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Reports of Obama not visiting Golden Temple disappoint Sikhs
"If the reported reasons for the President's cancellation are true, we're very disappointed," Education director of Sikh Coalition, Manbeena Kaur said.
"The Golden Temple, at its core, welcomes people of all backgrounds, religions, and cultures. The President's visit would have been a great way to underscore the message of respect for all. It is shame that this trip may not happen," she added.
Noting that since the 9/11 tragedy misperceptions about this appearance have led to hate attacks and discrimination against Sikhs across the country, the Sikh Coalition said it has recorded over 900 incidents of biasness against the community since the 9/11.
These incidents often occur because the perpetrators believe Sikhs to be Muslim or of Middle Eastern origin, it said.
'Muslim origin' Obama skipping Golden Temple visit out of fear: American Sikhs
WASHINGTON: The American Sikh community has said that President Barack Obama is not visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar because he harbours fears of negative image fallout with him being partially Muslim by birth.
Refusing to buy the White House explanation that India is a huge country and that it would not be possible for the president to take on too many events during his four-day visit from November 6 to 9, American Sikhs said they could not accept such a view.
"I'm not really buying it. I think the administration has been struggling with the false accusation that the president is Muslim. It is not out of the realm of possibility that these fears drove the cancellation. The administration is going to have to figure out how to make this up to the Sikh American community and the Sikh community worldwide," Politico quoted Sapreet Kaur, the executive director of the Sikh Coalition, as saying in a statement.
"If somebody doesn't want to come, then they should not come for the right reasons and not hide behind these sort of excuses," added Jasjit Singh, the associate executive director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
He added: "He's playing the game, and that's what's unfortunate."
"It would have been a huge moment, a seminal moment, for President Obama to come there and kind of show to the world that this is a vibrant religious minority here," said Hansdeep Singh, an attorney for United Sikhs.
"It is disappointing," he added.
An official familiar with the visit said the discussion about Obama's itinerary started six months ago, but that changes can be made for any number of reasons.
Singh said of Obama, "By canceling his visit, what does he do? He's emboldening those who are seeking to divide us."
Hansdeep Singh said the United Sikhs would "continue to push" Obama to visit Sikh shrines in the United States and abroad.
"We want to have a continuing dialogue with the White House," he said.
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while,White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters
"We are in India for three days. There's - you could spend a lot longer than that, and obviously anybody would. We picked our schedule based on what we wanted to get accomplished, and that focus was on New Delhi and Mumbai, and that's going to be the focus of our trip."
Obama would be arriving in Mumbai Nov 6, a day after Diwali. After spending two days in Mumbai, he would reach New Delhi on seventh evening for a private dinner with Prime Minister.
After a packed day of official engagements November 8, he is scheduled to leave for Jakarta Nov 9 for the onward trip to Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.
"If the reported reasons for the President's cancellation are true, we're very disappointed," Education director of Sikh Coalition, Manbeena Kaur said.
"The Golden Temple, at its core, welcomes people of all backgrounds, religions, and cultures. The President's visit would have been a great way to underscore the message of respect for all. It is shame that this trip may not happen," she added.
Noting that since the 9/11 tragedy misperceptions about this appearance have led to hate attacks and discrimination against Sikhs across the country, the Sikh Coalition said it has recorded over 900 incidents of biasness against the community since the 9/11.
These incidents often occur because the perpetrators believe Sikhs to be Muslim or of Middle Eastern origin, it said.
'Muslim origin' Obama skipping Golden Temple visit out of fear: American Sikhs
WASHINGTON: The American Sikh community has said that President Barack Obama is not visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar because he harbours fears of negative image fallout with him being partially Muslim by birth.
Refusing to buy the White House explanation that India is a huge country and that it would not be possible for the president to take on too many events during his four-day visit from November 6 to 9, American Sikhs said they could not accept such a view.
"I'm not really buying it. I think the administration has been struggling with the false accusation that the president is Muslim. It is not out of the realm of possibility that these fears drove the cancellation. The administration is going to have to figure out how to make this up to the Sikh American community and the Sikh community worldwide," Politico quoted Sapreet Kaur, the executive director of the Sikh Coalition, as saying in a statement.
"If somebody doesn't want to come, then they should not come for the right reasons and not hide behind these sort of excuses," added Jasjit Singh, the associate executive director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
He added: "He's playing the game, and that's what's unfortunate."
"It would have been a huge moment, a seminal moment, for President Obama to come there and kind of show to the world that this is a vibrant religious minority here," said Hansdeep Singh, an attorney for United Sikhs.
"It is disappointing," he added.
An official familiar with the visit said the discussion about Obama's itinerary started six months ago, but that changes can be made for any number of reasons.
Singh said of Obama, "By canceling his visit, what does he do? He's emboldening those who are seeking to divide us."
Hansdeep Singh said the United Sikhs would "continue to push" Obama to visit Sikh shrines in the United States and abroad.
"We want to have a continuing dialogue with the White House," he said.
---------
while,White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters
"We are in India for three days. There's - you could spend a lot longer than that, and obviously anybody would. We picked our schedule based on what we wanted to get accomplished, and that focus was on New Delhi and Mumbai, and that's going to be the focus of our trip."
Obama would be arriving in Mumbai Nov 6, a day after Diwali. After spending two days in Mumbai, he would reach New Delhi on seventh evening for a private dinner with Prime Minister.
After a packed day of official engagements November 8, he is scheduled to leave for Jakarta Nov 9 for the onward trip to Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.
