,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #dbg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november 
#ad1 #bjai,mr4 ,durbin 7for himself1    
,mr4 ,menendez1 and ,mr4 ,cardin7       
submitted the following resolution2     
which was referred to the ,committee on 
the ,judiciary  ,,resolution            
,recognizing the historical1 cultural1  
and religious significance of ,sikh     
,americans1 and for other purposes4     
,whereas ,sikhs have been living in the 
,united ,states for more than #abj      
years1 and during the early #bjth       
century1 thousands of ,sikh ,americans  
worked on farms1 in lumber mills and    
mines1 and on the ,oregon1 ,pacific1 and
 ,eastern ,railroad2 ,whereas ,sikhs in 
the ,united ,states and around the world
 live the values and ideals of equality1
 service1 and devotion to ,god first    
preached by the first of the ten living 
gurus and the founder of ,sikhism1 ,guru
 ,nanak2 ,whereas the devotion of ,guru 
,nanak to spiritual matters led him to  

embark on a #bd-year spiritual journey  
throughout ,south ,asia and to places   
outside ,south ,asia1 including ,tibet1 
,baghdad1 and ,mecca2 ,whereas ,guru    
,nanak was the first of the ten living  
gurus whose wisdom is now contained in  
the ,guru ,granth ,sahib1 and the       
teachings of ,guru ,nanak became the    
basis of ,sikhism2 ,whereas #bjai is the
 year of the #eejth birthday of ,guru   
,nanak1 and ,guru ,nanak's ,gurpurab1   
which is one of the most important dates
 in the ,sikh calendar1 is celebrated   
across the ,united ,states and          
worldwide2 ,whereas ,vaisakhi1 which is 
one of the most historically significant
 days of the year for ,sikhs1 is        
celebrated every ,april2 ,whereas       
,sikhism is the fifth largest religion  
in the world1 and there are more than   
#be1jjj1jjj ,sikhs worldwide and more   
than #gej1jjj ,sikh ,americans2 ,whereas
 ,sikh men and women have notably       
contributed to the society of the       
,united ,states since their arrival in  

the ,united ,states in the late #ahjjs2 
,whereas ,sikh ,americans pursue diverse
 professions that add to the social1    
cultural1 and economic vibrancy of the  
,united ,states1 including by serving as
 members of the ,armed ,forces and      
making significant contributions in the 
fields of agriculture1 information      
technology1 small business1 hospitality1
 trucking1 medicine1 and technology2    
,whereas ,sikh ,americans1 such as      
,bhagat ,singh ,thind1 served in the    
,armed ,forces during ,world ,war ,i and
 ,world ,war ,,ii2 ,whereas the first   
,asian-,american ,member of ,congress1  
,dalip ,singh ,saund1 was a ,sikh       
,american elected to office in #aieg2   
,whereas ,gurbir ,singh ,grewal became  
the first ,sikh-,american ,state        
attorney general in the history of the  
,united ,states when he was confirmed by
 the ,state ,legislature of ,new ,jersey
 on ,january #af1 #bjah2 ,whereas       
,lieutenant ,sandeep ,singh ,dhaliwal   
was the first observant ,sikh to serve  

in the ,harris ,county ,sheriff's       
,office and was one of the first        
observant ,sikhs in the ,state of ,texas
 to receive a policy accommodation to   
practice his religion while serving as a
 police officer1 and on ,friday1        
,september #bg1 #bjai1 in ,houston1     
,texas1 ,lieutenant ,dhaliwal was killed
 by gunfire while serving in the line of
 duty2 ,whereas ,sikh-,american women1  
such as ,grammy-winning artist ,snatam  
,kaur1 ,officer ,gursoach ,kaur of the  
,new ,york ,city ,police ,department1   
and ,professor ,supreet ,kaur of the    
,university of ,california1 ,berkeley1  
continue to make diverse contributions  
to the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the    
inventor of fiber optics1 ,dr4 ,narinder
 ,kapany1 and the largest peach grower  
in the ,united ,states1 ,didar ,singh   
,bains1 are ,sikh ,americans2 ,whereas  
,sikh ,americans distinguish themselves 
by fostering respect among all people   
through faith and service2 ,whereas the 
,senate is committed to educating       

citizens about the religions of the     
world1 the value of religious diversity1
 tolerance grounded in the principles of
 the ,first ,amendment to the           
,constitution of the ,united ,states1 a 
culture of mutual understanding1 and the
 importance of reducing violence2 and   
,whereas the ,senate seeks to further   
the diversity of its community and      
afford all residents the opportunity to 
better understand1 recognize1 and       
appreciate the rich history and shared  
experiences of ,sikh ,americans3 ,now1  
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,senate--   
7#a7 recognizes the historical1         
cultural1 and religious significance of 
the #eejth birthday of ,guru ,nanak2    
7#b7 recognizes that the teachings of   
,guru ,nanak on equality and service    
have inspired millions of people and can
 serve as an inspiration for people of  
all faiths2  7#c7 recognizes the        
invaluable contributions and sacrifices 
made by ,sikh ,americans2  7#d7         
recognizes the discrimination that ,sikh

 ,americans have faced in the ,united   
,states and around the world2 and  7#e7 
expresses its respect for all ,sikhs who
 practice their faith4