Islamophobia spreads to US Sikh community
Published: 16 October, 2009, 08:54
Edited: 17 October, 2009, 06:53
TAGS: Religion, Human rights, USA
Prejudice against the Muslim community in the US is spreading to other ethnic groups. Sikhs say they are facing discrimination from people who mistake them for followers of Islam because of their dress and skin color.
When Jasjit Singh and Rajdeep Singh Jolly walk down the street in their turbans, heads turn.
“I’ve been called Osama Bin Laden, I’ve been called Ayatollah Khomeini, I’ve been called a terrorist,” says Rajdeep.
Singh and Jolly say it's because people have no idea what religion they are and most take them for Muslims. Singh and Jolly are Sikh – a religious group historically stemming from India and not related to Islam.
“Well, some well-intentioned people try to strike up conversation and start off with icebreakers like: ‘Are you from Egypt?’ or ‘Do you speak Arabic?’ or ‘Are you a Shia or a Sunni Muslim?’” Rajdeep says.
Recent polls show that 40% of Americans admitted that they distrust Muslims. And because of their ignorance – Singh and Jolly end up bearing the brunt of a lot of the hatred. They say things really started heating up after 9/11.
“I distinctly remember going to New York and looking at the site of where 9/11 happened. And at that time someone walked by me and made a comment to me like, ‘You’ve come by to assess the damage huh?’” recalls Jasjit.
Even a Sikhs’ place of worship, the gurdwara, became a target for the intolerant. Eggs thrown through windows and graffiti are common occurrences.
For many Sikhs, wearing a turban is part of their identity, which doesn’t help in distinguishing them from followers of Islam.
In the days following 9/11, many Sikhs claim that they were racially profiled at airports. They say security officials were stepping up efforts to find terrorists, and Sikhs looked the part.
American Sikhs concede that, since the days after the fallout of 9/11, a lot of progress has been made. Yet because of their turbans Sikhs still can’t serve in the United States army, and in some states they can’t teach in public schools.
“The effect of many laws in this country is to make Sikhs and many other communities feel as though they are second class citizens,” believes Rajdeep.
Sikh activists Singh and Jolly say they have to defend their rights and believe they are leading the next civil rights movement in the United States.
16.10.2009, 03:53
5 comments
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This is just the sort of appaling ignorance that allows leaders in the US to start wars in foreign countries. It would now seem - with considerable evidence if you look at the locations the US military are active in / interfering in - that any country without a white, Christian, or Jewish, majority are 'fair game'. And the US think that they are the most advanced and civilised country on earth...................
There was a rash of attacks on Sikhs in Northern California right after 9-11; fortunately nobody was killed here in town. My neighbors at the time, who were Sikh, switched for a few weeks from wearing turbans to wearing baseball caps. One drunk man crashed his truck into a sacred pool in front of the local Sikh temple. I credit the local paper for publicizing the attacks and educating the population about the Sikhs. In recent years there have not been nearly as many problems, so it appears the education program worked. I can't say the same for all towns or NYC or Washington DC, though. Sikhs have been living here for a couple of generations, and they are gradually moving into positions of influence in various towns. So it behooves most people to avoid calling names, because they could be insulting a brother-in-law of the mayor or the president of the town's biggest employer.