sep 06Yuba City: The resolution (ACR 181), which was moved by Assemblyman Dan Logue (Republican), was passed unanimously by the California state assembly Sept 1, 2010. Californians of Sikh heritage have made many great contributions to California and I think it is important for all Californians to recognize and appreciate the important role Sikh Americans have played in our state,'' said Assemblyman Logue after the passage of the resolution. 'The Yuba-Sutter area boasts one of the largest Sikh populations in the US, and they are truly a model community,' the assemblyman added. 'California has now recognized our contribution. Thanks to our area Assemblyman Logue, 'California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month' in November will go a long way towards promote awareness about the Sikh community. It is a big milestone for us,'' Yuba City resident Jasbir Singh Kang told the media.  Dr. Kang and Sarbjit Singh Johl assisted Assemblyman Dan Logue to write this resolution.

Different Sikh American organizations and Gurdwaras are requested to host awareness events in each major City of California by inviting elected leaders, Law enforcement officials, Interfaith leaders and School District officials of their area to use this opportunity to share the spirit of this resolution in the month of November.

WORSHIPPERS had a miracle escape yesterday as a gas blast wrecked a Hare Krishna temp

le.

Up to 40 people fled the building seconds before the explosion ripped it apart, causing a ma

ssive fire. Firefighters said the blast came after a man noticed a leak coming from a gas cylinder used for cooking. He realized the danger and evacuated the temple in time.

It happened just hours before hundreds of followers were expected to attend a celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna. Witnesses reported a huge bang at around 2.30pm and initially thought a bomb had gone off. Forty firefighters rushed to the scene and a police helicopter and sniffer dogs were used amid fears people were trapped under rubble.

Fatima Khatri, 40, who owns a beauty salon opposite the Leicester temple, said: "At first we thought it was a bomb so we all ran to the window. It shook the salon. We suddenly heard a second bang and saw flames shooting into the sky. "It was a devastating scene. It was chaos. It was a miracle no one was killed or badly hurt."

And James Revffy, 35, who lives four doors down from the temple, said: "I ran outside and saw the roof was smouldering and the kitchen had collapsed."

Several people were treated for cuts and bruises caused by flying glass and bricks. But local Hare Krishna leaders last night said everyone at the building had been accounted for.

The blast tore off a third of the property. A fire service spokesman said the man noticed the leaking cylinder as he went to disconnect it. "He managed to get everyone out of the building. Seconds later, it exploded."

INDIANAPOLIS — the atrium of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis will be the setting for a Punjabi folk dance, a traditional northern Indian lunch and Sikh (SEEK) cultural displays next month. The Sept. 16 celebration of Indiana's Sikh community will be the first in a series of what are being called "friendship luncheons" under a partnership by the Indiana Humanities Council and the state's Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives.

Office Director Ike Randolph says the series is aimed at fostering an understanding and appreciation of the various religious communities across Indiana.

The Sikh religion originated in India in the mid-15th century and the first Sikhs arrived in the U.S. more than 100 years ago.

On Nov. 1, 1984, Daviderpal Bhatia barricaded himself with his family in his living room as gunshots came flying through the door and windows.

The South Ozone Park man is a Sikh, and at the time was living in his native India. In three deadly days that November, 30,000 Sikhs in India were killed as part of what many Sikhs hope the international community will recognize as a genocide.

"I watched my brother get shot in the head, and my grandfather get shot in the chest," said Bhatia, 49, who immigrated to the U.S. the following year.

"We had to pretend my sister was dead and placed her between the bodies so they would not rape her." Bhatia recounted the tragedy as two high-ranking Sikh priests arrived in Queens to speak to the Sikh community about the massacre.

Giani Gurbachan Singh and Giani Iqbal Singh spoke to 500 Sikhs from the tri state area yesterday, imploring them to share their stories and push the international community to bring the perpetrators of the massacre to justice.

Queens County is the home to the second-largest Sikh community in the U.S. - second only to California as a whole. Their visit was arranged by the nonprofit group Sikhs for Justice. The organization has filed inquiries in a number of U.S. and Canadian courts asking the governments to review the facts of those fateful days in India and classify what happened genocide. "I am issuing a directive to Sikhs to stand together and help victims and survivors of this tragedy," Giani Gurbachan Singh said through a translator.

"We ask that any survivor give their story to Sikhs for Justice so they may take the appropriate legal actions." This is the first time the priests have come to New York to speak specifically about the massacre. "We asked them to come here because the rest of the Sikh community needs to be involved in this in order for us to accomplish our mission," said Gurpatwant Pannun, the founder of Sikhs for Justice.

"There is so much pain in the community, as the men who committed these acts are still walking free." Pannun said the evidence is overwhelming that the attacks were planned and that Sikhs were specifically targeted by the state. More than 100 Sikh temples were burned, he said. "The hope is that this issue will eventually reach the UN and they will come to a resolution," Pannun said.

A 35-year-old Seattle man is facing assault and hate crime charges following allegations that he accosted a clerk at a Queen Anne convenience store

There are good Americans, there are great Americans and then there's Brock Stain brook, who most good and great Americans wish would quit giving them such a bad name. Stain brook has a long criminal record, including convictions for DUI and making terrorist threats. And last Monday night, he committed the ultimate un-American sin by allegedly assaulting a working man.

According to police, Stain brook walked into a downtown 7-11 around 12:30 a.m. and approached an employee standing at the coffee machine. The 45-year-old then allegedly threw some change at the floor, punched the employee in the head and said, "You're not even American, you're Al-Qaeda. Go back to your country." The employee, who shares a surname common in the Sikh faith, was wearing a turban at the time.

After a second 7-11 employee confronted Stain brook he left the store. But not before kicking a barcode scanner in what criminal experts believe was a symbolic gesture representing the helplessness brought on by his own victimhood.

Stain brook was picked up by police a short time after when a call went out to be on the lookout for a white male "carrying one shoe." He then admitted to police that he'd hit a person "on his turban" because he didn't like the man.

Stain brook has been charged with fourth-degree assault, along with a hate crime. He's also been accused of the more serious charge of failing to understand the irony in his attack of a man who embodies many of the fine qualities of the country he purports to love.