stop the Hate," referring to acts of intolerance the Sikh community has suffered since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
A Unity Forum held Sunday afternoon at the association’s new temple in Windsor brought together members of the area Sikh community and state and local officials to help increase public awareness and understanding of the problems faced by Sikhs.
Harcharan Singh Gill, chairman of the Council of Trustees for the CJSA, said the association was reaching out to individuals in responsible positions who could help prevent racial stereotyping, bias and hatred.
"Because of their dress, Sikhs have been targets of vicious assaults, harassment and verbal abuse," he said. "Sikhs are not terrorists. They are hardworking, loyal Americans."
Guru Nanak founded Sikhism more than 500 years ago in northern India. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world and advocates a life of work, worship and service in order to attain perpetual union with God, while creating a just social order in this world.
Sikhs believe there is one God for all creation, and respect all humans as equals.
Barefoot and wearing an orange scarf on his head, state Sen. Peter Inverso addressed the more than 400 people seated on the floor of the temple as, "my fellow Americans," and then delighted the crowd with a Sikh greeting spoken in Punjabi, their native language.
Sen. Inverso said he believes Americans are refocusing on their religions, finding a new sense of patriotism and gathering the courage, conviction and might to do what’s appropriate to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.
He said that fear leads to irrational actions which Americans cannot support.
"We must, as a country, recognize that there is more that unites us than divides us." Sen. Inverso said. "I deplore the acts of violence that have been perpetrated on Sikhs. We serve our country in different ways, we worship in different ways, but in the final analysis we are all Americans."
He said that he hoped it would not be long before Sikh-Americans joined him in the legislative halls in Trenton, signifying that the Sikh community had truly been embraced by mainstream America and its governmental processes.
Dave Fried, Washington’s mayor, offered assurances to the crowd that the township understands its responsibility to prevent hate crimes in the community. He urged them to contact the Police Department and township offices with any problems or concerns.
Dr. Gill thanked Sen. Inverso and Mayor Fried for their participation and presented them with a gift as a token of the association’s appreciation. The service ended with prayers and parsad, a warm, flour, oil and sugar mixture. Eating the parsad symbolizes the taking in of knowledge and the promise to follow that knowledge to the best of one’s ability.
The Guru Granth Shaib, or holy book, was removed from under the canopy and followed from the room by the priests and dignitaries. The Guru Granth Shaib is the eternal spiritual guide of the Sikhs. It contains the writings of the Sikh Gurus, as well as those of Muslim and Hindu saints.
Prior to his death in 1708, Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last in the line of human gurus, declared that the Guru Granth Shaib would be his spiritual successor, as it contains all the wisdom needed by Sikhs for spiritual guidance in their daily lives.
Immediately following the service, langar, a free, vegetarian meal was served to everyone. Volunteers spread white rectangular clothes on the floor, and quickly distribute plates, utensils, food and drink to the hundreds of participants.
Sixty families, representing about 300 people, belong to the Central Jersey Sikh Association. Members live in Mercer and surrounding counties. Dr. Gill said association members have reported 15 cases of racial intolerance, ranging from verbal abuse to vandalism of homes and businesses. He said victims, particularly recent immigrants, are sometimes afraid to speak out.
Mayor Fried said incidents of bias have occurred in Washington Township. The township is taking the situation seriously by stepping up police patrols and training, and getting out into the community to make sure that people understand that Sikhs are not terrorists.
Since the Sept. 11 tragedy, the CJSA has organized a variety of activities designed to help the victims and reach out to the non-Sikh community, including collecting charitable donations, a blood drive and an interfaith prayer gathering.
Even in their volunteer work, Sikhs said they have felt the sting of intolerance. At the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, where they help to feed the homeless, Sikh volunteers were disheartened by the verbal abuse from patrons.
Deep Phanda of East Brunswick thinks her children, Malika, 10, and Sartaj, 11, escaped harassment at school because of the preventative measures she has taken. She believes ignorance is at the root of intolerance. To combat the ignorance, each year she visits her children’s classrooms to explain Sikh culture, dress and religion. The foreign becomes familiar, as she shows the children how Sartaj’s uncut hair is tied up and covered in the patka or traditional cloth covering worn by a young boy.
Many Sikhs attending the Unity Forum wore flag pins or red, white, and blue ribbons. Simran Goomer of East Brunswick, a Sunday school teacher at the temple, explained that Sikhs have always felt patriotism in their hearts, but for their own safety they must now display it by wearing flags.
The flag on his truck has not protected Swaran Singh of Hamilton Township. Mr. Singh, who owns and operates an interstate trucking business, said he has experienced racial bias firsthand on the nation’s highways. Drivers pull in front of him and hit the breaks, truckers harass him over the CB radio and loading dock workers mistreat him.
"We are all Americans," said Ravinder Singh Goomer of East Brunswick. "We must continue working on this problem on a regular basis and not just forget everything after two or three weeks."
Events like CJSA’s Unity Forum are designed to help build bridges of understanding between communities. As Mr. Goomer said as he left the gathering, "This is the good that can come of this."