NRI Affairs Correspondent (Image by shalender kumar from Pixabay )
American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has advanced a plea to recognise April as Sikh Month in the state of Illinois, PTI has reported.
Congressman Krishnamoorthi entered a statement into the Congressional record to recognise April as a ‘Sikh appreciation and awareness month’ in his home state.
Krishnamoorthi said there had been a disturbing rise in hate crimes and violent acts against the Sikh-Americans.
“Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognise the month of April as “Sikh appreciation and awareness month” in my home state of Illinois,” Raja Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.
“This recognition is timely, given the disturbing rise in hate crimes and violent acts perpetrated against Sikh-Americans, most recently on April 15 at a Federal Express facility located in Indianapolis in which four Sikhs, including three women, were killed.”
Congressman Krishnamoorthi pointed out that the first followers of the Sikh religion emigrated to the United States over 125 years ago to work on farms located in California and the lumber mills of Washington.
Sikh-Americans continued to proudly serve with distinction in the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War, and in our conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
Congressman Krishnamoorthi highlighted that Sikh-Americans had made countless contributions to the nation’s common good.
“They include scientists like DDrNarinder Singh Kapany, who is widely known as the ‘father of fibre-optic technology”, and Dr Gurtej Singh Sandhu, one of the world’s most prolific inventors. They include artists and musicians like Grammy nominee Snatam Kaur Khalsa and activist and award-winning filmmaker Valarie Kaur,” Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
“They include entrepreneurs like Waris Ahluwalia, an actor, model, and businessman. And they include men and women called to public service like Dalip Singh Saund, who in 1957 became the first Asian-American, Indian-American, and member of a non-Abrahamic faith to be elected to serve in this House of Representatives,” he added.
