History and Experience of the Sikh Diaspora in the United States

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, as is the norm for religion in the United States with Christianity, which began with the teachings of Guru Nanak in North India during the 1400s. The word Sikh is a Punjabi word that means “learner” in English. Guru Nanak learned from the one “true teacher,” who is God, and also referred to as the Guru in Sikhism. Guru also has special meaning in Sikhism, the light that dispels all darkness, as opposed to other uses of Guru in India. Sikhism emerged from a region that was engaged in conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus, to which Guru Nanak was born. Guru Nanak did not choose sides in this conflict, but rather specified, “There is no Hindu or Muslim, so whose path shall I follow? I shall follow the path of God.” With that mindset and a personal experience with God, Guru Nanak began a religious movement that has lasted to this day. Important contributions to the movement come from his nine succeeding Gurus too (Bowker, 2006;

Growing up as a first generation Pakistani American Muslim not only came with the benefits of being exposed to different cultures, but it also came with a continuing challenge to incorporate the two cultures and my religion into the society we lived in. There was always a need to be more American, more Pakistani, while respecting the boundaries of religion. When we went to school, we weren’t American enough, when visiting Pakistan we were often labeled with the acronym ABCD- American Born Confused Desi. We were neither here, nor there. No matter how hard we tried to assimilate into the two societies, we could feel the absence of understanding and acceptance. This search for an identity not only allowed me to easily interact with people facing similar dilemmas, but it allowed me to embrace culture, religion, and people that were different.

The government should take strict measure against them. (add citation). He said despite promising before independence to improve the treatment of Sikhs and give them their own country. The government proceeded to utterly destroy the state of Punjab. Due to the partition Punjab was ruined both economically and socially. Instead of receiving even the minimal amount of government help, Sikhs began facing economical, social, religious discrimination. Punjab's agriculture industry was completely broken by the central government. Farmers faced unjustly higher taxes on their produce and had lower selling prices forced on their crops. the central government even went as far to banning selling their produce in other states because that would give them higher prices for their labour. Even the electricity produced in Punjab by dams in Punjab was not given to them, majority of it was diverted to neighbouring states and the small amounts given to them still cost more, a problem that still exists today. In addition to this seventy five percent of the water available in Punjab is given to other states. Also seventy percent of revenues produced by the people of Punjab to improve their states was given sent to other states, less than one percent of that revenue is used for the development of Punjab. the investment was the lowest in all of India, yet Punjab is also the state with the highest taxes. Soon Sikhs faced restrictions if they wanted to join the armed forces,

Sikhism remained relatively clustered in the Punjab, where the religion originated. After it became an independent state, the British took control but let them fight in the British army.

People from the Sikh religion are easily identifiable because they wear turbans for religious purposes. Often people outside the Sikh religion group Sikhs wearing turbans in the same category with the terrorists that caused 9/11. This misinformation has given rise to mistaken-identity related hate crimes against the Sikh people. For instance, the first anti-Muslim hate crime that occurred after 9/11 was actually against a Sikh man named Balbir Singh Sodhi. He managed a gas station in Mesa, Arizona and was gunned down by a man who wanted to kill “towel heads” for all the pain and suffering they caused the American people. This was only the first case of mistaken identity that would traumatize the Sikh community for years to

There are several instances in which Muslim Americans are discriminated against. The term "Muslim" used as a slur is "still acceptable in many parts of the country" and the fear that "Muslims are moving in and taking over" contribute to the prejudice and discrimination Muslims face. Such negative views, first observed in Khan's short narrative, are shown to be prevalent. These anti-Muslim sentiments discourage them from being politically invested because they are "concerned that public support from Muslims would hurt the candidate." Statistics further show the glaringly obvious absence of Muslim political activity compared to other religious groups, with only "51 percent of young Muslims are registered" as opposed to "78 percent of Protestants under 30 are registered." Muslim Americans are also severely underrepresented: "Currently, in the Senate, there are (...) no Muslim senators. In the House of Representatives, Keith Ellison, the first Muslim congressman in history, was elected in 2006 and was joined by the second, Andre Carsen, in 2008. By comparison, there are currently 33 Jewish and 14 Mormon Representatives." This data confirms the veracity of Khan's claims, that American political life is missing a Muslim presence, effectively convincing the reader of her truthfulness and position. The author is not making unfounded allegations, there is actual proof to support them, and facts cannot be

In 1998 a convert to Islam who showed up at work wearing a headscarf was told by her employer at domino’s unless you take that stupid thing off you have to leave. The employer soon learned his response to her was more than rude. (Diane, A New Religious America pg. 492-493). Religion is displayed everywhere we go, raither we like it or not. Like offices, schools, stores, and many businesses. There will be someone who shows that they are religious and there are going to be some that are afraid to show any signs that they are religious.

Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much

In the article “An Imam in America”, author Andrea Elliott (2006) argues that flexibility and creativity should be given higher priority in Islam or other religions when it comes to the assimilation to the modernity of America. Her article is a fine illustration and narrative of the life an imam has to endure in America. Elliot (2006) mentions that in Egypt, where the imam was raised and educated, "imams are appointed by the government and monitored for signs of radicalism or political dissent."(Elliott, 2006). Consequently, there job is spiritual as well as political. However, his life in America proves to be the exact opposite of the training and environment he gained in Egypt. The liberality and modernity of America is a stark contrast to

Sikh leaders, Senators and representatives provided assistance by signing a letter that aided in changing the minds of the military. Articles of faith are seen as an extension of the Soldier versus a threat to regulations and standards of the military. Sikhs are often mistaken as Muslim extremist because of the way they dress. Time, communication and education has changed the minds of decision makers to understand that the way a person dresses does not constitute their behavior or intentions. Sikhs maintain their hair and beard in a neat presence and abide by regulations as

Muslims have been serving in the United States military since the American Revolutionary War. They have also served in World War I, World War II, Vietnam War. Also, Muslims has fought in a recent war to Gulf War, Iraq War, and War in Afghanistan. During the Civil War over two hundred and ninety Muslim fought. The highest ranking Muslim during that war was Captain Moses, Osman. WWI and WWII there was 138,000 Sikh fighting as part of the U.S. forces in 2011. There was approximately 3500 American Muslims serving in the Army.

In this essay I am going compare and contrast the rituals/ practices parts of sikhism and judaism. As we discussed in class, Sikhism is Monotheistic religion that was found in Punjab Pakistan in 1469 AD by Guru Nanak Dv Ji. The worship place for this religion is the Gurdwara. In my site visit to the Gurdwara I learned that this place open 24 hour and anyone may enter it no matter their faith, caste or skin color. I also learned that There are daily prayers and the three pillars of sikhism are to remember god at all time, to live your life honestly/with integrity and to share what you have with those less fortunate. In addition, Every day Sikhs worship the one God at their homes, even with or without a Gurdwara service. As we learned in class that in sikhism statues and pictures are not allowed. Furthermore, there is no prophets in Sikhism, only direct relation with god without mediator. The three jewels in Sikhism are Naam Japna,Kirat Karni and Vand chakna (Living Religions page . Additionally, Skishis do not drink intoxicating drinks and most of them are vegetarian. Also, sikhs wear the 5 KS which are Kangha,Kara,Kachera,Kirpan and Kesh. According to the book Living Religion in Skisham , Men should wear turbans and

Living in the United States, may detach some people from their culture but in my case, I have increased my knowledge in my culture much more than I knew before. Punjabi culture is evident from Punjabi philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music, cuisine, architecture in all the countries. There are some little things that I understood when I moved to the United States such as about Gatka. Gatka is a traditional South Asian form of combat-training, developed by Sikhs, in which wooden sticks are used to simulate swords in sparring matches, basically Indian martial Art. They teach it at the Sikh Temple and when I see kids doing it, I feel like doing it too but I can not because you have to Amrit Sanchar (also called Khande di

Immigrants make up 20.6% of Canada’s total population or about 6 775 800 people (Chui). The effect of a large population of immigrants within Canada is a diverse collection of languages, traditions, and religions. Although two-thirds of the Canadian population affiliate with Christianity, Islam is the second largest religion in the country. Over one million people or 3.2% of the total population identifies as Muslim, which is a collective term for those who practice Islam (Chui). Although Canada is a very diverse country many are unfamiliar with the traditions of Islam. One of the most noticeable yet misunderstood Islamic traditions is the decision to wear a headscarf. Many Muslim women wear these headscarves, which can vary in size, coverage,

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants linked with al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks on different locations in the United States. More than 3,000 people were unrighteously killed. This tragedy affected Americans everywhere, but one specific religion was attacked twice; first by terrorists, then by their fellow Americans. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that thrives for justice, equality, and honest conduct and livelihood. They make up the world’s fifth largest religion, but are greatly misunderstood as Muslim because their appearance embraces unshorn hair, a beard, and turban for those who are Amritdhari or Keshdhari. Since 9/11, thousands of incidents of hate crimes, racial bullying, and racial profiling against