By taking just five minutes and supporting all three of these actions, you can directly support the coordinated efforts that are underway to help resettle Afghan Sikhs and Hindus under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
On April 1, in partnership with civil rights, human rights, and interfaith organizations, the Sikh Coalition
delivered a letter to key U.S. congressional offices that oversee U.S. refugee programs and foreign aid to Afghanistan. The letter demanded steps that the U.S. government must take to better protect Afghan Sikhs and Hindus. The Sikh Coalition also signed onto a
separate letter on April 8 specifically requesting U.S. refugee protection and resettlement for these families, and we continue working with U.S.-based Sikh civil rights attorneys and the World Sikh Organization to further coordinate and advocate on this issue.
“The United States government can and must do more to protect all religious minorities in Afghanistan,” said Satjeet Kaur, Sikh Coalition Executive Director. “Sikhs in Afghanistan are bearing the unimaginable pain of losing their families and being forced out of the only place they have known as home. The international community, including the United States, must join Canada’s efforts to protect these families from extinction.”
If you have more questions about the current situation for Sikhs in Afghanistan, the World Sikh Organization has compiled
background information (along with advocacy requests Canadian citizens can make of their government). They, along with the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, have worked with the Canadian government to help resettle several Sikh Afghan families to Canada since 2019.
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly–and to stand with those who do so in the face of hate and violence.
Photo credits above: AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, World Sikh Organization
