Turban Myths: The Opportunities And Challenges For Reframing Sikh American Identity In Post-9/11 America (original) (raw)

TURBAN MYTHS: Reframing Sikh American Identity In Post-9/11 America

11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 12 SCOPE 15 METHODOLOGY 18 HATE & BIAS 19 BACKGROUND ON SIKHS 23 RESULTS & ANALYSIS 63 CONCLUSION 64 SELECTED REFERENCES ABSTRACT How does a growing minority community in the US prepare itself to prevent and/ or respond to hate crimes when advocacy alone has not been effective? That was the question posed by the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) in the summer of 2013 when it commissioned the Stanford Peace Innovation Lab to conduct a study on perception of Sikh Americans and to develop recommendations based on the Lab's conceptual framework of "behavior design" -an emerging science that applies the precepts of behaviorial psychology to optimize technology and communication programs for behavioral outcomes. A combination of conditions -America's profound lack of knowledge of the Sikh community, widespread American bias against the turban, the limits of advocacy in the context of hate and bias -makes the case for a series of community-designed interventions optimized for more positive behavioral responses to the turban and "the people who wear them." Drawing on a number of data resources, community surveys, and academic studies the SALDEF/Stanford initiative presents a new approach to managing a specific cultural bias that may have an impact on how other communities manage their relations in an increasingly multicultural world.

Young Sikhs and Identity: The Turban &Terrorism

Young Sikhs in a Global World, June 18-19, 2013 at Lund University, Sweden For some Sikh Youth the tragedy on 9/11 was a turning point in how the turban was viewed by the general public and media. They were certain that the public and media considered the turban to have connotations with religious extremism. A number of leaders even went onto various channels to educate people about the distinctiveness of the Sikh dastar. For initiated Khalsa Sikhs they are required to wear a turban as a religious obligation. As a result of this perception some turbaned-Sikhs have been victims of racial violence and had their identity challenged by calls to assimilate into Western societies. A number of Sikhs and Gurdware were then attacked, resulting in a number of deaths. Sadly, the hate crimes culminated in the Wisconsin shootings, which was again a case of mistaken identity. The various Sikh channels, websites, all had a frenzy of activity at these various times, with lengthy discussions about how to tackle this issue ‒ many going into deep discussion about the ins and outs of Sikh theology and codes of discipline known as rahitnāme. This paper seeks to address how the youth in this situation consolidated their identity within the wider communities they live in. For some Sikh youth it reinforced their identity, while for others they sought to make the image softer and modern. In many instances they re-negotiated and reinterpreted what it meant to wear a turban, and attempted to bridge the old with the new.

Reflections on the Experiences of Turbaned Sikh Men in the Aftermath of 9/11

Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology

The murder of Trayvon Martin is a painful reminder of the violence perpetuated towards subjugated groups who are often deemed suspicious because of the color of their skin and/or clothing. The association of the hoodie and Black skin with being a member of a violent group is an association that is familiar for Sikh men. Many today are unaware of how Sikh men have been vilified because of their skin color and turbans. The terrorist attacks, which occurred on September 11, 2001, had a significant impact on turbaned Sikh men living in North America. These men have been targeted since then because of their shared visual image with the perpetrators of 9/11. This brief reflection discusses the experiences of discrimination these men have experienced, gives examples of psychological and relational injuries related to 9/11, and offers personal and professional lessons learned through conversations with turbaned Sikh men on their experiences.

Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs

Sikh Formations, 2011

Opinderjit Kaur Takhar's Sikh Identity begins with the question 'Who really is a Sikh?' (1), and explores this question through a study of diverse groups with claims or historical connections to self definition as 'Sikhs'. This question of 'who is a Sikh?', and the related question of 'who has the authority to decide who is a Sikh?', run as continuous threads throughout the book. One of Takhar's central theses, that 'there is no authoritative yardstick with which to address the issue of Sikh identity' (4), will undoubtedly be provocative to many Sikhs, but probably less so to scholars of religion who have inclined in recent years toward talking about 'Hinduisms', 'Judaisms', and 'Christianities', etc. Takhar's Sikh Identity can be seen as an exploration of Sikhisms, not in the sense of multiple distinct religions, but in the sense of an analysis of multiple diverse ways of being Sikh (in her own wording, there are '.. .many varieties of Sikhs in the Panth' (34), and a recognition of the diversity within what a term like 'Sikhism' points to. The book's brief (three-and-a-half-page) 'Introduction' lays out the central questions Takhar will address. Most of these key questions relate to the Rehat Maryādā and whether its Khālsā-normativity can be utilized as an authoritative measure of 'who is a Sikh?' when a large percentage of those who self-identify as Sikhs either (knowingly or not) do not fully adhere to its prescriptions, or do not recognize it as authoritative. It is somewhat curious that Takhar begins the book by asserting that, no, the Rehat Maryādā, and Khālsā-normativity, cannot be held up as authoritative for all Sikhs, because in the later chapters she continuously utilizes the Rehat Maryādā as a measure of normative or 'general Sikhism' with which to compare each group in terms of their beliefs and practices. I will discuss this more below. The book's first full chapter, titled 'Who is a Sikh? Historical perspectives', charts an historical overview of questions and issues surrounding Sikh identity and self definition, from the time of Gurū Nanak to Gurū Gobind Singh, through the Singh Sabha reforms, and into the modern era. Citing the work of Harjot Oberoi, W.H. McLeod, and Pashaura Singh, Takhar discusses the increasing 'institutionalization' of the Sikh Panth under each successive Gurū. Takhar draws out the questions raised by Gurū Nanak's emphasis on 'internal devotion', and the seeming change presented by the external requirements of the Khālsā form instituted under Gurū Gobind Singh. Perhaps because 'institutionalization' is a delicate and potentially controversial issue, at times Takhar seems

Second Generation Sikhs in the US: Consensus and Differences (1998)

Sn one of the last days of a Sikh Studies conference held at the :niversity or' Michigan in 1994, a young second generation Sikh 'Olnan stood up and spoke with great personal bittemes.;: 'We don't lVen want to have anything to do with the gurdwaras, our fathers ~ghting like animals the way they do there; we women won't stoop tc _et mixed up in things like that.' Hers was a strong statement of ~enation, and it indicated a major structural problem of religious ~ansmission. If young Sikh women tum away from the gurdwaras, lwhat will happen to the Sikh faith in the United States? And it is not just young women, but many young men as well, who reportedly find -rdwara politics a barrier to theu enthusiastic participation in their ~ncestral religion. ~~-If the gurdwara is not a central institution for members of the ~ §econd generation, young people born or being brought 'JP in the US, fhow do these young Sikhs conceive of their religion ~nd,their identity? ~t are their ideas about the gurdwaras and the external markers 'like turbans and the 5 Ks? What beliefs and practices are of central ' · Significance to them, and how have they learned Sikhism?

Sikhism

The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives, 2017

Some Westerners sees Sikhism as a blend of Hinduism and Islam, a popular misconception, and others fail to comprehend this religion while seeing it in terms of sports and military activities. This kind of uninformed judgment can arise when individuals judge a religion by observing the activities of the believers rather than through reading the scriptures. At the same time, misguided believers of various faiths may engage in armed conflicts and terrorism, justifying their activities by quoting and misinterpreting the principles and teachings of the faith.

Chronicles of Sikhism: Portrayal of origination of Sikh religion and its headways

The Sikh religion, which was created over five centuries ago and was a progressive religion well ahead of its time, it now has a global following of over twenty million people and is the world's fifth largest religion. Sikhism preaches a message of constant devotion and remembrance of God, true life, and human equality, while condemning superstitions and blind rituals. The teachings of Sikhism's ten Gurus are inscribed in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, and are open to all. But Sikhism is much more than just the teachings of the gurus or the mass following or social servitude, it's a long saga of valor, heroism and unwavering devotion, there are multiple shades of the same ism that have been left ununderstood and its high time for us to understand the truth behind this valorous clan who even today stand bold against all odds.