{"id":1340,"date":"2010-11-16T11:12:29","date_gmt":"2010-11-16T11:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedsikhs-canada.org\/demo\/?p=1340"},"modified":"2023-04-26T09:43:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T09:43:20","slug":"harper-should-raise-frances-turban-ban-at-meeting-with-french-prime-minister-canadian-liberal-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedsikhs-canada.org\/demo\/harper-should-raise-frances-turban-ban-at-meeting-with-french-prime-minister-canadian-liberal-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Harper Should Raise France\u2019s Turban Ban at Meeting with French Prime Minister: Canadian Liberal Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1340\" class=\"elementor elementor-1340\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-74f9374 elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"74f9374\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9c9da68\" data-id=\"9c9da68\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3ecd55b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3ecd55b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-46e4a1d\" data-id=\"46e4a1d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-69256b30 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"69256b30\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-content\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Harper Should Raise France\u2019s Turban Ban at Meeting with French Prime Minister: Canadian Liberal Leader<\/h2><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights:<\/h4><ul><li>UNITED SIKHS wrote recently to the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, requesting him to raise his objection to the French turban ban during his meeting this week with his counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault.<\/li><li>Sikhs globally believe that a ban on the turban is a betrayal of France\u2019s motto- Libert\u00e9, \u00e9galit\u00e9, fraternit\u00e9.<\/li><li>Canadian Liberal Leader Bob Rae said in a statement today, \u201cIf we are to be a defender of rights, we must defend them around the world, including in France. We would encourage Mr. Harper to have a frank and open discussion with his French counterpart on this issue\u201d.<\/li><li>Canadian Sikhs have also asked all Canadian Members of National and Provincial Parliaments to release similar statements supporting a Sikh\u2019s right to his turban, urging Mr. Harper to raise this issue with the French PM.<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Toronto, Canada<\/strong>: UNITED SIKHS wrote to the Canadian Prime Minister earlier this week asking him to raise his objection to the turban ban in France, during his meeting with his French counterpart, who is currently visiting Canada.<\/p><p>\u201cIt is not very often that the people of a nation write directly to their Prime Minister about the threat of their identity in another sovereign state,\u201d UNITED SIKHS\u2019 director, Ranbir Singh, said in the letter to the Canadian Prime Minister.<\/p><p>\u201cUnless France allows Sikhs to wear a turban in schools and on ID documents photographs, the Sikh turban would be deemed to be banned in France, which will be a betrayal of France\u2019s motto \u2013 Libert\u00e9, \u00e9galit\u00e9, fraternit\u00e9,\u201d the letter added.<\/p><p>\u201cGlobalization in the 21st century has made human rights a border-less right. It is now no longer acceptable to say that we cannot interfere with the \u2018internal affairs\u2019 of a sovereign state (France). The precedent was set in the previous century when the world joined the Blacks of South Africa to fight apartheid \u2013 an \u2018internal affair\u2019 of a sovereign state. Just as the Blacks of South Africa could not remove the color of their skin, Sikhs cannot remove their turban and strip themselves of their identity,\u201d the letter said. You may read the letter in full\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/unitedsikhs.org\/docs\/LetterToPMSHarper.pdf\">here<\/a>.<\/p><p>Liberal Leader Bob Rae made the following statement today on Stephen Harper\u2019s meeting with French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault:<\/p><p><em>\u201cFrance\u2019s decision to ban the wearing of turbans and other religious symbols in identification photos, government schools and public spaces has received international criticism and flies in the face of religious freedom. As a result of this ban, many Sikhs are denied access to employment, public health care and social benefits that require a government identification card. It should be an issue of great concern to this Conservative government and all Canadians.<\/em><\/p><p><em>After the much-publicized launch of Canada\u2019s new Office of Religious Freedoms, today\u2019s meeting is an ideal opportunity for this government to come to the defense of minority rights and walk the walk on religious freedoms. If we are to be a defender of rights, we must defend them around the world, including in France. We would encourage Mr. Harper to have a frank and open discussion with his French counterpart on this issue.\u201d<\/em><\/p><p>In 2008, UNITED SIKHS\u2019 attorneys filed three cases against the French turban ban in schools and ID photos before the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC).<\/p><p>Victory was achieved at the UNHRC in the cases of both, Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh. We await to hear the outcome of Shingara Singh\u2019s case. If there was any doubt about the legality of France\u2019s action, the eminent jurists of the UNHRC recently pronounced unequivocally that France had violated the human rights of both Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh by denying them their religious right to wear a turban.<\/p><p>However, France has not overturned their ban and continue to enforce it on Bikramjit Singh and Ranjit Singh despite UNHRC\u2019s decision. All Canadian Sikhs, UNITED SIKHS\u2019 team members and the global Sikh community urge and seek the support of the Canadian Government, Leaders of New Democratic Party, Liberal Party of Canada and all Members of the Parliaments to help raise this ban.<\/p><p>You may read our press releases about the UNHRC\u2019s decisions at\u00a0<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/unitedsikhs.org\/sikhs-win-school-turban-ban-case-against-france-in-the-un\/\">unitedsikhs.org\/PressReleases\/PRSRLS-14-12-2012-01.html<\/a>\u00a0<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/unitedsikhs.org\/sikhs-win-turban-case-against-france-at-the-un\/\">unitedsikhs.org\/PressReleases\/PRSRLS-12-01-2012-00.html<\/a>.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Sukhwinder Singh<br \/>Director, UNITED SIKHS<br \/>Tel: 1-905-672-2245<br \/>Fax: 1-810-885-4264<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/unitedsikhs.org\/contact-us\/\">Contact\u00a0us<\/a>\u00a0| Follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UNITEDSIKHS.org\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a 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to the Canadian Prime 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