In Conservation: Sikhism, Islam, and Hinduism
Published on The Washington Post. By Vineet Chander, Valarie Kaur and Najeeba Syed-Miller One week after the Sikh shootings in Oak Creek, Americans have learned more about the Sikh community, many for the first time. A brief introduction to Sikhism has caused people to wonder about the relationship between Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam. Each religion is a distinct tradition with unique sets of beliefs, practices and values, and at the same time, all three have coexisted for many hundreds of years in the South Asian region of the world. India
U.S. Military, Open Your Doors to Sikhs
Published on The Washington Post. One day after Wade Michael Page opened fire and killed six Sikh Americans at a Milwaukee temple, the head of the U.S. Air Force Academy confused Sikhs with Muslims during a briefing before students and staff. Lt. Gen. Michael Gould is superintendent of the Colorado Springs military school. His job is to help educate, train and inspire the 4,000 young men and women at the academy to become “officers of character,” according to the school’s mission statement. Yet this highly decorated, well-educated military leader
A New Generation of Sikh Americans Step Up
Published by The Washington Post. On Friday morning, I arrived at a conference at the White House to speak on the future of the Sikh American community. On a panel, I reported on a rising generation of Sikhs who are reinterpreting their faith and finding innovative ways to serve their country. As I spoke, I caught students in the audience, listening and nodding. Afterward, they swarmed me and shared their brightest new ideas. I was moved, energized, and filled with hope for the future of our community. Forty-eight hours
Today, We Are All American Sikhs
Published on CNN. Today, the day after the tragic shootings near Milwaukee, the fog will begin to lift. Just as after Columbine and Aurora, we will hear the names of the suspect and victims. We will learn more about the motive and imagine the nightmare that unfolded within those walls. In the past, hearing these horrific details would be enough to bring us together in national unity. But that will not be enough today. Today, we are called to do more. We are called to do the hard work
We Are All Sikhs Today
This morning's shooting is a tragedy not only for Sikh Americans but for all Americans. The Sikh community gathered to pray on a Sunday morning just like millions of Americans in churches across the country. The terrible loss of life so recently after the shootings in Aurora violates our deepest values. The grief runs especially deep for Sikh Americans. We see our own gurdwara on the television screen; we imagine our own aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, caught in the gunfire. As a Sikh American whose family
Calling on American Companies to Stand Up to Bigotry
All-American Muslim is TLC's bold new reality TV show that follows Muslim American families in Dearborn, MI. It has all the features of reality television – funny, dramatic, sensational, addictive – but it also tackles real-world struggles: family and marriage, racism, religious conflict, and how life changed after 9/11. It made me excited – the first truly mainstream portrait of Muslims in America. Last week, fringe anti-Muslim groups pressured American companies to pull their advertising dollars from the show – and it worked! Lowe's Home Improvement caved in.
All-American Muslim… Sikh, et al.
For the last decade, we have heard demands for mainstream Muslims to come out of the shadows, to speak out against terrorism, and reclaim their faith. What better way to tell one's stories than though film and television? And what is more quintessentially American these days than telling one's story through reality TV? This fall's new TLC show All-American Muslim takes on the daring project of depicting Muslim families as real people. Anti-Muslim groups selected the show as its most recent target, calling upon advertisers to pull ads
Discrimination Lingers in Post-9/11 Era
By Amelia Earnest Published by Yale Daily News. A decade after the Sept. 11 attacks, Yale students are still discussing their effect on the way minorities are perceived in the United States. The South Asian Society at Yale, in collaboration with the Yale Chaplain’s Office and two other student groups, held a forum Monday night for reflection on racial profiling in the post-9/11 world as part of a series of University-wide events commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the attacks. The evening’s discussion addressed societal issues that have developed since 9/11, such
Activism and Outreach From 9/11 Hate Killing
By Anju Kaur Published by SikhNN. A new kind of activism was born out of the Balbir Singh Sodhi tragedy ten years ago when he became the first person killed in the backlash against those perceived to be related to the 9/11 attackers. About 100 people gathered at his Mesa, Arizona, gas station to remember Balbir Singh who was gunned down on Sept. 15, 2011. He was shot because of his Sikh identity of unshorn hair and turban. His attacker, Frank Roque, went on a rampage, shooting him five times