Bill Text: NJ ACR176 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Condemns terrorist attacks on Sikhs in Afghanistan and supports religious freedom.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee [ACR176 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-ACR176-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 176
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED MAY 14, 2020
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Condemns terrorist attacks on Sikhs in Afghanistan and supports religious freedom.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution condemning the terrorist attacks on Sikhs in Afghanistan and supporting the religious freedom of the Sikh people.
whereas, Human rights and social justice form the foundation of Sikh belief, with Sikh history featuring Sikh Gurus that championed religious freedom and justice; and
whereas, Afghanistan, a predominantly Muslim country, was home to as many as 250,000 Sikhs before a devasting civil war in the 1990s drove many Sikhs out of the country; and
whereas, Sikhs have suffered from ongoing discrimination and violence in Afghanistan and have often been targeted by extremist groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); and
whereas, On July 1, 2018, a suicide bomber specifically targeted Sikhs in an attack in Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, that killed at least 19 Sikhs; and
whereas, On March 24, 2020, ISIL gunmen and suicide bombers attacked a Sikh Gurudwara, a Sikh place of worship, in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 25 Sikh worshippers; and
whereas, These ongoing attacks and threats against the Sikh people underline the need for a united global fight against all forms of international terrorism and accountability for all entities that support or conduct terrorism; and
whereas, New Jersey houses one of the largest concentrations of Sikh Americans in the country, with about 100,000 Sikh Americans living in the State; and
whereas, New Jersey should be committed to the global protection of Sikhs, as a minority religion; and
whereas, The Sikh community has made positive cultural, social, economic, and political contributions in New Jersey, including holding notable public office positions and promoting peace and love; and
whereas, The New Jersey Legislature condemns these heinous acts of violence, which constitute an affront to American values of tolerance and freedom; now, therefore
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Legislature condemns
the terrorist attacks on Sikhs in
Afghanistan and calls for the protection of Sikhs, as a minority religion,
against further atrocities in Afghanistan.
2. The Legislature urges the President of the United States and the United States Secretary of State to protect the religious freedom of the Sikh people in Afghanistan and take appropriate measures to safeguard the human rights of the Sikh people.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of State, the Governor of New Jersey, and to each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution condemns the terrorist attacks on Sikhs in Afghanistan and supports the religious freedom of the Sikh people.
Afghanistan, a predominantly Muslim country, was home to as many as 250,000 Sikhs before a devasting civil war in the 1990s drove out many of the Sikh people. Although the Afghanistan constitution allows citizens to follow any religion, Sikhs have continued to suffer discrimination and violence and are now estimated to have less than 1,500 Sikh people remaining in the country. Many of the most violent acts committed against the Sikh people in Afghanistan have been perpetrated by extremist groups, such as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). On July 1, 2018, a suicide bomber targeted Sikhs in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, killing at least 19 Sikhs. A recent attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul, Afghanistan committed on March 24, 2020 by ISIL gunmen and suicide bombers killed 25 Sikh worshippers. These ongoing attacks and threats to the Sikh people underline the need for a united global fight against all forms of international terrorism and accountability for all entities that support or conduct terrorism.
The United States has held
religious freedom as a central tenet to the country's beliefs. On September
23, 2019, during a meeting on religious freedom at the United Nations
Headquarters, the President of the United States of America, the Vice
President, and the Secretary of State decried the atrocities committed against
Sikhs in different parts of the world and called for the protection of
religious freedom worldwide. Human rights and social justice are cornerstones
of the Sikh belief. New Jersey houses one of the largest concentrations of
Sikh Americans in the country, with about 100,000 Sikh Americans living in the
State. In New Jersey, the Sikh community has made
numerous positive cultural, social, economic, and political contributions,
including holding public
office and promoting peace and love. The New Jersey Legislature should
condemn these heinous acts of violence, which constitute an affront to American
values of tolerance and freedom.
