Amrit Kaur Becomes Head of a Leading Interfaith Body in Washington

Washington, February 24, 2008 - A Sikh woman, Ms. Amrit Kaur, became the President of the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington recently when this body, representing 11 world religions and various judicatories, elected her as the president for a two-year term.

Created in 1978, the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (IFC) brings together eleven historic faith communities to promote dialogue, understanding and a sense of community among persons of diverse faiths and to work cooperatively for social and economic justice in metropolitan Washington.

Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine, Executive Director of the InterFaith Conference, noted: "This is the first time in the organization's 30 year history that a majority of the five member Executive Committee were from eastern religious traditions. A Hindu, Dr. Siva Subramanian, was elected as First Vice-President. A Buddhist, Dr. Sovan Tun was elected as Secretary.

She has been very active at the IFC from the last two decades and has been on the Board of this organization. She said, "I am deeply honored to be serving as President of InterFaith Conference. The principles of IFC are very much similar to what my faith Sikhism stands for. In this global village we are all intertwined with each other and can not survive in ivory towers. The very core principles of my faith teach me to stand for social justice, nurture understanding and build a just and harmonious society. The more we believe in ourselves, our faith, the more likely we are to respect other faiths and build bridges across and find a common platform to work together for the betterment of humanity."

Amrit Kaur was educated in Delhi and Chandigarh, India. She came to theUSA in 1975 and has retired as a banker. She is from the Sikh faith and has been associated with Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF), a Sikh house of worship since its inception in 1984. This Sikh organization is based in Rockville, MD and is actively involved in community affairs. She has served in various capacities as President, Executive Director and currently is Secretary of GGSF. She has represented the Sikh faith in InterFaith Conference for about 20 years. She was First Vice-President from 2006-2008. On behalf of GGSF, she led a worldwide effort in 1992 to get Bhagat Puran Singh nominated to the Nobel Peace Prize and had several lawmakers and Academicians from U.S.A, Canada, U.K. and India write supporting letters for this nomination to Nobel prize committee in Norway. She is also active in Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) and has played role in organizing events at the Capitol Hill and the White House.

Dr. Rajwant Singh, the past President of IFC said, "It is truly a great feeling to have a woman represent us to the wider community. It is doubly satisfying to see her being elevated to this high position of this august body representing so many religious jurisdictions. It also reflects well for us a community that we have women active in the world affairs on behalf of our faith and that is a true implementation of the Sikh principle of Sewa. I sincerely hope that other Sikh women would follow suit. It has been pleasure to work with Amrit Kaur closely on a daily basis from last two decades on Sikh issues at Guru Gobind Singh Foundation and on other critical issues facing the American society. She is truly a dedicated individual and she has deep commitment to work for the betterment of the Sikh community."

Rev. Clark Lobenstine, the Executive Director of Inter Faith Conference congratulated her and praised her leading role in IFC activities. He said, "Ms Amrit Kaur is deeply devoted to establishing understanding and creating harmony among faith communities. He further stated, "This was the second time that a Sikh- Amrit Kaur, Secretary of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, was elected President of Inter Faith Conference of Washington. DC for 2008-2010. Dr. Rajwant Singh was the first Sikh elected as President in 1994-1996.This is also second time when a woman has been elected to this office in the 30 year old history of the InterFaith Conference."

IFC works through coalition-building, education, training and advocacy, by uniting diverse faith leaders to speak and act together, networking with other groups, publishing community resources and holding public events involving music, award ceremonies and lectures. IFC is committed to protecting religious liberty through its programs. IFC staff and members also are available as speakers and workshop participants to congregations, schools, community groups and others interested in fostering understanding among people of different faiths and traditions. In addition, it has also led a variety of service programs where young people of many faiths come together to clean up the environment, help build houses with needy families and other socially constructive projects, with time for discussion as they learn about each other.

The Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, representing Sikhs, became a full fledged member of the IFC in 1988.