Pence presents a citation to SikhsPAC Gurinder Singh Khalsa on receiving Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award.
The Sikh community of Indiana has congratulated Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.) who was recently named to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Members of the community, led by SikhsPAC founder Gurinder Singh Khalsa, met Pence, who represents Indiana’s 6th congressional district, on Wednesday, and also applauded him for his work in the state.
“Greg Pence is good for Indiana and will be good for [the city of] Fishers,” said Singh Khalsa, who recently announced that he will run for the city council of Fishers. “I look forward to working with him in the future. He will bring the world to Indiana and Indiana to the world.”
Pence, on his part, congratulated Khalsa on receiving the 2019 Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award. A citation presented by Pence — the elder brother of Vice President Mike Pence — to the Sikh leader read: “Congratulations on your tremendous achievement. On behalf of the people of Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District, I thank you for your hard work and dedication to civility and responsible citizenship. May your commitment to faith and the communities in which we live continue to inspire future acts that would strengthen our state and nation.”
Among those who were present included was Jeffrey Wehmueller, former prosecutor of Hamilton County.
“I am truly grateful to Congressman Greg Pence for his recognition of Gurinder Singh Khalsa as the recipient of the 2019 Rosa Parks Award,” he said. “Gurinder addressed the injustice of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) with dignified resolve insuring others are not singled out for their religious beliefs.”
Wehmueller was referring to an incident where Singh Khalsa was stopped from boarding a flight at a New York airport because of his turban, the Sikh article of faith.
“Mr. Singh did not combat it with faux ‘outrage,’ ‘virtue signaling,’ or unseemly displays of emotion,” he said. “Rather, Mr. Singh approached the issue by petitioning the members of Congress as a citizen with the expectation his religious customs be acknowledged and respected.”