They came to the National Assembly to support a woman’s religious right to wear a niqab in Quebec but four members of the World Sikh Organization of Canada were turned away because of another religious flashpoint – the kirpans they were carrying.

By barring four kirpan-wearing Sikh men from public hearings on reasonable accommodation on Tuesday, the Quebec National Assembly failed to live up to its obligation to promote the widest possible participation in the democratic process.
Where is the leadership to cool passions associated with the current debate around minority religious observances? The wearing of the kirpan by Sikh schoolchildren in Montreal was the most inflammatory part of an inflamed, province-wide debate. The Supreme Court of Canada gave its unanimous support to the wearing of the kirpan five years ago. Reason should long ago have prevailed over passion, especially in the seat of government.

The four Sikhs then left the building, saying they would try to reschedule their presentation to the committee, and urged the National Assembly to create rules regarding the kirpan.

"The accommodation exists at the Parliament of Canada, at the Supreme Court of Canada," and other places, said Balpreet Singh, the WSO's legal counsel.

When he was a boy, his classmates threw eggs at him the first day he worea turban to school. Today, Sarj, as he’s known to his friends, is moved to tears when he thinks about how his beloved city has grown to embrace his culture.

Both countries are known as champions of free speech and civil rights, which means human rights groups like the one I work for, the World Sikh Organization of Canada, can and do highlight abuses in foreign countries. That's a problem for India as it seeks to rehabilitate its reputation and establish more trade in the West.

Manoj Mitta, senior editor with Times of India, speaks in Newton about "sheer gravity" of 1984 Sikh massacre

"Friends, I am honored by this opportunity to speak to such a distinguished audience, including so many MPs and diplomats." Manoj Mitta

In the international uproar over a Canadian immigration officer who denied a visa to a former member of a “notoriously violent” Indian paramilitary force one thing is clear: Some Canadian politicians are working for everyone but Canadians.

"...the World Sikh Organization of Canada announced it had sent a letter to the Westwind School Division in support of Jacobs. The group said it saw in his story some similarities with Sikh struggles to maintain symbols of their cultural roots.

Parliamentarians and the World Sikh Organization Friday condemned death threats against Ujjal Dosanjh as the RCMP launched an investigation of violent statements on a Facebook site that targeted the Vancouver South MP.