Says Edward Leavy, Director Anti-Defamation League
WASHINGTON, D.C: Addressing the congregation on Guru Gobind Singh’s Birth anniversary celebrations on Sunday, January 4th, 1987, at the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. Mr. Edward Leavy, Director of the Anti-Defamation League, offered his help and guidance in dealing with some of the problems faced by the Sikh community in their country.
“Sikh problems” he said, “are no different from what the Jews faced 50 to 60 years ago. Also, there is a marked similarity between what the Sikhs, as a minority community face in India today as to what Jews encountered in Eastern Europe.
Mr. Leavy emphasized that it is essential for the Sikh community in this country to interact with other communities, but to do that successfully, the Sikhs must first neutralize the negative propaganda against them. Otherwise, it will be hard to establish themselves effectively in this country. As an example of the negative propaganda, Mr. Leavy pointed to a recent Washington Post article, which was not favorable to the Sikhs. He said that it is critical for the community to respond to such negative press coverage.
He said that the anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith was set up in 1913 to counter the similar image smearing campaigns which the Sikhs face today. He suggested the formation of a similar organization by the Sikhs.
Jews too, like the Sikhs, form a very small percentage of the U.S. population, he said, but with hard work and dedication, they have come a long way in fighting discrimination establishing themselves as a solid community in this country.
- Joginder Singh Bhutani, Chairman of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation stated that, “This organization will be working closely with Mr. Leavy in carrying out various projects towards the establishment of a National Sikh Center in Washington. Which will become the hub of Sikh activities in this country”? “It is no accident”, he said, “that today Jews excel in every sphere of life. So, it would be wise for the Sikhs to learn from their organizations and adopt their methods”.
At the conclusion of the program, S. Rajwant Singh, Assistant Secretary of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, announced to the congregation the appointment of Prof.
Akal Takht. The news was greeted with much enthusiasm, and a resolution was passed in support of the appointment. It was also decided that this organization would try to keep a close working relationship with the Akal Takht. S. Rajwant Singh also said that at some future
date, we hope to extend an invitation to Professor Darshan Singh to visit the Sikh community in the Darshan Singh as Jathedar of U.S.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 23, 1987
