WASHINGTON,DC: Enforcement Of religious rights is apriority civil rights issue,” said Joe Kline, Deputy General Counsel at the While House. In this regard he invited the Sikh community to Work with the Clinton administration improve their understanding Of the Sikh religion and various issues affecting Sikhs in the US. “Work with us. Even if you do not with us, sensitize us, We Want to hear from you Mr. Kline was speaking at a White House bricking, Aug. 12. for the participants in the Sikh Granthi and Gurdwara Management Official’s Conference held in Washington, DC from Aug. 1014. 1994. The conference was Bear by Singh Sahib Manjit singh, Jathedar of Akal Takhat, Amritsar, and was organized by the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation and National Sikh Center. In addition to Mr. Kline others participating in the briefing included Ms. Alexis Harman, Assistant to By President and Director of White House Office of Public Liaison, and Ms. Ellen Laipson, Director if South Asian Office at the National Security Council Mr, Kline underscored President Clinton’s basic philosophy that religion can be an important guide post for individuals, and his concern about the secularization of ordinary life. In this regard, Kline emphasized that the passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993), was only a small part of the overall agenda to celebrate and proicet religious freedom. its Specific purpose was to redress a 1992 Supreme Court opinion that “regulation is more important than religious faiths and traditions,”

Other are 19 be addressed in Clouded the role of religion in the Workplace, including the use of religious Symbols, and the protection of minority religious rights. He encouraged the Sikh community to communicate their concerns to the while House staff. While the administration could not promise success in every case, they would very seriously like to hear from the Sikhs and understand their concerns.

Members of the audience raised issues of special concern to the Sikhs, including the wearing of a “hard hat as per OSHA regulation and allowing Sikhs in the US armed forces,

Ms, Ellen Laipson from the National Security Council also briefed the audience, explaining that the primary US strategic interest in South Asia was the prevention of war, particularly since there existed a strong possibility of it being nuclear, Other US interests included concern about the environment, economic growth, human rights and narcotic trafficking. The briefing lasted almost an hour and was attended by about 100 persons, Alexis Harman invited the organizers to follow up so that there could be a continued dialogue. She also spoke briefly about the Health Care Reform bill and its importance for all citizens.

Many members of the audience asked questions about the human rights violations taking place every day in the Punjab and raised the issue of severe police repression in the State, Ms. Laipson responded that the Clinton Administration was aware of the rights violations and is in communication with the Indian Government about these issues.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 2, 1994