Sikh group hires lobbyist to educate US media

Washington - A US Sikh community group has hired a lobbying firm to educate the American media about the true identity, image and message of Sikhism in the wake of TV show host Jay Leno's controversial comments about the Golden Temple.

New York based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) said the move was in response to the global Sikh community's concern over the Leno show where he passed off a visual of the Sikh's holiest shrine as the vacation home of Republican frontrunner presidential candidate Mitt Romney and an ongoing spree of hate crimes against Sikhs in the US.

The lobbyists will approach NBC, which broadcast the Leno show, to provide a forum to a panel of Sikh scholars and notables to educate media and American public about the sanctity and sensitivity of the temple, it said.

NBC will also be asked to run a documentary on Sikhism during prime time to help spreading the true identity, image and message of Sikh religion.

Also since Sikhs have been victims of hate crime after 9/11 due to misinformation about Sikh religion and identity, lobbyists will approach the US media to run segments showing authentic message of Sikhism.

Educating the international media about true information regarding Sikhs is much needed to spread the true message of Sikhism and to put an end to the decade long spree of violent "hate crimes" against Sikhs, SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant S. Pannun said.