America
US Sikhs honor attorney general Eric Holder
US
Sikhs honor attorney general Eric Holder
Washington, April 21 The Sikh community here has honored the US
Attorney General Eric Holder with a siropa, a ceremonial robe of honor, and a
Sewa Service Award for services to their community.
Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF) of Rockville, Maryland and National Sikh
Centre (NSC) of Washington, DC presented the award to Holder at a ceremony at
the Justice Department Monday. A special prayer called ardas was performed in a
room, which once housed Robert Kennedy's office, with blessings sought for the
Attorney General and for the nation.
In addition to a robe of honour being placed around Holder's neck in a
traditional Sikh manner, he was also presented an honorary plaque and a book on
Sikhs. He was also presented a phulkari, a traditional Punjabi embroidered
shawl with bright floral craft by Romi Kaur Sawhney, the executive director of
GGSF.
Holder thanked the Sikh community while wearing this honorary robe and the
shawl.
Dr. Inder Paul Singh Gadh, Chairman of GGSF board said they "felt that there
is no one more deserving than Holder, who has contributed tremendously towards
the betterment of the Sikhs in the US."
Dr. Rajwant Singh, Secretary of the GGSF, lauded Holder "for his exemplary
service to the nation and for his positive role in assuring that all
communities, including the the Sikh community, are safe during these
challenging times."
The Justice Department has recently started tracking hate crimes against Sikhs.
This will produce Sikh-specific data on how many hate crimes Sikhs endure, and
the overall kinds of biases people of South Asian descent face.
Last year GGSF had honoured Brian Murphy of Oak Creek Gurdwara who was hit by
15 bullets as he fought with a gunman who shot dead six Sikh worshippers in the
Wisconsin Gurdwara in August 2012.