Contact UsTell Facebook to Remove Anti-Sikh Pages
With the help of vigilant community members, SALDEF has identified a disturbing trend on Facebook, a popular social networking site. Forty-five(45) Anti-Sikh or Anti-Turban groups are currently reaching a combined audience of over 3 million individuals. These pages may have been created as attempts at humor but they have serious implications for the global Sikh community.
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express my concern about the recent increase in Anti-Sikh and Anti-Turban pages on Facebook. The pages contain offensive wall posts, pictures attempting to link Sikhs to terrorism, and imagery of Sikh Gurus and Sikh historical figures. I am concerned about these pages not only because they hurt the sentiments of our community but also because they increase the possibility of bias or violence against Sikhs.
By way of background, Sikhs are members of the world's fifth largest religion and are easily distinguishable by their religiously mandated articles of faith. Sikh men and some women wear daastars (Sikh turbans) to cover their uncut hair. There are over 25 million Sikhs worldwide.
I implore you to consider taking the following steps to address this serious matter:
1. Remove the Anti-Sikh / Anti-Turban fan pages. View the list of offensive pages here.
2. Provide a written justification for any pages which are not closed down.
3. Continue to work with the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) to define standards for appropriate content to prevent the creation of future Anti-Sikh pages.
I am writing to express my concern about the recent increase in Anti-Sikh and Anti-Turban pages on Facebook. The pages contain offensive wall posts, pictures attempting to link Sikhs to terrorism, and imagery of Sikh Gurus and Sikh historical figures. I am concerned about these pages not only because they hurt the sentiments of our community but also because they increase the possibility of bias or violence against Sikhs.
By way of background, Sikhs are members of the world's fifth largest religion and are easily distinguishable by their religiously mandated articles of faith. Sikh men and some women wear daastars (Sikh turbans) to cover their uncut hair. There are over 25 million Sikhs worldwide.
I implore you to consider taking the following steps to address this serious matter:
1. Remove the Anti-Sikh / Anti-Turban fan pages. View the list of offensive pages here.
2. Provide a written justification for any pages which are not closed down.
3. Continue to work with the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) to define standards for appropriate content to prevent the creation of future Anti-Sikh pages.
