Sikhs Denied Entrance to Toronto Area Restaurant & Wine Bar

What a shame this is. I don’t really know what to say, this story speaks for itself. I truly empathize with the offended and feel embarrassed for the offender.

I grew up facing racism and faced similar accounts. I myself have grown to a point not to take such actions personally. I realize that it is a result of the offenders own ignorance, fear and/or insecurity.

Never the less it is imperative for all those who face these adversities to stand up and bring these issues to the forefront of social discourse. More so, it is important for he or she who was not personally offended to rally in support of the offended.

Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, or Buddhists no matter; check the Good Samaritan parable Luke 10:25-37.

We live a life where no one man is above the other, we are all interdependent and the world is round. It is for this reason why Rastafari say I and I, not me and you.

1 Love and Guidance

Read the story below that has been taken from the respective facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2309544631&ref=share:

PLEASE READ:

Amendment: The Ontario Human Rights Commission has been contacted rather than the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Hi Nicole & Johnny,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing this email to you both to share a story with you about a recent experience I had with your establishment. Please allow me to first let you both know that I am an employee of multi-national bank, which conducts regular business with your

restaurant in Richmond Hill. In fact, I was the first person at our organization to suggest we use your venue as a place to celebrate business events. Just for the record, I have negotiated a payment of more than $5,000 in one evening with your establishment, on behalf of my employer, which I recommended.

I visited your establishment on the evening of Saturday, April 28, 2007 to help celebrate a birthday of a friend, and stood in line for approximately one hour. Although this may be something your clients complain about, I

actually did not mind as I understood you were quite busy. However, what occurred afterwards was something I have never experienced in my 25 years in North America.

As I was close to the entry point of your establishment, one of your employees (doorman) approached me and stated that customers with headwear were not allowed into the restaurant. Your employee was referring to my

turban, which is a required article of faith for my religion; I am a proud turban-wearing Sikh.

I did not immediately take offense to his request, and attempted to convince him that my turban should not be considered as typical headwear,such as a hat or baseball cap. As you may know, Sikhs are a vital part of the proud Canadian community. Your employee mentioned he was only following orders given to him by the owner/manager of the establishment. Rather than causing a confrontational scene at your establishment (where many South Asians along with others who respected Sikhs were standing), I requested to speak with the person who gave the order.

Your doorman was kind enough to introduce me to the person who gave the order. The owner/manager was an older gentleman who I shook hands with immediately. I mentioned that I was a regular patron who regularly

conducted business with the restaurant on behalf of my employer, and tried to convince him that my headgear was a religious article, and should not be discriminated against. In fact, I let the owner/manager know that I, along with many of my turban-wearing friends, had frequented the venue numerous times in the past and were welcomed. However, your owner/manager eventually stated that this was his “sandbox” and he could do what he pleased.

I was offended, as a Canadian citizen, and trust you can empathize with my experience. I have never been targeted prior to tonight, as someone who should not receive standard client treatment, specifically because of my faith. I have traveled across the globe and I am sad to admit that the only location I have ever received such treatment was the country where I am a proud citizen of. There was no other reason, other than my religious head

covering, that I was not admitted into your venue, and your owner/manager openly agreed to that notion. Please allow me to reiterate by stating that your owner/manager stated the restaurant’s policy was not to grant access to anyone who wears any type of head covering. I will be glad to provide you with photographs of turban wearing Sikhs at your restaurant from just a

few weeks ago.

I discussed the situation with your owner/manager like a gentleman, and let him know that I no longer wanted to gain entry to his venue. I did not cause a dramatic scene in front of those still waiting to gain entry into your venue, although many did overhear the discussions and agreed that your owner/manager was wrong. My friends, who are non-turban wearing Canadians, were also quite offended and proceeded to speak with York Regional Police Officers who happened to be close in proximity. Everyone agreed that your owner/manager was wrong in denying me entry due to my religious head covering. Please also be aware that patrons who were standing in line who witnessed the interactions, have taken the time to track my friends and volunteered to come forward with their account of the event. These individuals are non-turban wearing Sikhs who I have never met before.

I appreciate you reading my full communication with you, as I wanted to paint an accurate picture of the night’s event. However, before I escalate this matter to the media, I want to give your owner/manager an opportunity

to apologize to me along with ensuring that no other proud turban-wearing Sikh must go through the humiliation that I endured tonight. The Sikh religion teaches forgiveness, and I wish to extend my hand to the person who wronged me tonight, even though it was in front of many people. Hence, I request that you forward this email to your owner/manager and request that he reach out to me at the contact information listed later in this message. I would like to speak with him personally and educate him about the Sikh faith, along with explaining to him the contributions Sikhs have made to Canada in breaking discriminatory barriers that apply to many immigrants.

I am forwarding this letter to two prominent Members of the Canadian Parliament to this message; Navdeep Bains and Lui Temelkovski. I want them both to know of this incident, and invite them to a meeting with your

owner/manager so we can put this matter behind us. In addition, I have also forwarded this email to the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund for their references. Moreover, I have also submitted this letter to

the Ontario Human Rights Commission. I strongly suggest you read the section regarding religious rights that is found on the Ontario Human Rights Commission web site. Furthermore, I am distributing this letter to

my friends and family, so they can learn about my experience.

I will not escalate this matter to the media until Friday, May 4, 2007. Your owner/manager must make contact with me before the aforementioned date and schedule a meeting to discuss the matter mentioned above. If your

owner/manager invites me to a meeting with the presence of the aforementioned Honorable Members of Parliament along with my legal counsel, I will delay any discussion with the media.

Please forward this to your owner/manager at your earliest convenience, as failure to do so will cause me to defend my integrity by making the media aware of your policies. My goal is not to defame your establishment, but

instead, to simply ensure that Canadian citizens are aware of your discriminatory policies.

I look forward to your response in a timely fashion.

Sincere Regards,

Gaurav Singh”

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