Sir,

Discrimination against Sikhs and other ethnic groups will continue to flourish unless we as a community-at-large come together to fight this ugly serpent. An individual is powerless against a corporation like UNICAL or the Attorney General of Oregon. However if the message loud and clear is given by a community the effect can be quite different.

I encourage the Sikh community to form a Sikh Legal Defense which will have the organizational capability to prevent and take legal action against those who infringe upon our constitutional rights.

This kind of protection should be available to not only Sikhs but all other religions. Only by working hand in hand with others can we prevent discrimination against us. It is an educational process which many organizations have already begun and we must now expand upon.

There are sufficient laws in place to protect our community. But we must exercise those rights in an assertive yet professional and accommodating manner. We must not look upon this issue as confrontational but as an opportunity to educate our friends and neighbors at the same time protecting our own civil rights.

America is built on principles of Equality Liberty and Freedom of all. There may be a few misguided individuals who would prefer 10 have a more homogeneous population in keeping with their own beliefs whether it comes to religion clothing or life style. However this country is built on principles which encourage embrace and protects diverse communities.

To accomplish his goal we have responsibility that we must come out of self-imposed isolation and use the democratic processes to achieve our goals of equality. When a large corporation such as UNOCAL threatens our freedom with economic threats we must as a community is prepared to respond in kind with economic boycott and legal action. For example UNOCAL should have received a threat of legal action by now followed by hundreds of letters to UNOCAL from communities all over America indicating our intent to stop doing business with UNOCAL unless their officials desist form discriminatory actions.

The case of Sohal in San Jose is only the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of cases where our community members are discriminated against in a hidden manner. For example many Sikhs are told by their employers that they may not wear turbans because it may be offensive to their customers. We must reach out to those who have been discriminated against and those who have been silenced by economic threats!

I would encourage the Sikh leadership to form a Sikh Legal Defense Fund to combat this kind of prejudice and discrimination whether subtle or over. Such an organization would require people who are open minded and dedicated to eradicating discrimination against our community and protecting the individual rights of all people.

Mohinder S. Mann

Attorney at Law

San Jose CA.

Article extracted from this publication >> April 10, 1992