The honor is unprecedented, according to The Sikh Coalition, a New York-based nonprofit, and comes at a time of increasingly polarizing political rhetoric and a number of alleged hate crimes across the United States against Sikhs. Diwali, a festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs, symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.
In an email to NBC News, Simran Jeet Singh, senior religion fellow at The Sikh Coalition, noted that the recognition for Ahulawalia was significant, too, at a time when divisive rhetoric has overshadowed politics. "Given our current political climate and the rampant hate violence that is plaguing our nation, this gesture from the city sends the message that all Americans deserve basic human dignity and that we value one another deeply, no matter how we might look or what we might believe," Singh said.
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