US Sikhs tap Obama, Clinton strategists to raise awareness

Washington: Sikhs in the US have tapped the services of top political strategists of President Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton to launch a nationwide media campaign to raise awareness about the community in the country.

Pollster Geoff Garin, chief strategic advisor to Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, recently completed a comprehensive study of Sikhs in America on behalf of National Sikh Campaign (NSC).

The study would be released in Washington next month.

This report will pave the way for NSC to begin larger advertisement and media collaborations with political consulting firm AKPD founded by David Axelrod -- one of President Obama's main campaign strategists, a media release said.

According to the statement, the report discusses how different Americans perceive Sikhism today while also disclosing the facts, images and stories, the Sikh community needs to convey to effectively build positive awareness in America.

"This study will help our community because we now know what we need to be communicating and whom we need to be communicating with to build awareness - which is critical for a brighter, violence-free future in America," said Gurwin Singh Ahuja, co-founder and executive director of NSC.

"This future hinges on our ability to effectively tell our fellow citizens that our values are their values, that Sikh values are American values," he said.