It was only when my freshman Social Studies teacher went beyond the curriculum and taught the class about Sikhism did I feel more comfortable being myself. My religion-Sikhism- is important to me. Unfortunately, many Americans are uneducated about it, and my student body serves as an example. 80% of the students in my grade at Francis Parker are Caucasian. When I first came to study here, not only was I intimidated by this, but the students were insensitive towards my faith.
Sikhism tells me not to cut my hair. However many students would come up to me and comment on how unhealthy my hair looked. Some would even say that my hair would look much better short, after I informed them that long hair was a part of my religion. Furthermore, many
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.
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
Sikhs believe that you reap what you sew. If you do something bad then eventually that bad deed will catch up to you and you will pay for it. Such ideas are expressed through karma, much like the Hindu belief in karma, Sikhs belief in many lives after death as a result of the karma in the life you just lived. Sikhs disagree with Hinduism when it comes to karma in that they do not believe that people are defenseless beings. In Sikhism the cycle of life and death is regarded as the ultimate punishment and can only be overcome if they conduct themselves in line with the teachings of the Gurus by being Guru-oriented as opposed to being self-oriented (Kalsi,225). In Hinduism there are many gods that are worshiped and many pictures of these gods which is not accepted in Sikhism. The Gurus in Sikhism are considered to be disciples of god but not god himself therefore is not to be worshiped. They were not to be considered divine but enlightened teachers (“History of Sikhism”,
An interesting point that I found out from these sources was that Sikhs believe in reincarnation and not on the Day of Judgment. Another surprising thing which I never knew before reading these resources was that it is obligatory for Sikh men and women to wear five articles of faith all time. These include:
When I started going to school in Canada I felt pressured to redefine my identity and felt pressured to take my hijab off because I wanted to fit, I wanted other people to see me like they would see any other person. I wanted to let my long, thick, black hair out. I wanted it to dance in the wind, blow around wildly in different directions. I remember people asking me don’t you want to show your hair or don’t you get hot wearing hijab. I would tell them, of course, I want to take it off, but I can’t and they would ask me why, but I had no answer even though I was wearing hijab I didn’t know why I was wearing hijab, I didn’t know what it meant and what was the purpose of wearing hijab. So, I asked my mom, I read some books just to find out what does wearing hijab
Those who are raised within one religious tradition may find it difficult to understand the traditions of another religion. It is not until one is educated in the basics of the other major world religions, that it is possible to see the many similarities between them. Just as there are many similarities between the countries culturally, the major religions share more things than they are different. In viewing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with an open mind, it is easy to see the differences, similarities and ideals that make these religions as widespread as they are.
Throughout my elementary school years, I went to an all-Muslim school. Most of my friends and teachers were Muslims, so my transition into a traditional public middle school felt overwhelming. I was not prepared for the following years of criticism I would endure simply because of my background. In a post-9/11 world, I grew up having to accept my religion publically being viewed as a symbol for hate, yet I was raised knowing that my religion was synonymous with peace and love. Throughout my pre-teen and early teenage years, I found out that many people believed that Muslims were not American or that Muslims could not have an American identity. It is for that reason I felt that it was my duty as a Muslim-American to open up the conversation
As a Christian coming from the Islamic dominated Middle East, I not only bring the unique ethnical and socioeconomic background, but also a slew of life experiences. Along with my experiences, my diverse college studies bring a distinctive well-roundedness to an incoming student cohort. Growing up as a Christian in an Islamic culture, I learnt what it means to belong to a persecuted misunderstood minority. This gave me a unique understanding of dealing with the multitude of minorities in our society. It is almost impossible to describe the feelings and the pressures that affect those who are living as minorities in a society. Those feelings can only be understood through first-hand experience. Therefore, I am able to bring this unique experience
In high school I did everything I could to prevent being discriminated for my ethnic and religious background, by 11th grade I recruited some of my fellow peers and formed the Muslim Student Community. My motivation to create this club was to help incoming freshman make friends through the club and through our community service events we hope to show others that we aren’t as different from them.
Growing up in America you get introduced and exposed to new ideas and cultures everyday. Especially living in Los Angeles which is a melting pot of many different cultures and beliefs. It’s difficult to think of a time I’ve had a problem or struggle with a new experience. However, I have had a minor struggle with the feeling acceptance in different cultures. Facing new experiences can be amazing and a way of learning new ideology and beliefs. Different cultures have many different ways of thinking and have different belief systems and it can be difficult to fit in properly. With the experiences I have faced I try to enjoy and respect them as much as possible but, there is still a small feeling of not truly fitting in. I’ve learned to overcome
Within the past couple of weeks, I had the opportunity to engage in a religious minority event. I attended the Hillel Jewish Center here on Purdue’s campus. Hillel is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, and I found it very fascinating that I got to take part in this new learning experience. I am from a small town where everyone knows everyone, and there is very little diversity in race or ethnic groups. I was raised in a Christian family and I attended church every Sunday. I have never been around such diversity until I came to Purdue. Through my education classes, and the events that I have attended on campus my cultural knowledge has grown so much since I first started attending Purdue. I had very little knowledge of the
As a child, I didn’t think my life’s situations and experiences were too different from others being a Muslim in Canada. I only came to the realization of this as I grew older. Living as a Muslim we celebrated different holidays, wore different types of clothing, and valued things differently. I grew up in Cambridge, Ontario, and only moved to Mississauga in the ninth-grade grade where I realized how much differently I was treated. It wasn’t always ignorance; they were just unknowledgeable and unaware and I couldn’t blame them as I was apart of a religious minority. I looked at the understanding of my life’s events being apart of an Islamic subculture from a conflict theorist’s perspective where social life was looked at as “privileged groups
In a country founded on religious freedom. The debate of having religion in our public school system has been the source of and enormous conflict. This question dates back further than the 19th century but its still foundation of many heated discussions that presently takes place in this day and age. The vast majority oppose to the thought of religion being present in our public school system. Relying on “The First Amendment” of the US Constitution. Which states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. This amendment also established “The Separation of Church and State” which is the political and legal doctrine that establishes that religious and government institutions
An example of how Marbury v. Madison has affected me is how religion is perceived in the school setting. There are court cases challenging religion in school that have been ongoing since the 1950s and '60s when the U.S. Supreme Court first ruled in favor of maintaining separation between church and state. In public schools like my own students, as well as teachers, are forced to stay hush about religion unless it is a lesson in the class they are needing to teach. This constitutional matter of separation of church and state has made students more comfortable in their learning environment. Yes, I am a Christian, a believer in the lord, but when religion is not talked about there is no negativity around your own beliefs, and I respect that decision.
I was born into a family of mixed cultures and religions. My father was Christian and my mother was of an Islamic descent. I was always respectful to any religion, regardless of it’s beliefs, because it is a symbol of devotion and peace. When I grew up, I was fascinated to see how quickly Islam started to spread in Western parts of the world. My fascination was also followed by disbelief of how ignorant and cruel anti-islamic activists were, blaming every single act of terror and violence onto a religious group. I could believe it on a global scale, but I never knew it was something that could wait for anyone wearing hijab, right around the corner. In my first semester at Hawaii Pacific University, I decided to wear hijab to school, just