Sikh priest scripts history, offers prayers at Republican convention

Published August 30, 2012 | 6:29 pm

SAANJ NEWS
Ishwar SinghTampa: Ishwar Singh, president of the Sikh Society of Central Florida , created history  at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, becoming the first Sikh American in US history to deliver an invocation at a national party convention.

For the first time in U.S. history, a Sikh American gave the invocation at a Republican National Convention.

Singh was invited to the convention by the Indian American governor of South Carolina’s, Nikki Haley’s father. However Singh clarified that his being there had nothing to do with his political beliefs. “I accepted the invitation without thinking of whether I’m going to a Democrats convention or with the Republican. To me this was a national platform to show what my religion is all about,” he said.

“It was a great day for me and the Sikh community,” Singh said after creating history.

“It is a great honour for me to be here today as a Sikh and as an American. I am proud that my country cherishes the values of freedom, equality and dignity,” Singh, sporting a white pagri, said in his remarks in front of thousands of Republicans who had gathered from all across the country to nominate Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate.

Singh was invited for the invocation by the Republican party as part of its “healing touch” effort towards the Sikh community which was shocked and shattered by the killing of six worshippers in a gurdwara in Wisconsin on August 5.
(agencies)
Posted by on August 30, 2012. Filed under COMMUNITY. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry