A response to your petition on the release of Jathedar Hawara:

Thank you for taking the time to sign a We the People petition on Sikh leader Jathedar Hawara.

The President has made clear that our nation's deep respect for religious liberty and pluralism must not stop at our shores. In an address to the people of India last year, the President stressed the importance of these fundamental principles to both our democracies:

"In both our countries, in India and in America, our diversity is our strength. And we have to guard against any efforts to divide ourselves along sectarian lines or any other lines. And if we do that well, if America shows itself as an example of its diversity and yet the capacity to live together and work together in common effort, in common purpose; if India, as massive as it is, with so much diversity, so many differences is able to continually affirm its democracy, that is an example for every other country on Earth."

The United States remains committed to coordinating with governments around the world to promote religious freedom for all citizens. We encourage you to continue to use the We the People platform to petition the Administration to take action on the policy issues you care about, but we cannot comment here on the specific foreign criminal justice matter raised in your petition.

You can read the full Terms of Participation to get a better sense of why We the People is designed the way it is, and to learn more about its guidelines for use.

Thanks again for raising your voices.

-- The We the People Team