 Building Awareness about the Sikh Community
After the events of September 11th, Sikhs around the world found themselves targets of misguided backlash, including verbal and physical abuse. SikhNet launched a number of comprehensive programs to inform the general public about who Sikhs are and educate them about our Sikh values. We are continuing these efforts, which lead to greater understanding and help protect our Sikh communities from ignorance-fueled violence and abuse.
Our 2002 programs and endeavors included:
Hitman 2 Video Game Recall Campaign
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was developed by Eidos Plc and included bearded and turbaned Sikh men being violently killed inside a Gurdwara. Working closely with the Sikh Coalition, Sikh Communications Council, Sikh Council on Religion and Education, and Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Taskforce, SikhNet co-developed a strategic response to Hitman 2 that included grass-roots pressure through an on-line petition and letter-writing campaign to retailers and elected officials. Over 150 organizations from around the world cosponsored the campaign. The result was an agreement with Eidos to change the images in the game. In addition, Wal-Mart, Woolworth and other retail stores decided to stop carrying Hitman 2 until the changes to the video game were made.
 View Hitman 2 Recall Campaign
Balbir Singh Sodhi Embrace Diversity Memorial Event
On September 15, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a bearded and turbaned Sikh, was shot and killed outside of the neighborhood gas station he ran and owned in Mesa, AZ. He was the first hate crime murder victim after the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington, DC. On the first anniversary of his death, the Sikh community of Phoenix and the citizens and City Council of Mesa held a special memorial program in his honor that featured inter-faith music and speakers, as well as a range of government officials – all sharing a common message of tolerance and the protection of innocent people. SikhNet assisted the Sikh community in Phoenix in organizing and publicizing this event.
View the Balbir Singh Sodhi Embrace Diversity Memorial Event
Special Programs around the Anniversary of September 11th
Anniversary of September 11th
There were Sikhs who died in the World Trade Center Towers. A Sikh doctor was one of the first doctors on-site at the WTC after the attacks. And Sikhs were the focus of backlash crimes in the post-September 11th environment. For the anniversary of September 11th, SikhNet covered important events happening within the Sikh community and supported the community to get involved, active and visible. Our main programs were:
Remembrance
We invited all of you in our cyber community, to share your stories and experiences around September 11th – how the events of that day affected your lives. We heard from Sikhs all over the world who sent us many moving and inspirational stories.
View Remembrance Stories
September 11th Events
To help facilitate your involvement in your local communities, SikhNet compiled a comprehensive directory of September 11th events in cities across the United States.
View September 11th Events
Dr. Nijher Tour
Sikh Communications Council sponsored an 8-day, 14-city tour with Dr. Navinderdeep Singh Nijher, a Sikh doctor who was one of the first medical volunteers to arrive at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. Dr. Nijher spoke to many groups in communities around the U.S., sharing his experiences as a Sikh in post-September 11th America. SikhNet provided complete coverage of the tour.
View coverage of the Dr. Nijher Tour
Coverage of other events by Sikh organizations
We publicized and provided extensive coverage for many events sponsored by other Sikh organizations.
Sukhpal Singh Sodhi Coverage and Community Support
On August 4th, Sukhpal Singh Sodhi was shot and killed while driving his taxi cab in San Francisco’s Mission District. Sukhpal Singh was the brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was killed in Phoenix on September 15, 2001, the first hate-crime murder post September 11th. SikhNet covered the story extensively and worked closely with other Sikh organizations to support the Sodhi family and keep the issue of 9-11 backlash violence in front of the media.
View Sukhpal Singh Sodhi coverage
Working with other Sikh organizations on grass roots efforts
After September 11th, many Sikh organizations in the U. S. saw the need to communicate with Sangats everywhere and act strategically and collectively to reduce backlash, minimize hate crimes and empower Sikhs to protect their communities. We worked especially closely with Sikh Coalition, Sikh Communications Council, Sikh Council on Religion and Education, and Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force in responding to both the Sukhpal Singh Sodhi murder and the Hitman 2 video.
SikhNet Daily News
SikhNet.com launched a daily news section that runs Monday-Friday. This very popular service links our Cyber Sangat to news stories about Sikhs world-wide, and presents other stories of interest about India, world politics, technology, the environment and health.
View SikhNet News Section
Media Resources and Community Safety
Media Resources
To help educate the public about Sikhs, SikhNet created a Sikh Media Resource section. This section includes brochures, presentations and posters about Sikhs, available for download and use in your local communities. Special thanks to Sikh Communications Council and the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Taskforce for giving SikhNet permission to post the media and educational materials they developed.
View Media Resource section
Community Safety
Our new Community Safety section has valuable information for your local communities about what to do in case of an emergency and how to keep you and your loved ones safe.
View Community Safety section
Updating our homepage with changing content and new email lists
SikhNet launched a more user-friendly homepage with much more frequent changes in content. In addition, we added a new email list capability that allows you to sign up on lists of special interest such as the daily news and notifications of Sikh-related events.
Supporting the Sikh Identity
Part of SikhNet's purpose is to share with Sikhs, especially our youth, modern, technologically-smart ways to experience the rich tradition of the Gurus. This year, in support of a 21st century, global expression of the Sikh culture, SikhNet launched the following new free services:
 Banis for the PDA
For the technologically-oriented Sikh on-the-go, turn your PDA into an e-Gutka. This new section allows you to read your Banis from your PDA in Gurmukhi, with Romanized pronunciation guides, or read them in beautifully rendered English.
Amrit Kirtan On-Line: Shabds for Printing
The new section brings you printable Shabd sheets in Gurmukhi with Romanized pronunciation guides and English translations. You can use these Shabd sheets for your Gurdwara community or for your own meditation practice. Special thanks to Dr. Kulbir Singh Thind and Dr. Kushdev Kaur Thind for their dedicated seva in creating this project.
Updates to Gurbani Archive
One of the most popular sections on SikhNet is our Gurbani Archive, which has thousands of hours of Gurbani Kirtan available to listen on-line. This year, we continued to build and expand this section adding hundreds of new selections.
Sikh Artwork, Screen Savers and Desktop Themes
One of our favorite aspects of SikhNet is our artwork sections where members of our cyber sangat can share Sikh-related images that they have created with each other. This year, as always, Sikh artists have made wonderful contributions to our Sikh Clip Art, Wallpaper, Screen Saver and Desktop Themes sections. This ability to share electronic and modern Sikh art with each other helps to keep the Sikh spirit vibrant and alive.
 View Sikh Clip Art
View Screen Savers
View Desktop Themes
View Wallpaper
Creating Sikh Leaders of Tomorrow
Sikh Youth Conference
April 6, 2002
Sponsored by the Sikh Student Association of San Jose University
In April, SikhNet Communications Director Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa attended and presented at the Sikh Youth Conference at San Jose State University, sponsored by the Sikh Student Association of San Jose. She spoke to the Sikh youth on the topic, “Why the West Needs the Khalsa Spirit and How Sikh Youth Can Lead the Way.”
Visit Sikh Youth Conference
Jakara Youth Conference
July 4 – 7, 2002
Sponsored by the Sikh Student Association of UC Berkley, the SSF of UCLA and the Fresno Sikh Association.
In July, SikhNet Webmaster Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa was invited to be one of the keynote speakers at the Jakara Youth Conference in Fresno, California. During his address, Gurumustuk Singh shared his personal experience of growing up as a Sikh and the hardships that all Sikh youth face along the way.
Visit Jakara 2002
Plans for 2003
We want to hear from you. How can we serve you better? Please let us know what you think about our plans and projects for 2003.
With your generous financial support, here are the new free services we are planning for 2003. Please let us know what you think of these ideas and give us your suggestions for the services you'd like to see on SikhNet.
Siri Guru Granth Sahib Studies Special Section
In anticipation of the 400th anniversary of the Adi Granth, SikhNet will begin developing a special Siri Guru Granth Sahib Studies section on our website. Beginning in 2003 and by 2004, this section will include:
- Essays and writings about the power and technology of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and the important role of the Guru in the 21st century and beyond.
- On-line pronunciation guides to assist people in pronouncing the Siri Guru Granth Sahib correctly.
- A special Gurbani project to catalogue existing recorded Shabds and cross-index them to the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. This will allow us to determine which Shabds from the Guru exist today in musical form and which do not.
On-Line Searchable Database of Sikh Essays
In 2003, SikhNet will launch an on-line Sikh Studies database with essays and writings about Sikhism. This will be the initial part of an overall program for providing educational resource material on Sikhism to our Cyber Sangat.
On-Line Educational Material on Sikhism
Created for our younger users, this section will offer Sikh educational materials that are friendly and easy to use: frequently-asked-questions (FAQs), special sections on Sikh principles and illuminating essays by Sikh speakers and writers. The purpose of this section is to provide education about the Sikh spiritual path that is modern and relevant in its approach and language.
Emergency Response System
SikhNet will continue to work in strategic partnership with other Sikh organizations to provide comprehensive and timely responses to any emergencies that arise in Sikh communities.
SikhNet News & Views
In 2003, SikhNet will expand our news section to include more in-depth coverage of important issues and also provide a way to listen to the views of youth, writers and others in the Sikh community.
Media Resources and Community Safety
SikhNet will continue to build these sections, adding more material to support the Sikh community.
Creating Sikh Leaders of Tomorrow
SikhNet will continue to be a visible support and presence in the Sikh community through promoting and attending Sikh youth-related events and developing more youth-oriented Sikh education material for the website.
 What people are saying about SikhNet
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We kept the Sikh community and their friends and family worldwide informed of developing news pertinent to their interests. 
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