Sikh Awareness Program

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Sikh Awareness Program

• April 2004
• ltPresentergt

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Who are the Sikhs?

• Sikh means student or disciple
• Sikhism is worlds 5th largest religion, after
  Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism
• 26 million Sikhs worldwide
• 20 million in Punjab
• 1 million in North America
• 99 of the people wearing turbans in America are
  Sikhs

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Guru Nanak Birth of a Revolutionary

• Punjab (the land of Five Rivers)
• Born in 1469 Village Talwandi
• Socio-political environment
• Land divided by religion
• Ruled by invaders from Persia Afghanistan
• Rich exploited the poor
• Castes Untouchables had no rights
• Women had no role
• Superstitions Rituals
• Guru means Spiritual Enlightener

• Spread the revelation across 8000 miles on foot
• Defender of human rights and equality
• Tolerant of others perspective and freedom of
  choice
• Often used metaphor and analogy to communicate

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Basic Sikh Beliefs

• There is One God for all of creation, a loving
  Creator attainable through the Grace
• Loving remembrance and devotion of the One
• Absolute equality of humanity
• Living a moral, truthful and hardworking
  existence
• Selfless service towards the entire Creation
• Humility and loving action
• Defending the rights of the downtrodden and
  oppressed

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The Sikh Revolution Timeline
1400 AD
Guru Nanak was followed by nine Gurus (same
spirit).
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Evolution of Distinct Identity

• Distinct script Gurmukhi
• Distinct community - Sangat, Pangat, Dharamsala
• Education,
• Physical well being (wrestling)
• Liberation and empowerment of women
• Against Sati (widow immolation), Pardah (Veil)
• Supported widow remarriage
• Manji (Seats of Authority) system (22 Manjis)
• 4 women bishops and preachers
• Collection of money for social/religious causes
  (daswand)
• Distinct Ceremonies (birth, naming, marriage)
• People of the Book
• Adi Granth compiled and installed by the Fifth
  Guru
• Miri Piri (Temporal Spiritual)
• Sikhs were to lead active lives both in temporal
  and spiritual realms

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Formalization of Identity

• Baisakhi 1699
• Concept of Khalsa
• Saint Soldier
• 5 Ks
• Dedicated to service of Humanity
• Amrit
• A public declaration and
• A private commitment
• Singhs and Kaurs
• Caste/Class less society

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Guru Granth and Guru Panth

• After Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru
• Spiritual Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib (The Sikh
  scripture)
• 1430 pages
• The Gurus Experience of the Divine
• Also included were consistent teachings from
  Hindu and Muslim saints
• Gurmukhi script
• Temporal Guru, Guru Khalsa Panth
• (the charismatic Sikh community)

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Articles of Faith

• 5 Ks mandatory articles of faith
• Kesh Uncut hair
• Kirpan Religious sword
• Karra Steel bracelet
• Kangha Wooden comb
• Kachehra Boxer shorts

Kangha
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Dastaar the Turban

• Mandatory not a social or cultural article.
• Symbolic of sovereignty of humans.
• Always be recognized and duty bound to offer
  help.
• Sikhs wearing it for the last 500 years.
• Removal of turban in public is tantamount to a
  strip search.
• Stand for social justice of all people.

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Gurudwara Door to the Guru

• Everyone welcome
• Services typically held on Weekends
• Language Punjabi
• Langar (Community Kitchen)
• Local Contact Information
• Planned Visits

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Sikhs in North America

• Arrived around late 1890s
• Places
• California, Oregon and Washington
• British Columbia
• Farming Lumber Industry
• Immigration Barriers by 1920s

San Francisco Chronicle, April 6, 1899
Vancouver Diamond Jubilee 1897 Hong Kong Regiment
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Sikhs in America

• 1920s 1950s
• Reverse Immigration
• Freedom struggle against British imperialism
• Partition of Punjab 1947 bw. India and Pakistan
• 1950s today
• End of immigration controls
• Professionals, Extended Families
• Refugees (1980s and 1990s)

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Some Sikh Public Faces
Gurbax Singh Mahli First Turbaned Sikh in
Canadian Parliment
Palbinder Kaur Human Rights Lawyer
Baltej Singh Dhillon First Turbaned Sikh in
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Narinder Singh Kapani Father of Fiber Optics
T Sher Singh Recognized with the Order of Canada
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Some Sikh Public Faces
Nuvraj Singh Bassi University of Oregon Football
Player
Colonel Sekhon United States Army
Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Artists
Bhagat Singh Thind US Army 1912
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• CHALLENGES TODAY..

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Challenges after September 11, 2001

• HATE CRIMES and BIAS INCIDENTS
• Misunderstood and Targeted because of their
  turbans and appearance
• First 3 months More than 250 hate crimes
  recorded
• Vandalism, assault verbal/physical, fatalities
• Balbir Singh Sodhi first victim of Post 9/11
  Hate in Mesa, AZ
• His brother killed 9 months later in San
  Francisco, CA
• Events such as Iraq war continue to affect the
  community
• ltprovide local contextgt

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Challenges after September 11, 2001

• EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION
• Several cases of Sikhs being told to remove their
  turbans or they will be fired
• Before 9/11 employment discrimination was the
  biggest civil rights issue for Sikh-Americans,
  many are afraid that now hate crimes have gone
  down, employment discrimination will go up.
• Difficulties finding employment
• Racial Profiling airports/transportation and
  law enforcement
• Reinforcement of stereotypes
• NYPD no-turbans policy
• The Sikh Coalition and Amric Singh Rathour filed
  a federal lawsuit challenging the New York Police
  Departments (NYPD) no turban policy. Amric
  Singh was terminated by the NYPD in August 2001
  for refusing orders to remove his turban and trim
  his beard, both required by his religion

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Challenges after September 11, 2001

• SCHOOL HARASSMENT
• Since September 11, 2001, there has been a
  significant increase in violent attacks and
  bullying of Sikh students.
• Many of these attacks are by middle school
  children. In Seattle, Atlanta, New York,
  Maryland, Sikh children have been the target of
  violent attack because of their religion.

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Challenges after September 11, 2001

• KIRPAN
• Since September 11, 2001, the Sikh Coalition has
  defended six Sikhs who were prosecuted for
  wearing the kirpan from New York City to
  Wisconsin to Tennessee. Charges in all six cases
  were dismissed.
• There is no criminal intent in wearing a kirpan.
  It an article of faith.
• There are exemptions in many jurisdictions for
  boy scouts or knives salespersons to carry
  instruments whose blades are longer than the
  legal limit.
• Before 9/11, Sikhs were generally not arrested
  for wearing the kirpan.

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France Secularism?

• On December 11, 2003, a commission appointed by
  the government of France, issued a report
  recommending that all conspicuous articles of
  faith in French public schools be banned.
• These Signs Include
• Muslim Hijaabs
• Sikh dastaars
• Jewish Skullcaps
• Christian Crosses
• More than 5000 Sikhs live in the greater Paris
  area alone.
• This would effectively ban French Sikh children
  from being educated in French public schools.
• No French Sikhs were amongst the more than 200
  people interviewed in the six month preparation
  of the recommendation to the French president

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For more information, visit www.sikhcoalition.org
Or Email info_at_sikhcoalition.org