Responding to a worldwide appeal by the USA-based Sikh organisation United Sikhs, overseas members of the community are flooding the White House Facebook and Twitter accounts with personal messages to President Barack Obama emphasising the significance of a visit to the Golden Temple.
“This is an opportunity for the US President to stand as a champion for the rights of religious minorities all over the world,” a senior United Sikhs representative said urging Mr Obama “not to cancel his visit to one of the most sacred and historically revered Sikh shrines — Harmandar Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple)” while noting that “the President’s visit to India has been marked with heightened jubilation, especially from the Sikh Community.”
Referring to the recent reports on the possible cancellation of the presidential visit amidst controversy over the choice of head covering for Mr Obama while inside the sacred shrine, United Sikhs quotes White House press secretary Robert Gibbs as stating that the presidential schedule for Asian, including India, would only be finalised during the coming week.
Interpreting the press secretary’s words to mean that the visit was still very much on the cards, United Sikhs has said, “for a religious minority group that has often remained invisible to the world, the Sikh community now has the opportunity to welcome for the first time a head of state from the US. The importance of this visit should not be understated. This moment could stand as the seminal educating moment for Sikhs to once and for all introduce themselves and their distinctive identity to the world.”