Allow Turbaned Sikhs to Serve as Officers in the NYPD

Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg
Mayor of New York City

Dear Mayor Bloomberg:

As you are likely aware, thousands of Sikh Americans are industrious, proud and generous residents of New York City. Like all New Yorkers, Sikhs expect that they can always rely on their city government and the NYPD to reflect New York in all its diversity.

It is therefore with considerable distress that we report to you that Amric Singh Rathour, a Sikh born and raised in New York City, was fired by the NYPD because he refused to remove his turban, a religiously mandated article of faith in the Sikh religion. The undersigned therefore request your immediate assistance in revoking the discriminatory and unconstitutional no-turban rule currently employed by the NYPD.

Amric Singh was fired by the NYPD on July 27, 2001. His letter of termination cited a provision of the NYPD dress code that requires all police officers to wear a police cap on their head as the reason for his termination. To add insult to injury, the NYPD not only terminated Amric for refusing to take off his religiously-mandated turban, but out of ignorance offered him an opportunity to comply with the mandates of Islam rather than Sikhism. This lack of knowledge is very disturbing.

As you may be aware, thousands of Sikhs have and are proudly able to serve as police officers and soldiers with their turbans in numerous countries and cities around the world including Toronto, London, Hong Kong and New Delhi. We expect the same to be true in New York City. Towards this end, we request the immediate reinstatement of Amric Singh to the NYPD and revocation of the discriminatory No Turban rule. The Sikh Coalition and the undersigned look forward to working with your office and the NYPD to reach an amicable solution that would allow Sikhs to serve the city of New York as police officers with their turbans.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned