US Congress House Session starts with Sikh prayer for first time in history

In a first for American history, a Sikh prayer opened the House of Representatives’ session.
Before the House’s Friday (local time) proceedings began, a Sikh granthi offered prayers.

“Today we are here for a very historic event. Today for the first time ever in the history of US Congress, the House session started with a Sikh prayer. Giani Jaswinder Singh offered the prayer. So, this is a very, very happy occasion for the Sikh community, for the whole global Sikh community…” the media spokesman of Sikh Coordination Committee East Coast Harjinder Singh said.

“We prayed for the members of this Congress who are working for the protection of the free world and all the Americans over here. We wish and pray for the whole of humanity as one race. So this was the message that was given. And so that’s really the universal message of Sikhism” he said.

Shri Thanedar, an Indian-American congressman, announced the creation of a new Congressional Caucus with the goal of defending the rights of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains residing in the US.
Addressing cultural misunderstandings and promoting interfaith understanding and harmony are the goals of the Caucus. It backs programs that advance the welfare, education, and empowerment of Americans who identify as Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jain. 

Addressing cultural misunderstandings and fostering interfaith understanding and harmony are the goals of the Caucus. It backs programs that advance the welfare, education, and empowerment of Americans who identify as Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jain.
More than 27 US lawmakers, including both Republicans and Democrats, support the newly created Caucus.

Addressing the event in Washington DC, Thanedar said, “I am profoundly honored to stand before you at this pivotal juncture. We are not merely congregating to initiate another caucus, we are assembling to pioneer a movement, one that strives for understanding, inclusion, and affirmative policy actions. A movement that says every faith, every culture, and every community has a place in America, the land of free and the home of the brave”.
“My name is Shri Thanedar and I am a proof of America’s diversity in Congress,” he added.

The developments come amid a diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

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