BILL ANALYSIS Ó
ACR 20
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Date of Hearing: March 19, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Das Williams, Chair
ACR 20 (Logue and Perea) - As Introduced: February 20, 2013
SUBJECT : Postsecondary education: instruction in world
religions: Sikhism.
SUMMARY : Recognizes the need for the inclusion of Sikhism in
world religions, Eastern religions, Asian, and South Asian
courses at all postsecondary educational institutions.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes numerous declarations and findings, including the
following:
a) Guru Nanak (1469-1539) is the founder of Sikhism;
b) Sikhism originates from Northwestern India and is not a
branch of any other religion;
c) Sikhs live in most countries and have Gurdwaras (place
of worship) in 65 countries, including nine in the greater
Sacramento region alone;
d) Approximately 750,000 Sikhs live in the United States;
one-third of the Sikh population, approximately 250,000,
live in California;
e) Sikhs wear turbans and as such are conspicuous and easy
to spot; and,
f) Sikhs have suffered from a disproportionately high
number of hate crimes post September 11, 2001 attacks.
2)Recognizes that the Sikh faith is the fifth largest world
religion after Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
3)Recognizes that the Sikh faith is the third largest
monotheism, after Christianity and Islam.
4)Recognizes that Sikhism is not included in world religion
courses at most postsecondary educational institutions.
ACR 20
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5)Requests the Legislature to recognize the need for the
inclusion of Sikhism in world religions, Eastern religions,
Asian, and South Asian courses at all postsecondary
educational institutions, including the University of
California (UC), the California State University (CSU) and the
California Community Colleges (CCC) systems.
6)Requests the Legislature to recommend to the governing bodies
of the UC, CSU and CCC that they consider including Sikhism in
their institutions' world religions, Eastern religions, Asian,
and South Asian courses.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This resolution is keyed non-fiscal
by the Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : Background . Post September 11, 2001 attacks (9/11),
members of the Sikh community have suffered numerous instances
of discrimination and religious attacks. According to the Sikh
Coalition (Coalition), which promotes the rights of Sikhs in the
United States, around 700 cases of violence and discrimination
against Sikhs have been reported since 9/11. On August 5, 2012,
several Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin were killed after their
gurdwara was attacked. On April 11, 2011, two Sikhs were killed
in Elk Grove, California as they went for an afternoon walk. A
2010 survey by the Coalition revealed that 69% of turban-wearing
Sikh students living in the San Francisco area say they have
been bullied because of the way they look.
Determination of instructional materials . Due to academic
freedom, faculty of the UC, CSU and CCC have autonomy in the
selection of instructional materials used to teach their
individual courses.
Need for this bill . According to the Sacramento Region of
Sikhs, there are approximately 24 million Sikhs worldwide;
Sikhism is the third largest monotheism. However, most UC, CSU
and CCC world religion courses do not include Sikhism. If the
UC, CSU and CCC consider including Sikhism in their world
religion courses, it will aid in educating more Californians
about the culture, practices and traditions of the Sikhs.
Related legislation . ACR 25 (Wieckowski) designates November
2013 as Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month . This
measure is awaiting action by the Legislature. ACR 97
(Perea), Resolution Chapter 60, Statutes of 2012, designated
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November 2012 as California Sikh American Awareness and
Appreciation Month and recognized the contributions made by
Californians of Sikh heritage. SCR 104 (Wolk), Resolution
Chapter 122, Statutes of 2012, recognized October 13, 2012, as
the 100-year anniversary of the Sikh American community, and
called upon the people of California to commemorate the day with
appropriate celebrations. AB 504 (Furutani, 2009), required the
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to create and
make available to all law enforcement agencies a training
component on how to recognize and interact with Sikhs carrying a
kirpan (a religious article resembling a sword, which is
integral to the practice of the Sikh faith. The kirpan is
carried in a shoulder strap, as mandated by the Sikh Code of
Conduct). This measure was vetoed by the Governor.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960