Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

US drops Amritsar from Obama itinerary over headgear worries
Times of India ^ | 20 October 2010 | Times of India, New Delhi, India

Posted on 10/19/2010 8:03:30 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo

NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama will not visit Amritsar during his stay in India next month. While there was no official confirmation from the government, sources said the proposal to visit Amritsar had been dropped owing to reservations of US officials over the kind of scarf Obama would have to wear to visit the Golden Temple.

The decision was yet to be communicated to the government till late on Tuesday. However, sources said Obama, who will arrive in Mumbai on November 6, will directly come to Delhi now after a day's stay in the country's commercial capital. Earlier, he was to fly to Amritsar from Mumbai for a brief visit to the Golden Temple.

Sources said a team of US officials, which visited Amritsar last month, had expressed concern that Obama wearing the traditional headscarf might lead to "misinterpretation" that he is a Muslim. The US is wary of giving any such impression.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: amritsar; bho44; bhofail; drops; elections; fail; golden; goldentemple; headgear; idiot; india; islam; islamofascism; itinerary; muslims; obama; obamabow; obamaindiatrip; scarf; sikh; temple; worries
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-77 last
To: AmericanInTokyo

He is a Muslim!


61 posted on 10/20/2010 9:51:24 AM PDT by upcountryhorseman (An old fashioned conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DeFault User

Buckwheat cakes I presume.


62 posted on 10/20/2010 9:54:18 AM PDT by upcountryhorseman (An old fashioned conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: chilltherats
Sikhs do temples, not mosques. :)

I saw that after I hit "enter". I wish there was a way to edit things after posting; I'd have used it a hundred times by now. :)

63 posted on 10/20/2010 10:33:24 AM PDT by marron
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Wally_Kalbacken

What Temples are still on the President’s schedule, please?


64 posted on 10/20/2010 11:53:02 AM PDT by STD (Witnessing Another Greek Tragedy as Our Chief Executive Implodes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: AmericanInTokyo
0bama engaged in a game of hide and no Sikh?

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)

LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

65 posted on 10/20/2010 11:59:40 AM PDT by LonePalm (Commander and Chef)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AmericanInTokyo

The secret service wouldn’t let him go because all of the sikhs must carry a kirpan - a dagger for defense. Sometimes its in the turban.


66 posted on 10/20/2010 1:08:19 PM PDT by calico_thompson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos; munin; La Lydia

Not to mention, the violence in the 80s was from Pakistan-trained Khalistanis who, contrary to the origins of Sikhism, were pro-Muslim and anti-Hindu.


67 posted on 10/20/2010 1:52:25 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: AmericanInTokyo

Is the real reason the fact that as a muslim he can’t wear the headgear of a Sikh? Is that forbidden in Islam? Will he ask that the Sikhs God name or images be covered? Does Islam forbid him from entering a non muzzie place of worship?


68 posted on 10/20/2010 5:45:49 PM PDT by steve0 (My plan B: christianexodus.org/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SoftwareEngineer

Rush said Baraq should wear a yarmulke, that would satisfy the headgear possibility and DEFINITELY show he’s not Muzzie, LOL


69 posted on 10/20/2010 5:52:00 PM PDT by nascarnation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: marron

Me too. :)


70 posted on 10/20/2010 6:46:43 PM PDT by chilltherats (First, kill all the lawyers (now that they ARE the tyrants).......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: AmericanInTokyo

Actually I find it puzzling why they even agree to this jaunt in the first place.

He could’ve gone to a Hindu temple without covering his head, simply taking his shoes off as is the custom, much as Bush did when he went to the DC mosque right after 911 and stood with the CAIR guys.

And all he has to do is buy a handkerchief, sold outside by vendors, but knotting that on his head may have given him a Monty Pythonesque Gumby look.

Anyway, even in India, his star is way, way down, as the almost universal euphoria over his election has worn off, and the arms provided to Pakistan have jarred the military.


71 posted on 10/21/2010 11:27:54 AM PDT by swarthyguy (KIDS! Deficit, Debt,Taxes!Pfft Lookit the bright side of our legacy -Ummrika is almost SmokFrei!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: James C. Bennett; Cronos; marron; livius; Kenny Bunk; Shermy

Well, the Pakistan funded Khalistan movement is gone.

It took General Gill, himself a Sikh, to go decisively and hard after it. He also maintains a website call SATP.org (South Asia Terror Portal).

But a funny anecdote; one of the seeds of grievance was laid back in the 1960’s in the UK. Sikh immigrants sought help from the Indian government for redress of their grievances against the UK.

The Indian government, quite sensibly, told them, you have left India to go there, you deal with those issues yourself, the Indian government has enough on its hands without getting into being an advocate for you.

Then of course, in the 80’s, Pakistan and the ISI used the tsunami of funds coming in from America and Saudi Arabia to finance, train and nurture the Terror that overtook the Punjab in the 80’s.

However, despite all the carnage in Punjab, agricultual production never dropped, and the majority of Sikhs refrained from joining the Khalistanis.


72 posted on 10/21/2010 11:38:18 AM PDT by swarthyguy (KIDS! Deficit, Debt,Taxes!Pfft Lookit the bright side of our legacy -Ummrika is almost SmokFrei!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: swarthyguy

That’s interesting — do you have information on that UK incident and why that triggered off the terrorist activity?


73 posted on 10/23/2010 3:45:43 AM PDT by Cronos (This Church is Holy,theOne Church,theTrue Church,theCatholic Church - St. Augustine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: swarthyguy

INdians never supported Obama — though they were hesitant about McCain, the fact that Obama visited Pakistan and was/is a closet moslem gave them a good wake-up call. I hope he gets very little publicity in India so that all the news is about how the Democrats get thrashed in the elections


74 posted on 10/23/2010 3:56:02 AM PDT by Cronos (This Church is Holy,theOne Church,theTrue Church,theCatholic Church - St. Augustine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

It was a series of events in the mid to late 60’s and early 70’sin the UK over a period of a few years.

It concerned issues like discrimination in hiring, housing, dress codes and other cultural and social issues.

Wasn’t a rational reaction, after all, why would the Indian govt spend political capital watching out for emigres in their new country.

I do not recall where I read it, unfortunately. In an article on rediff/outlook/tehelka magazine site.

It wasn’t a primary cause, but did engender feelings of hostility in the Sikh diaspora in the UK and laid the groundwork as the Khalistani movement took off, fueled in part by money from Sikh immigrants in California who had moved there in the early part of the 20th century after migrating to Canada from India.


75 posted on 10/25/2010 11:32:07 AM PDT by swarthyguy (KIDS! Deficit, Debt,Taxes!Pfft Lookit the bright side of our legacy -Ummrika is almost SmokFrei!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

Well, the IndoAms in America were as infatuated as any other of their peers in suburban America.

In India, there was more skepticism but among the 20-30’s
demographic, a lot of adulation.

Although the cold water of Obama’s largesse to Pakistan rankles, Indians are more concerned with economic progress and do not view Obama’s Pakistan policy as that different from that of other Presidents for the past six decades.

However, he will get wall to wall 24/7 coverage from the plethora of news and entertainment channels. It’s a huge deal, a visiting US President.


76 posted on 10/25/2010 11:37:45 AM PDT by swarthyguy (KIDS! Deficit, Debt,Taxes!Pfft Lookit the bright side of our legacy -Ummrika is almost SmokFrei!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Wally_Kalbacken
What would he have to wear to the Golden Corral?

From what I've seen, apparently something sleeveless and ill-fitting.

77 posted on 10/25/2010 11:43:38 AM PDT by tnlibertarian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-77 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson