South Carolina | American Turban

"South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley enters the State House chamber in Columbia to give her State of the State address in January. Democrat Dick Harpootlian has told activists to “send Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.” (Mary Ann Chastain/AP)" (source: The Daily Beast)

SC Democratic Party: Nikki Haley should “go back to wherever the hell she came from.”

May 6, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Friday, at a state Democratic Party event in South Carolina, party chairman Dick Harpootlian used interesting words to describe Governor Nikki Haley’s origins: “In about 18 months from now, hopefully he’ll have sent Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.” Nikki Haley, who has been discussed often on this blog, comes from a Sikh American family and later converted to Methodist Christianity. During her campaign for the governor’s seat, she regularly touted her Christian credentials. Despite […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: Dick Harpootlian, Nikki Haley, Sikh Jesus, South Carolina, South Carolina Democratic Party

"The Upstate Sikh Society is dedicating the first Sikh temple (called a Gurdwara) in the area. After nearly two years of construction, they have a community center and temple in which to worship and share their faith." (credit: Alex C. Hicks Jr./Alex.Hicks@shj.com/GoUpstate.com)

Sikhs in South Carolina open new home

February 26, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In Duncan, South Carolina, the Upstate Sikh Society opened the area’s first Sikh house of worship on Sunday: “We are very excited about having a home,” said treasurer Daljit Kalsi, who moved from India to Greenville in the 80s. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Gurdwara took place in November, 2011: After a year and a half of construction, the Gurdwara is expected to serve 40 to 50 Sikh families in Duncan and surrounding counties in the northern area of South […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Duncan, Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, South Carolina, Upstate Sikh Society

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A recent tweet by Phil Bailey, a political director of South Carolina's Senate Democratic Caucus (source: buzzfeed.com)

Nikki Haley as “the Sikh Jesus”. Who should be more offended?

May 18, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The saga involving one-time Sikh Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina, and the perceptions of her ethnic and religious history still continues: Who should be more offended at the mockery: Sikhs or Christians? Phil Bailey is a political director in the state of South Carolina’s Democratic Party, and made the comment above publicly on his Twitter account: The political director of South Carolina’s Senate Democratic Caucus labeled Nikki Haley the “Sikh Jesus” after she intervened to aid the Republican primary […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Jake Knotts, Nikki Haley, Phil Bailey, Sikh Jesus, South Carolina, Twitter

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Ridiculous Question of the Day: Does Nikki Haley give Sikh cab drivers bigger tips?

April 5, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

One wonders if TIME reporter Belinda Luscombe would ask such a question to a Christian politician about Christian cab drivers as she did to South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley: “In New York City, which you’re visiting for a couple of days, a lot of our taxi drivers are Sikhs,” Luscombe observed. “If you get one, are you going to give them a slightly bigger tip?” Haley nervously laughed, and shot down whether she would give special treatment to people of […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Belinda Luscombe, New York City, Nikki Haley, South Carolina, taxicab

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South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, on converting to Christianity

April 3, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Last night, my family gathered around the television to watch Nikki Haley be interviewed by Stephen Colbert (click for full interview) on The Colbert Report. The Governor of South Carolina has been doing a book tour to promote her memoir Can’t Is Not an Option, and has been appearing on many talk shows in New York. As she comes from an immigrant Sikh family, many American Sikhs have a curiosity around Haley (she has been written about on this blog […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Christianity, Colbert Report, New York Times, Nikki Haley, South Carolina, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report

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Undeniable proof that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is Indian

November 28, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. From the pages of FITSNews: Her family business – where she claimed to have “learned the value of a dollar” – was penalized three times over six years for failing to pay its corporate income taxes on time (and failing to turn over taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks). The company – owned by Ajit and Haley’s mother Raj Randhawa – has also been late paying property taxes. Meanwhile, Haley and her husband repeatedly failed to […]

Categories: Humor, News Bits, Politics • Tags: Nikki Haley, South Carolina

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Nikki Haley and race identification: If being “Asian” is wrong, is it right to write “White”?

August 9, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Academic and blogger Amardeep Singh offers his perspective on the issue of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s identification of herself as “White” on a voter registration card despite her South Asian and Sikh origins: Isn’t it fair that some South Asian Americans with little connection to South Asian culture or language would see themselves (and be seen as) “white” by others in their communities? Isn’t it possible to be of South Asian origin and “white” at the same time? Amardeep […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Amardeep Singh, Nikki Haley, South Carolina

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South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley: first not a Sikh, now not even Asian

July 29, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

“When she registers to vote she says she is white. She has developed a pattern of saying whatever is beneficial to her at the moment,” he said. “She can’t even tell the truth about her racial heritage.” – South Carolina’s Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian brings up Governor Nikki Haley’s inconsistencies in reporting her identity. Haley is often trumpeted in being the first female Indian American governor in the United States, and that from a Sikh family. She has openly used her […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: Dick Harpootlian, Nikki Haley, South Carolina

San Francisco Republican Party elects Sikh woman as chair

April 6, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Well, the GOP Party of San Francisco unanimously elected me, an orthodox Sikh with a funny name, to be its chairwoman. So, as far as I’m concerned, it’s never been an issue here in my rise through the ranks of the party. To the contrary, I’d say that members of my party have actively reached out and encouraged me to run for leadership positions. I’m the chairman of outreach for the California Republican Party statewide. The party asked me to […]

Categories: News Bits, Politics • Tags: Ajit Singh Randhawa, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Harmeet Dhillon, Kamala Harris, Nikki Haley, North Carolina, San Francisco, South Carolina, Trilochan Singh Oberoi

American Turban

A compendium of the Sikh American experience.

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SC Democratic Party: Nikki Haley should “go back to wherever the hell she came from.”

Sikhs in South Carolina open new home

Nikki Haley as “the Sikh Jesus”. Who should be more offended?

Ridiculous Question of the Day: Does Nikki Haley give Sikh cab drivers bigger tips?

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, on converting to Christianity

Undeniable proof that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is Indian

Nikki Haley and race identification: If being “Asian” is wrong, is it right to write “White”?

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley: first not a Sikh, now not even Asian

San Francisco Republican Party elects Sikh woman as chair

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