Allow Sikh Officers the Right to Maintain their Turbans and Beards- Sign the petition!

Highlights

• UNITED SIKHS co-sponsors the petition with Comptroller Liu for NYPD to Reform Religious Garb Policy supported by Sikh Gurdwaras of NYC, Sikh Organizations and activists.
   
• The petition can be found at http://comptroller.nyc.gov/sikh/

New York, NY: UNITED SIKHS calls on all members of the Sikh community to take an active role in signing the petition enacted yesterday by City Comptroller John C. Liu. The petition calls  for NYPD to reform their dress code policies to allow Sikh officers the right to maintain their turbans and beards.

“The NYPD shouldn’t force Sikhs to choose between serving their City and honoring their faith,” remarked Comptroller Liu at the press conference this morning. “Changing these policies would show that New York City deserves its reputation as a global capital of religious acceptance.”

The MTA and Washington D.C. police department have already made changes to their policies to allow for religious freedom. It is now time now that NYPD do the same by opening their doors to diversity, integration, and religious freedom.

Jatinder Singh, Associate Director of UNITED SIKHS spoke at the press conference and quoted Martin Luther King as he observed, “‘The time is always right to do the right things, and I think the time has come that Mayor Bloomberg should make his move. This is the right time to amend the policies and allow New York City Sikhs to serve in the New York City police department with dignity, and practicing their own religion in full form as they wish, like any citizen is allowed today.” He concluded, “It’s about time that Sikh faces are shown in official places”. 

Comptroller Liu Addressing the need for Sikhs to serve in NYPD with their Turbans and Beards with New York City Community	Jatinder Singh, Associate Director of UNITED SIKHS in NY addressing concerns. President of Sikh Cultural Society Dr Gurdev Singh Kang (Extreme Left), Comptroller Liu, New York State Assembly member-David I. Weprin, Advisor Gurdeep Singh Narula (Extreme Right)

If  New York City truly represents the capital of diversity in America, then the NYPD should have no hesitance in amending their policies to allow fully turbaned and bearded Sikhs to maintain their physical identity while serving their city.

Your help is needed to make this possible- please sign the petition and make sure to pass it on to all your family and friends.

Help us to continue our mission to serve the Sikh Community, by making your tax deductible donation today.

If you feel you have been a target of a bias based crime/incident, please report it here. 

To speak to a UNITED SIKHS representative directly, please visit https://unitedsikhs.org/contact-us/ to find an office near you.

Issued By:
Manvinder Singh, Director
International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy
UNITED SIKHS
Tel: 1-646-688-3525;1-888-243-1690
Fax: 1-810-885-4264
Email: unitedsikhs-usa@unitedsikhs.org
https://www.unitedsikhs.org