New York sources have stated that Appalled by the widespread ignorance of Sikhism that sparks hate crimes, a Sikh organization has launched a $1.5 million TV campaign to educate Americans about the faith and how the religion’s values of tolerance and equality reflect that of the nation, according to its promoters.
It was stated that the TV commercials from the National Sikh Campaign (NSC) that debuted on Friday on Baisakhi, are backed by research into Americans’ perceptions of Sikhism and religion and take on an original approach with a positive spin presenting Sikhs as integral members of the US society, whether it is politics or popular culture.
Rajwant Singh, a co-founder of the NSC added “We needed to focus our energy in telling the people who we are and what we stand for, what our religion and what our turban is, so people have a better understanding. Right now the turban is considered a symbol of terrorism, or something anti-American.”
While Sikh leaders have been meeting Presidents and top elected leaders and were warmly received, Singh said, it was realized that it was important to reach out to the common American because the ignorance at that level drives hate crimes against Sikhs.The ads running on national news channels CNN and Fox News, and on local stations in Fresno, the California city with the highest number of Sikhs, shows the community as American neighbors going about their daily lives, professing patriotism and national values but also a shared love for the TV series, “Game of Thrones” and the children’s show, “Sponge Bob Square Pants”.
