Would help America understand community better, says letter to president.
The American Sikh Congressional Caucus, in a letter written to President Barrack Obama, invited the president to visit a gurdwara (Sikh temple) before the end of his term.
“As members of the American Sikh Congressional Caucus, we write to you today on behalf of Sikh-Americans across the country to invite you to visit a Gurdwara, or Sikh temple, before the end of your term,†read the letter which was signed by 20 members of Congress.
The letter noted the contributions made by the Sikh community to America, including cultivation in fertile farmland, help in building the Transcontinental Railroad, and the service of Sikhs in the US military.
“Sikhs are proud to call themselves Americans because they support a common set of core values. Sikhs believe in racial equality, gender equality, and religious freedom. For hundreds of years, Sikhs have fought, and many have given their lives, to protect the rights of others – including Hindus, Christians, and Muslims – to practice their own religions,†said the letter.
Despite its contributions to America, Sikhism is one of the least understood faiths in the United States, wrote the Caucus in the letter. Sikhs have been facing hate-based attacks since 9/11, including a mass shooting at a gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin which left six people dead and four others wounded.
While many Sikhs experience daily encounters with discrimination, more than half of Sikh children are subjected to bullying in their schools.
The letter ended with a positive note that Obama’s visit to a gurdwara before the end of his term would bring attention to the Sikh American identity and help to avoid the hate directed at the community.