Parhar is vying for the City Council District 23 seat.
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AB Wire
NEW YORK: Hindus and Sikhs should have designated prayer rooms at John F. Kennedy International airport to serve large numbers of South Asian employees and passengers, Satnam Singh Parhar, candidate for New York City Council District 23, said today.
The airport already has an Islamic center, a Protestant chapel, a Roman Catholic chapel and a synagogue.
“It is time that the many Hindu and Sikh workers and travelers at JFK have the same designated places of worship offered to others,” Parhar said, in a statement.
Parhar also urged the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to include designated prayer rooms for Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs in the plans for a new LaGuardia Airport.
“It is vitally important that the Port Authority show the same level of respect and courtesy to the South Asian population that it extends to other workers and travelers at New York City’s airports,” Parhar said.
Parhar, a Democrat (https://voteparhar.com), is running in the Thursday, September 10, Democratic primary to fill the City Council seat vacated by Mark Weprin.
Born in the village of Kukowal in Punjab, India, Parhar completed his bachelor’s in commerce from Punjab University. He was the general secretary of the student union at his school and a well-regarded soccer player, reported the Queens Chronicle last week.
Parhar has been a resident of New York for almost four decades. Since 1976 he has involved himself in a number of commercial, community and philanthropic ventures. In the late ’70s, the candidate opened women’s clothing stores, which eventually turned into four major high-end boutiques. His next career venture was in construction and development, the Chronicle reported.
Parhar has long been involved with the India Association of Long Island, or IALI — an organization that serves the Indian communities of Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau and Suffolk. He has served as executive council member since 2008, vice president since 2013 and president since 2014. In his capacity as president, Parhar has worked to establish a permanent headquarters for the IALI.
Parhar is also the founder of the Sant Baba Nidhan Singh Ji Cultural Society, and the founder and chairman of the Rajput Cultural Society. While involved in these and other associations, he has sponsored many soccer and other sports tournaments.
In 2011, Parhar participated in the introduction of the New York City Workplace Religious Freedom Act in cooperation with former Mayor Bloomberg and Councilman Weprin. He has also organized fundraisers and election rallies in support of state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) and Councilman Mark Weprin.
Located in North East Queens, District 23 is the one of the most diverse Council districts in the city, with nearly 40 percent of the population South Asian-American.