Reports of Obama not visiting Golden Temple disappoint Sikhs

The influential American Sikh community here has expressed its disappointment over reports that US President Barack Obama has dropped Golden Temple from his schedule during his November visit to India.

While no official announcement has been made on the itinerary of Obama's trip, Sikh Coalition - a Washington-based advocacy group - said that numerous news outlets, including The New York Times, have indicated that he has cancelled a scheduled trip to the Golden Temple over what headgear he should wear in the shrine.

Sikh practice requires that any person who enter a Sikh place of worship should cover the head.

News reports indicate there is a fear that the US president may appear to be a Muslim and so face negative political consequences in the United States if he appears at the Golden Temple with a head covering, the group said in a statement.

"If the reported reasons for the President's cancellation are true, we're very disappointed," Education director of Sikh Coalition, Manbeena Kaur said.

"The Golden Temple, at its core, welcomes people of all backgrounds, religions, and cultures. The President's visit would have been a great way to underscore the message of respect for all. It is shame that this trip may not happen," she added.

Noting that since the 9/11 tragedy misperceptions about this appearance have led to hate attacks and discrimination against Sikhs across the country, the Sikh Coalition said it has recorded over 900 incidents of biasness against the community since the 9/11.

These incidents often occur because the perpetrators believe Sikhs to be Muslim or of Middle Eastern origin, it said.

"We hope the President visits the Golden Temple. His visit would be an important 'teachable moment' in which the President could demonstrate America's commitment to religious pluralism and respect for all," Kaur said

Early this week, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama's India schedule has not been finalised yet.

"Look, it's a big country. We would love to spend a lot more than the three allotted days that we have in India. This trip will focus our business in the cities of Mumbai and New Delhi. But we pick where we're going to go on trips based on what we hope to accomplish," Gibbs said on Wednesday.

"We pick sites on foreign trips based on what the president wants to accomplish. We've not finalised the schedule for Asia, including India, yet. We hope to do that over the course of the next week," he had said.