Statement from Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin on Racist Comments Directed at South Jersey Sikh Leader

“The remarks made about Giani Surinder Singh following his prayer on the House floor are offensive, ignorant, and fundamentally un-American. Singh is a respected religious leader in South Jersey whose life and faith exemplify service, humility, and peace—values that transcend any one faith or tradition and speak to the best of who we are as a nation. The suggestion that his presence or his prayer was somehow unwelcome in the People’s House is not only wrong, it’s a dangerous attempt to rewrite who gets to belong in America. Our nation was founded on the principles of religious freedom and pluralism, not religious litmus tests.

“Just last month, we were honored to have a…