Wso Condemns Racist Flyers Targeting Brampton Sikhs

[singhbj singh]

WSO Condemns Racist Flyers Targeting Brampton Sikhs

Brampton (April 24, 2014): The World Sikh Organization of Canada condemns racist flyers distributed by the group Immigration Watch Canada targeting the Sikh community in Brampton.

The flyer titled The Changing Face of Brampton laments the decreasing proportion of Mainstream Canadians in Brampton and contrasts an older picture of a largely Caucasian group with a recent picture of a group of Sikh men and women.

Brampton is home to a large Sikh population. According to the 2011 Census results, approximately 19 per cent of the Brampton population reported their religion as Sikh.

WSO Ontario President and Brampton resident, Prabhmeet Singh Sarkaria said, these flyers are the work of an isolated fringe group and dont reflect the view of the vast majority of Bramptonians or Canadians. Canada is an example of how diversity and multiculturalism can work so beautifully. This is an opportunity for all of us to stand together and say that this type of message is not welcome in Canada.

The flyers come at a time when Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi or the foundation of the Order of the Khalsa in 1699. The Province of Ontario and also the City of Brampton have both declared the month of April as Sikh Heritage Month.

WSO President Dr. Amritpal Singh Shergill said, the flyers are an example of ignorance and fear-mongering. Despite Immigration Watch Canadas claims, Sikhs are proudly mainstream Canadians. We have been in Canada for well over 100 years and Sikhs are an integral part of their communities in Brampton and across Canada. We are Canadians. Period.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) is a non-profit organization with a mandate to promote and protect the interests of Canadian Sikhs as well as to promote and advocate for the protection of human rights for all individuals, irrespective of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and social and economic status.

Source - http://worldsikh.ca/news-release/wso-condemns-racist-flyers-targeting-brampton-sikhs

[kharkusingh1996]

These are just little racist rascals behind the computer and putting flyers in Brampton to support their website and cause.

[singhbj singh]

No smoke without fire !

I think something POSITIVE should be done before it becomes a bigger problem.

Sikhs should be pragmatic and learn from fellow Canadians.

Check out

http://dailysikhupdates.com/2014/04/24/the-super-fan-of-toronto-breaks-racial-stereotype/

[SandeepSinghToor]

I first heard of this story on CBC the Canadian site, the problem is so many anti-immigrant minded people use people as scapegoats, even though everyone but the Natives have immigrated here at some point, there are still those that think immigrants should be 'white'. Thankfully these ideas are decreasing and we don't have to fight so hard, but we still have to fight, I dream of the day where a Sikh can wake up and live his day without any stares, without any rude comments, without intolerance, its sad that our appearance or devotion to human rights and equality, things that the west has learned 500 years after us, still make us 'different' when many Sikhs have served in the Canadian military, have put their lives on the line, many Sikhs have died for the British empire and the wars in Europe, our people still have to face this, the children still have to cry and be bullied for their hair, its not right, its just not right, because its bullying, you can criticize, you can argue, but bullying, bullying is wrong, and thats what this flyer does, it bullies Sikhs who are clearly happy and enjoying their time in the picture, it bullies Sikhs for living in Canada, our crime was what? wanting to live in Canada, 98% of the population of Canada here immigrated here either directly or through ancestors, we are just one group to do what the people handing these out obviously did themselves. thankfully many Canadians are on our side, understandably those who know the most about sikhism have defended us, it will take years, but these voices will grow dimmer and dimmer

[ghettosikh]

this is really funny they think they can kick us out but the white ppl here shoiuld no tht they r immigrants aswell im so suprised this is even happening in brampton in bc and alberta this could never happen the white ppl here jus dnt mess with us

[JeevanCymro]

The reality these groups can't fathom is that at some point all of our ancestors have migrated and displaced/ Intergrated with 'native' populations. In the UK the English migrated from Germany/Netherlands/Denmark and displaced the Britons. That is why groups like BNP and BF are hypocrits. No one has a claim over ownership of the land based on ideas of racial make up. The First Nations of US also migrated from Asia at some point. Once people realise this we can move on and understand Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj's vision of one humanity. Alas i think we are some way off still...even within our own community.