Former US assistant attorney general Harmeet K Dhillon has hit back at critics who criticized her Sikh prayer at the 2024 Republican National Convention, saying she would no longer remain silent about attacks on her faith. Dhillon explicitly said that her hands were tied when she was part of the Donald Trump administration, but now she won’t stay silent, she said.In a lengthy post on X on Monday, Dhillon spoke about her late husband, who watched her offer prayers in the Sikh tradition during the RNC and told her in one of their last text exchanges that he was proud of her. She said he had been expected to attend the convention but could not make it at the last minute because he was battling two serious illnesses.“Our medical staff at home took care of him while he watched me pray in our faith tradition,” Dhillon wrote, adding that they followed the same tradition of praying together at home before every meal.Dhillon said her husband’s message of pride was among their last exchanges before he died a couple of weeks later.She also addressed criticism she had faced over the past two years for her public display of Sikh faith. Calling Sikhism one of the faiths that Americans practice, Dhillon said she had been deeply hurt by those who denigrated her prayer but had refrained from responding because she was involved in a political campaign and subsequently an administration confirmation process.“It’s over. I won’t be silent any longer,” she wrote.Invoking the First Amendment, Dhillon challenged her critics to examine her 34-year record of defending religious liberty for people of all faiths in the United States.“Go read the First Amendment and my extensive record on behalf of ALL people of faith in America. For 34 years,” she said, inviting critics to compare their records with hers.Dhillon said she intended to continue fighting for people of all faiths in the country for the rest of her life. However, she made clear that she would not conceal her own religious identity.“But I won’t hide my own faith for one second. It’s protected by our Constitution,” she wrote.
What was the controversy over her Sikh prayer at the RNC?
Dhillon recited the Ardas, a Sikh prayer, during the opening night of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15. Her prayer included a reference to the oneness of God and a prayer for America and its voters, as well as gratitude for the survival of Donald Trump after the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania two days earlier.As she exited from the administration, two days after GOP’s midterm rout, the video of her offering the Sikh prayer was dug up. MAGA rejoiced her exit calling it a “good riddance” as Dhillon is not a Christian.The prayer triggered a backlash from some conservative and Christian commentators, with some questioning why a Sikh prayer was included at a Republican convention. Others defended Dhillon, arguing that religious freedom applied to people of all faiths.
Who was Harmeet K Dhillon’s husband?
Harmeet Dhillon’s late husband was Sarvjit Singh Randhawa, also known as Sarv Randhawa. They married in February 2011 an their marriage lasted more than 13 years before Randhawa died on August 2, 2024, following a prolonged struggle with Parkinson’s disease and cancer. Randhawa was a retired nuclear engineer.Before marrying Sarvjit Singh Randhawa, Harmeet Dhillon had been married twice. Her first marriage was to D Singh in 1989. The relationship ended in divorce in 1991. She later married Kanwarjit Singh in 1994. Their marriage lasted approximately ten years before ending in divorce in 2004.Born on April 2, 1969, in Chandigarh, India, Dhillon moved to the United States with her family during childhood. She attended Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia School of Law.
