[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6534]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER HARASSMENT OF SIKH YOUTH

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in concern 
about a troubling issue. Young Sikh boys are suffering from physical 
abuse, harassment and verbal taunting in some American schools. This is 
due to a lack of knowledge of the Sikh faith.
  Sikhism is the world's fifth largest religion and has existed in 
India for more than five centuries. Many Sikhs in India play important 
roles in both the State and Federal Governments, and Sikhs are an 
integral part of the Indian American community in this country.
  As part of their faith, Sikh men leave their hair uncut and wear 
turbans. Students see images of the Taliban and mistake Sikh youth for 
extremists. As a result, many Sikh boys have been harassed. As the 
Republican cochair of the India Caucus, I ask school administrators to 
work with members of the Sikh community to educate all young people 
about the importance of respecting other people's faith. No child 
should ever fear for their physical safety inside an American school.
  In conclusion, may God bless our troops.

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